Le Week-End

Salut tous!

Just a quick update, as not too much is going on... except for that the Sorbonne is still on strike. Which is good news for me since it means time off, especially since AUP is on spring break this week and next.

Last weekend I went home for a few days, it was a very short visit (considering where I am coming from) I arrived in SLC friday and left monday evening. But it was a nice quiet and relaxing weekend. On friday Jake, Kenzie, and Rachel were all home for a bit before Jake took off for Las Vegas, but Rachel and Kenz stayed for dinner. Lily unfortunately couldn't make it down for the weekend. But it was nice to see everyone else.

On saturday Tony, my mom, Rachel and I ran errands which included going to Costco... which ended up being a dangerous thing for me since everything is so mcuh cheaper here, but I got some great deals, and stocked up on dvd's. I got a new spring coat, The Dark Knight, Wall.E, and the first season of Burn Notice. We went to the Cotton Botom for dinner and a garilc burger has never tasted so good!

Sunday, my parents and I saw "Slumdog Millionaire." I knew absolutely nothing about the movie but was impressed by it. It really was a fabulous film and paints a fairly accurate picture of some of the social problems that India faces today, which is why my mom had a hard time watching the movie. I was also able to watch the Oscars that night, and to my very pleasant surprise "Slumdog Millionaire" won 8 awards! The show overall was very entertaining and I'm glad I was able to catch it while I was home.

Monday my mom and I grabbed a quick lunch at El Rancho Grande before heading of to the airport. I was able to sleep for about 4 hours on the plane, which is a lot for me. I watched two movies on the plane, on the way home I watched the third installment of "The Mummy," and on the way back I watched "The Dutchess." The Mummy was better that I thought it would be, but Rachel Weiss is a much better Evelyn than the person who played it, and its just not the same without her. "The Dutchess," was not at all what I expected, but still very good. It was more of a love story than I thought, and it didn't really have a happy ending, and not in a good way.

Thus far my attempts to recover from jet lag are going well, but I'm still exhausted. I leave for London next wednesday, so I probably won't update again until I return.

I hope everyone is well!
Ciao

La Greve

Bonjour tous!

So my attempt to keep you updated on a normal basis has been, well not so good. Honestly though, not much has been going on except the usual, homework, shopping, reading, etc. But there are a few things to update on. So here we go...

Three weeks ago (roughly) I took my final at the Sorbonne for my Theorie Politique class. The actual taking of the test was fine, and actually easier than I thought. That being said, it did take me about a minute after I got the test question to calm down and realize I could actually answer it! It took exactly three hours, to the dot, to complete the exam (plan, first draft, final draft). Thank God for our tutor who essentially taught us the difference between the way American's write exam answers, and the way the French do it, cause that made all the difference in the world! I have yet to actually recieve my grade for the exam, but I did pass the Conference de Methode class, so hopefully that is a good indicator.

This week, many university and higher education schools are on strike! Its funny because I was supposed to start classes at the Sorbonne again this week, but I haven't had class because of the strike, and knowing the French, and especially the Sorbonne, only God knows when I will have class again... I'm just hoping that when I go to the class of the one teacher that is not striking, I don't get trapped in the building!

For the last month or so France has had crazy weather! There was snow when I got back from Christmas break! And two days ago they had to shut down the airport because of wind... 82 mph! It kept me up all night! While rain is normal this time of year, snow is not... when the snow actually sticks, like perhaps it does in Utah or Spokane, the Parisians aren't quite sure how to handle it. Personally, I wish they would all just buy snow shovels, that way at least the sidewalks stay clear, and I don't have to ice skate everywhere!

This last week my friend Caitlin had her friend Josh visiting, and she was kind enough to let me tag along with them. It was really nice because I got to revist some of my favorite museums, like Musee d'Orsay and Pompidou, and go to places I had never been, like Versailles, Invalides, and Musee Gumiet.

My AUP classes are going well, I have two for the time being, and they are both fascinating. One is on the study of Authoritarianism in Russia and China, the other is a study of State, Society, and Political Economy of the Middle East. And next week is mid-terms already!!! Luckily, I don't have any mid-terms!!! But I still need to go through the motions of typing up notes as a marker that will make organizing and studying for finals much easier.

AUP Spring Break is in two weeks and I get two weeks off!!! I am planning on returning home, to Utah for a few days, and am hoping to meet up with Catilin in London for a few days (I love London!!!). I also need to renew my temporary carte de sejour, I am having so many problems with the prefecture it is making my head spin! Oh well, it will all work out, and Caitlin said I can move into her apartment when she moves out, so that I can be in the Paris city limits, and then I can do it through the school.

I think thats about all! As usual, I will try and keep you all updated more often... and with the Sorbonne on strike that gives me a little extra time in the coming week(s). Hope everyone is doing well!

Ciao

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!