I’m back to Lyon following my jaunt to Paris, and I’m returning to the daily grind of classes, exploring Lyon, and eating French food. I’m slowly starting to figure out the French university system, but first let me quickly recap my weekend in Paris.
Following my day long excursion to Normandy, I arrived in Paris a little travel weary and a bit sick from the lack of sleep the night before. But, I was quickly remedied with a few blocks on the Champs Elysées. Meeting up with my friends forced me to walk by the Arc de Triomphe, the Luxor Obelisk, and the Louvre. Welcome to Paris, I guess. I soon found that it is true that everyone in Paris speaks English, following an encounter with our waiter at a sidewalk café. I ordered a chicken dish, and explained to him, in French, that I could not have eggs, so if he could please ensure there was no eggs in what I had ordered, that would be great. Pretty standard action, nothing special. However, we (the four travelers) were clearly speaking English, and the waiter picked up on it, and wanted to throw a little joke out there to top it off. So he brings me the chicken plate, and I ask him again (in English this time) if there are any eggs, to which he replies “No eggs, but you know that this makes eggs, right?” with quite a wry smile on his face. It was one of those Fran-glais moments: did he mean to use that verb? Does he know what he just said? Eventually, us dumb Americans (a common theme in Paris) figured out his hilarious joke.
After settling in Friday night, Saturday was our day to explore. We did not end up going to many different places, instead spending plenty of time just relaxing and taking in the sun at each destination. First was Sacre Coeur, where a Parisien street musician (of Spanish descent) butchered the words of Coldplay and Oasis as we tried to ignore him by looking out over the city from the mini hill of Montmartre. Then it was off to the Arc de Triomphe, where we took advantage of France’s “day of patriotism,” which meant that all the touristy state-owned monuments throughout France were free, and spent plenty of time up on the top snapping photos and looking over the Paris skyline. Again, I did not have a working camera at the time, so you’ll have to check out facebook (the picture today is from the American cemetery in Normandy). We capped off our sightseeing for the day with a promenade down the Champs Elysées, in which we encountered at least two McDonalds (or “MacDo” here) and two Starbucks.
Night brought the highlight of the trip for some of us: picnicking in a park (nearly) under the Eiffel Tower. We met up with some friends from Reid Hall and had an authentic French dinner, complete with French wine (perhaps not the finest, but the price was right), cheese, ham, and, of course, baguettes. A true Paris experience. As we were appreciating the cultural experience, the clock struck the hour, and the Eiffel Tower began to sparkle. Now, it normally is lit up at night, but we quickly learned that every hour it sparkles with fluorescent lights for about five minutes, and it is a sight to be seen. For us Lyonnais, this was unexpected and amazing (we heavily anticipated the next hour). Yet, the Parisiens among us were thoroughly not impressed. “It’s tacky,” or “so boring,” or “it really gets old after a while” were the only phrases they could muster as this spectacle unfolded. I just kind of looked at them blankly (albeit for only a few seconds as I didn’t want to miss the show), and wondered what a shame it must be when the sights of Paris are no longer exciting.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, marked by an early exit from the hotel room to catch a train back to Lyon on a gray and rainy Sunday. I finally had class on Monday this week, as the Professors decided to show up this time around. I had two classes in French (on European and International Institutions, and then on the United States in the 20th Century), and this is where I really figured out the French system. First off, we were told when we came here by Penn that this would not be like the United States, in the sense that students wanted to be in class (a radical concept) and would truly be focused when they were there. False. Just like at Penn, most of the class is on Facebook, checking up on the world while the professor in vain tries to describe the subject material. If this professor is reasonably entertaining and interesting, the students will reward him/her at the end of every class with a round of applause, a nice touch. However, if this professor happens to be a bit boring, the French have no problem blatantly talking up in the back, so much to the point that the professor is drowned out by the class chatter. That is a bit awkward. Additionally, I tend to be someone who takes plenty of notes, and especially here I try to take notes on phrases that are helpful or other French words that stick out to me. Yet, I do not always get exactly what the professor is saying, as again, this is not my native language. So it is always enjoyable for me to see some French kids lean over to mooch off my notes (expecting to be wowed by their content), and then kind of slink back into their chair more confused than ever. Final point is that we really have very little work here. Yes there are readings for almost every class, but nothing like the daily work at Penn. For starters, we only have one session of each course per week, rendering daily work completely useless. Further, professors usually give out a “bibliography” at the beginning of each course of recommended books throughout the semester, ie a list of books it would be helpful to read, but no worries if you never get around to them. At the end of the semester, each class normally just has one exam on which your entire grade is based. No pressure, but you better be a good test taker.
Ah yes, university life has begun in France, and I am trying not to get bogged down in the class work. So far, so good.
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