Reflections on Paris
Adam Gopnik, Paris to the Moon
"It's true that French women's magazines are as deeply preoccupied with body image and appearance as American ones. But they are confident that all problems can be solved by lotions."
"The trouble was now that the new white lights I got were white lights that were all twinkling ones. I saw the word clignotant on the box, and I knew that it meant blinking, but somehow I didn't associate the word blinking with the concept, 'These lights blink off and on.' It was the same thing with the garlands, come to think of it. It said guirlande right on the box, and I knew perfectly well what guirlande meant; but I am not yet able to make the transposition from what things say to what they mean. I saw the world guirlande on the box, but I didn't quite believe it. In France I am always prepared to give words the benefit of a poetic doubt. I see the word guirlande and shrug and think that maybe garland is just the French seasonal Christmas light-specific idiom for a string. The box says, 'They blink,' and I think they don't."
Reflections from home:
At this very moment, I am into my second full week back in the United States, and if I sit still for too long, I start to get pangs of homesickness...for Paris. I miss picnics, I miss truly good bread, I miss cheese, I miss getting weird looks while running, I miss dodging tourists, I miss taking the metro literally anywhere, I miss pretty colorful European money, I miss daily interactions that allow me to speak French, I miss snobby dogs who are dressed better than me, I miss fantastic, carefully-constructed window displays, and truly, I miss my markets.
That being said, my recent dining out experiences have reminded me of 3 key things:
1. Chipotle is delicious.
2. Froyo is the best. I have gone far too frequently this week, always with the intention of getting nonfat yogurt w/ fruit, always leaving with a cup brimming with caramel and flavors like cake batter. I am weak.
3. ENDLESS FREE ICE WATER, ZERO DEHYDRATION, ZERO JUDGEMENT. Mermaid lifestylez
I am sitting in the very chair I was in when, bored on a lazy summer afternoon last August, I felt the spontaneous "dream big" urge to apply to study abroad. Right now, I just can't believe that it is all said and done, not only that I lived a semester in Paris, but that it is already behind me.
Crew members--specifically AnneBam, perhaps my only loyal reader, whose hopeful heart sends her back to my blog from time to time to check for any Paris posts, even after the fact--this is me missing you dearly. There are still a couple more posts on the city of lights to come, but then it will likely either be defunct, or DC chillin'.
Love, Caro.
Adam Gopnik, Paris to the Moon
"It's true that French women's magazines are as deeply preoccupied with body image and appearance as American ones. But they are confident that all problems can be solved by lotions."
"The trouble was now that the new white lights I got were white lights that were all twinkling ones. I saw the word clignotant on the box, and I knew that it meant blinking, but somehow I didn't associate the word blinking with the concept, 'These lights blink off and on.' It was the same thing with the garlands, come to think of it. It said guirlande right on the box, and I knew perfectly well what guirlande meant; but I am not yet able to make the transposition from what things say to what they mean. I saw the world guirlande on the box, but I didn't quite believe it. In France I am always prepared to give words the benefit of a poetic doubt. I see the word guirlande and shrug and think that maybe garland is just the French seasonal Christmas light-specific idiom for a string. The box says, 'They blink,' and I think they don't."
Reflections from home:
At this very moment, I am into my second full week back in the United States, and if I sit still for too long, I start to get pangs of homesickness...for Paris. I miss picnics, I miss truly good bread, I miss cheese, I miss getting weird looks while running, I miss dodging tourists, I miss taking the metro literally anywhere, I miss pretty colorful European money, I miss daily interactions that allow me to speak French, I miss snobby dogs who are dressed better than me, I miss fantastic, carefully-constructed window displays, and truly, I miss my markets.
That being said, my recent dining out experiences have reminded me of 3 key things:
1. Chipotle is delicious.
2. Froyo is the best. I have gone far too frequently this week, always with the intention of getting nonfat yogurt w/ fruit, always leaving with a cup brimming with caramel and flavors like cake batter. I am weak.
3. ENDLESS FREE ICE WATER, ZERO DEHYDRATION, ZERO JUDGEMENT. Mermaid lifestylez
I am sitting in the very chair I was in when, bored on a lazy summer afternoon last August, I felt the spontaneous "dream big" urge to apply to study abroad. Right now, I just can't believe that it is all said and done, not only that I lived a semester in Paris, but that it is already behind me.
Crew members--specifically AnneBam, perhaps my only loyal reader, whose hopeful heart sends her back to my blog from time to time to check for any Paris posts, even after the fact--this is me missing you dearly. There are still a couple more posts on the city of lights to come, but then it will likely either be defunct, or DC chillin'.
Love, Caro.
