Paris III and new (not so) secret bar

Salut!
So it’s been a while since my last post, I’ve lost some motivation as my most ardent fan (aka mom) wont be online for a while, but anyways here we go. Saturday night ended up being a really fun night, the Iranian place was amazing, in a really neat part of Paris I hadn’t been to before that actually reminded me a lot of Place Plume in Tours, lots of different places to eat and people everywhere. After Olivia and I finished dinner, we headed over and met up with Alex to try and find a cheap bar, which ended up taking us back to the Bastille area to go to our regular place (happy hour til 11, yess). There we were joined by Jen and Emily, and eventually Abby, so we wandered around a bit, stopping in at another of our favorite bars, and just hanging out. Sunday was a very chill day, as I relaxed in an attempt to beat my cold, which partially helped. I did get out of the house a bit to hang out and use the Wifi in a nearby park, which was nice. Monday I had my first class at Paris III, “Approches interculturelles du cinéma”, which I think should be a really good class. The professor is actually German, so speaks french a little slower than I think most french professors would, so it makes understanding easy. My only worry is going to be figuring out how to find these movies to watch for class, as the school library seems pretty limited, but there is another girl from Sweet Briar in my class so at least we can figure this out together! Tuesday, I had my Literature class at Paris III, which also seems like it’s going to be a really good, interesting class. It’s “La bete humaine”, and is kind of a philosophical class looking at the relation between man and animals, through some really weird/interesting novels by Balzac, Victor Hugo, Mérimée, and Zola…I’m excited for it, and again there are some other people from Sweet Briar in my class that I am friends with, so that makes it easier as well. It was funny, there seemed to be a lot of exchange students in that particular class, lots of people speaking English and some Spanish mixed in. Monday I also had my “Atélier d’écriture” class, where we had our first in class “devoir” (assignment/essay thing). The topic was roughly to describe someone you admire and why, a question I found amazingly easy considering…I bet you can guess who I chose. Yesterday I had my art history class again, where we’re still focusing on the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance. It’s really interesting, and the professor is pretty adorable, on the rare occasions he speaks english in class it is with a British accent, hehe. Afterwards we had the Louvre visit, as always, and saw some really cool “objets d’art”, including tapestries, and different kinds of cases designed to hold the bones of saints (although the bones themselves were destroyed during the French Revolution). Again, it was a really interesting class. This week Kristin and I also have been hanging out a lot at night, at our new secret spot-this cool bar really close to where she lives (I say secret as just the two of us have been going-so much easier to meet new people), that Kristin's house mom actually recommended (her host mom is the sweetest old lady ever, everytime I come over she does her best to have me stay for meals). We have had a lot of fun talking amongst ourselves and also meeting random and sometimes sketchy people, hehe. The first night we went, we actually met someone from Estonia (!), who I promptly informed I was part Estonian-he seemed to get a kick out of it, and taught us how to toast in Estonian, very interesting guy. Last night we met a couple French guys (although one was at least partially Venezuelan) as well, and I ended up talking for a long time with this guy named Xavier; we exchanged numbers, so we’ll see if anything happens with that…:) So yeah, I’m still having an amazing time here, there is never a dull moment. Today (Thursday) I am heading to Belgium with my friends Joe and Dana, where we are staying until Sunday. We’re taking the train and spending the first night two nights in Bruges, and then our last night in Brussels-I’m so excited, I think it’s going to be a really great trip, and it will be nice to spend time with Joe and Dana, who I don’t normally hang out with as much as some of my other friends. I can’t wait!
Of course, I am also thinking about “the person I most admire” a lot, as mom headed in for treatment this Monday. I wish I could be there to help, but I know she’s in good hands at home, and that her never-ending strength and all the love surrounding her will see her through this. Love you mom, you can do this.
Amour,
Brittany