Je suis vivre!!!

Hello everyone! I realize it has been over two months since I last wrote, but believe me I have been busy and am only now finding time to write because I am procrastinating. Not much to tell about the last few months except that I have been ridiculously busy with homework. 

This is the last week of the semester! I can't even believe how quickly it has gone. Next week I have reading days during which I will be studying for a final in Philosophical Foundations of International Relations, and I have a test in my conférènce de méthode class at the Sorbonne. 

     On Monday (a week from now) I have two papers due. One which is 15 pages and almost done on Game Theory and Collective Security, the other which is 20 pages and is on Humanitarian Intervention and Somalia. The latter is a continuation from a paper I wrote last year, but as I was in the middle of writing it, I realized I did not have nearly enough room to explore and discuss the complexity of the situation which is what I hope to do now. 

For Thanksgiving, I celebrated a few days late (Saturday) with some friends from school. My friend Michael and his girlfriend did a fabulous job of preparing the meal and of entertaining. ALL of the dishes were homemade (including the pumpkin and pecan pies!) and even more delicious!  

Today was a typical monday except for that it was a bit more stressful cause as I was in a hurry to leave my apartment I forgot my keys!!! For those who don't understand this problem, in Europe, front doors don't have working handles. So this means that the door shuts an locks when you close it... and today I shut and locked my keys in my apartment. Luckily my landlady had a second set, but I had to come back after class to get them from her when typically I would just go to the library. But the most important thing is that I could get in my apartment without having to call a locksmith.

I think that is all for now! Since the semester is coming to a close I hope I will be able to updat more often! Hope everyone is well!

Le premièr mois est passé

Salut tous! I apologize for not writing in a while, but it has been busy the last few weeks, plus I got slowed down with a nasty cold this last week. A few weekends ago, I went with the Gonzaga students to Saint Malo and Mt. Saint Michel. It was a blast and the weather was beautiful! It was nice because I had never been to Saint Malo before and it was a very cool old little fortress town, and I would reccommend visiting if you ever are in France. We walked around the fortress and the beach, ate lunch, took picutres and all that fun stuff. The next day we went to Mt. Saint Michel which I had visited the last time I was here. I had a great time the second time around and I never fail to be enchanted by how old and interesting the island is. I have always said I thought it looks like a snow-globe without a dome, so this time, I bought a snow globe of the island. I passed on visiting the Abbey a second time around, partly cause it was crazy busy, and partly cause I had already done it and wanted more time to explore the shops. It was a fun weekend, but I most definitely paid for it when I got back really late and had massive amounts of homework that I am still catching up on (I'm not behind on the syllabus which is a good thing, just behind where I would like to be for organizational purposes).

The last few weeks have been nice. Not too stressful, and not too slow. I made it out to Disneyland the last two wednesdays and was surprised that they have already started setting up for halloween. Wednesdays are a great day to go because there was no one there and I did everything I wanted in just a few hours. I didn't make it out to IKEA originally planned last monday because of a Movement Social (organized strike) on the one line going to IKEA. So we (my friend Caitlin and I) went last friday to a different IKEA, which didn't work out that well since it was IKEA Cuisines (which means it was a kitchen store), and we didn't need anything for our kitchens. On Saturday however, we finally made it out to the real IKEA! It was great, but also hard because we had to exercise a lot of self-control which was a little easier by the fact that we went at the last minute and only had an hour to shop for specific things we needed. I bought a desk (which I still haven't had time to assemble) and Caitlin graciously helped me carry it back to my apartment. Which means on the bus to the RER to the Merto to my apartment building then up eight flights of stairs!!!! Luckily it wasn't too heavy, just an awkwardly sized box. Needless to say I bought her dinner.

Two Sundays ago I went with the Gonzaga students to Chateau de Nitray for a vendange (or grape harvest), and it was just as much fun as it was the last time I did it (almost more fun since the weather was much better). The only thing that was hard was that we got back really late (later than we were supposed to) so by the time I got home and did everything I needed to get ready for today (monday), then got in bed it was 1:30 am. This would not be that big of a deal had I got more than five hours of sleep on friday (stayed up to watch the presidential debates at 3 am to 5 am here, then for some reason was wide awake at 10am ) and saturday (didn't get home from IKEA till midnight then had to get up at 5 for Chateau de Nitray) nights. I'm pretty sure this is what contributed to this awful cold that I am now recovering from.

I had my first class at the Sorbonne on thursday (it was make up class for a class we are going to miss in November, and its before school even starts). It was nerve wracking. I was able to understand the gist of what the professor was saying (well most of it really, but I'm not quite sure if I heard it right or not). It was atrociously long too, four hours!!!! Luckily, no other class I have (including that one) will ever be that long again.  

I have quite a lot of work ahead of me this next week. A little bit of catch up from being sick, but I have everything done for this week that needs to be done, and that is most important. Plus a module (or simulation) this week. It is essentially an entire class fit into three days. But they make it fun and interesting cause it is a hands on simulation type thing. I will let you all know how it goes. 

I hope everone is doing well! Feel free to comment or e-mail (reverett@gonzaga.edu).

Il fait beau!

This last week,the weather in Paris has been absolutely beautiful... even if a little bit chilly. It has also been fairly stressful. I finally was able to go to the sous-préfecture to apply for my carte de séjour. I got there when they opened on tuesday morning and they gave me number 584. I had to leave at one for a meeting at the Sorbonne, and when I left they were at 579! I didn't even get to go, and the reason I wanted to go was so that I could see if I was missing any papers and go back on wednesday with everything I needed. Needless to say I returned the next day anyway, this time I got there early. I waited for two hours for them to make me an appointment to apply for my carte de séjour! Furhtermore the appointment is not until November 19th! Which means two things: 1) I will most likely not be able to go home for Christmas (because once the process has started I can't leave the EU) and 2) because the appointment is so late I might have to leave an re-enter the country before November. Had I known I needed to do this myself earlier, I would have, and all this stress could have been avoided.

Other than that, everything is going very well. I was able to make it out to Disneyland on sunday, and yes I did renew my seasons pass, they have some fun new stuff too. I really like both classes I have right now, and I am equally nervous and excited for Sorbonne classes to start. I bought a tv over the weekend and I now have cable which is nice. I can watch American shows in French, as well as other shows in French, but I also gett CNN, BBC, and Cartoon Network and some Nickelodeon shows in English. Last night (thursday) I had dinner with the current Gonzaga in Paris students. It was nice to get to meet the new students, and get to see Marie-Claire and Renan again. I will also be going with them to Mont St. Michel this weekend. This time it is a whole weekend excursion (when I went we did it all in one day... we were on the bus longer than the island). I will also (hopefully) be making  a trip to Ikea on monday, I am so excited for that! I love Ikea! 

Hopefully I will get around to putting up new pictures and videos I have taken this weekend, but no promises!

I hope everyone is doing well.

7 years...

Please take a moment today to remember the already 7th annivesary of 9/11, and the nearly 3,000 people that died. As well as to thank your flight crews for keeping you safe everytime you fly.

La premiere semaine des cours

Salut! I am almost finished with my first week of classes, well most of them anyway (the others don't start until October - see below for details) and the week has gone by pretty smoothly with only one glitch. First off, I am getting the internet set up in my apartment (I hesitate to call it an apartment since its really more of a large room) tomorrow, and I am so excited! I will feel so much more connected! Currently I am writing this post at the school.
When I was housed through the school, I decided to live immediately outside of Paris since the rent was considerably cheaper, but I am still on the merto and my commute is only about 25 - 30 minutes. However, yesterday as I was getting everything ready for my carte de sejour (like a green card) appointment I read in the pamphlet that if I live outside of Paris, I have to do my carte de sejour on my own! This was extremely upsetting since I was not told when I was housed that I would have to do this. The carte de sejour process is difficult because it is essentially the French bureaucracy at its best, and the French can't even figure it out, how am I supposed to?! I went to the carte de sejour people office at the school to see if they could help and they were no help at all. Afterwards I went to the housing office to let them know that they need to make sure to tell students if they choose to live outside the city they have to do it on their own. Had I known I would have taken it into consideration, but I don't know that it would have changed my decision, it just would have been nice to know ahead of time so I could have started the process last week since it will now take twice as long. They were extremely apologetic and tried to help me, but I am probably going to have to find another student who has done it and ask them.
Other than that however, everything else is fine. My classes are going well and are really interesting. Also the French component of my program has changed. When I arrived I had the choice to continue with the plan of doing the second masters at the Insitut Cahtolique as originally planned, or do it at the Sorbonne. The catch is that the program through the Sorbonne is not yet finalized so at the end I may end up with a masters from them, or I may get a certificat. Regardless of which I choose I will still get my MA from the American University. I decided to go to the Sorbonne for many reasons. The most important is that while the Insitut Catholique used to be one of the best schools for International Relations study, it it losing a lot of credibility recently because of the Catholic church's return to conservatism under the new Pope. Also, the Sorbonne is better recognized, so regardless of whether or not I recieve a Master or a certificat, it is more widely recognized throughout the EU, UK and US so that it would hold more significance that a Master from a school no one has heard of. And finally, the most important thing is that I get my MA from the American University, which I will regardless of which school I choose.
Sorry for the long post, but this is the first time I have really been able to sit down and write about all the new developments since I got here. I think I've covered just about everything. Hopefully when I get the internet I will be able to post some of the pictures I have taken. Most are from my recent excursion to the Louvre... which didn't last very long as it was free museum day and everyone and their neighbor was there and it was impossibly frustrating, but I did manage to see my favorite things, and some more (I got to see a mini Easter Island Head!!! I never knew they had one there!)
Hope everyone is well!

Quick Update

Salut tous! I just moved into my apartment the other day. It is technically not in Paris but in Boulonge, which for those who are Paris savvy know, is just right outside the city and still on the metro (line 10). I am just updating very quickly as I do not have internet yet. Other than that all is going well. I registered for classes, got my new french cell phone, and have been busy with seminars and workshops before class starts on monday. I also start working on monday. I am going to be the assistant co-ordinator for the under graduate International Relations program. Last night I went to the grad student coktail which was followed by a bateau mouche. It was a great time to socialize with everyone. Okay, I better run but I will hopefully be getting the internet within the next few days! I hope everyone is doing well!

Bonjour!

Salut Tous! Sorry for the lack of communication for the last  few days. I arrived in Paris on thursday, and I just arrived at the hotel I will be staying at until I decide on an apartment. I was able to get to spend two days with my Mom in Paris which was really fun. The first day, we toured the city with my Mom's friend Lisa who worked the trip to Paris and we were able to go to most of the major monuments, then had a nice dinner on the Butte de Monmartre. We unfortunately decided against going to Disneyland because we needed to get more stuff done to help me get settled before my Mom left, but hopefully we will get to go when my Mom comes to visit. We did move most of my luggage to the hostel I was going to stay at ( I ended up checking in today to find out they were putting the graduate students in a different hotel) then we went to l'Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs-Elysées. We finished the evening with dinner at Chez Janou, and a trip to the Eiffel Tower for crêpes. It was really cool because the Eiffel tower was decorated to look likethe EU flag. This morning I saw my Mom off at the airport then went back to the hotel, gathered the rest of my things and went to check in for orientation which will last for the next week. The sad thing is that I forgot one of my pillows at the hotel and when I called the reception to have them hold it for me they said they found nothing :(   Oh well, at least I still have the other pillow I brought and that one is my favorite.  I have to run, but I will continue to keep everyone updated. I hope everyone is well.

 

3 days!

Hello everyone! I'm down to the last three days here on US soil. I still have a lot to do before I go, but at least the packing is going well. My Mom will be spending a few days with me in Paris until I check in for orientation on the 30th. I don't actually start school until 8 September, but there will be plenty to do until then... most important of which is find a place to live. I am looking forward to my classes, but really nervous about the classes I have to take at L'Institut Catholique because last time they were easy, this is gonna be a lot harder, but should still be fun none the less. 

10 days!

Bonjour friends! The countdown continues with just 10 days to go, and I am shocked at how fast the time is going! The packing process is beginning today (hopefully), and thanks to the lovely luggage set I was given by Grammy for graduation in addition to the new duffel bag, packing should be easier this time around. This is also my last week at Victoria's Secret :( I am glad to be going to school but will miss all my friends at work. Working has made the summer go by so much faster, which is good cause I can't wait to get to Paris!

15 days!!!!

Woot! The count down continues... 15 days left on US soil! And I still have to visit les amies in various parts of the US. I am very excited and nervous, this is no study abroad program, this time its for real. I will be a graduate student at the American University of Paris beginning 8 September 2008. 

This is where I will blog about my adventures in Paris, grad school, and hopefully more travels around Europe. I will try to update at least once a week, but once school has started no promises. Feel free to ask questions, e-mail, and comment :)