I previously wrote that there is nothing in Chicago pulling me in. I take that back... only because this video takes place in Chicago and it makes it look a lot cooler than it is. I guess there are some good things about Chicago.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
L'Opera Bastille
Last weekend I went to see Lady Macbeth de Mzensck at the Opera Bastille. The Opera Bastille is the newer opera house in Paris, and its located right on the Place de la Bastille where the famous prison once stood. In comparison to the other opera houses here in Paris, Bastille is much newer and definitely more modern. It's not necessarily reflected in their repetoire, however. The realisation of the operas however, can be considered more modern.
Lady Macbeth is actually quite a dark opera. It's about a woman, Katerina, who is forced into a life of more or less servitude. She is married to a rich merchant, who she doesn't love, and her every move is watched by her step father. She eventually falls in love with one of the families new workers who is really only after her for the challenge. The story involves a lot of killing and sexiness, but its pretty powerful.
The staging was really cool. The first act took place in a glass house that was surrounded by dirt. Like real dirt. It really reflected how Katerina was caged in and such. And then the second act was in a prison, that had like a foot of water in the bottom. Staging like this could not have happened at a different opera house.
I guess I'm really lucky that my program sets stuff like this up for us. I mean, I went to an OPERA in PARIS. Wowza.
Lady Macbeth is actually quite a dark opera. It's about a woman, Katerina, who is forced into a life of more or less servitude. She is married to a rich merchant, who she doesn't love, and her every move is watched by her step father. She eventually falls in love with one of the families new workers who is really only after her for the challenge. The story involves a lot of killing and sexiness, but its pretty powerful.
The staging was really cool. The first act took place in a glass house that was surrounded by dirt. Like real dirt. It really reflected how Katerina was caged in and such. And then the second act was in a prison, that had like a foot of water in the bottom. Staging like this could not have happened at a different opera house.
I guess I'm really lucky that my program sets stuff like this up for us. I mean, I went to an OPERA in PARIS. Wowza.
20 Things
Inspired by a random trend going through facebook that is something like post 15-25 (varies by person) things about yourself and then tag other people... blah blah blah... I thought I would write a list of 20 Things about myself. Sort of to see where my head is tonight. And sort of because I figured why the hell not?
Here goes:
1. I am currently living in Paris, France and I don't want to leave. But I have to. I'm almost out of money and my visa is going to expire.
2. I am sort of dreading going back to Chicago. There is nothing there pulling me in. No reason to be there other than school. And that isn't a very good reason.
3. I have no real ambitions for this summer. I want to live with my parents. Save money. Do nothing strenuous. Be a kid.
4. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. All I know is that I like international relations and managing things. I don't know what this adds up to or where it takes me. Somewhere.
5. Based on the last four I appear to only want to bum around and travel. I guess that sums me up ok.
6. I can't live without my bike. It's literally killing me here in Paris without my wheels. One of the first things I'm doing when I return to the States is riding. Fuck it.
7. I go on more about cycling than anyone wants to hear, which is a pity. I wish there were more people who got cycling that I could talk to. It's not fun wanting to talk about a race when no one gets what you're saying.
8. I drink coffee like it's water.
9. I'm probably the worst-read student at the University of Chicago. I haven't read anything important. I can't even pretend.
10. After my bike and my family the thing I miss the most from the States is Mexican food. Taco Bell for the sheer cheapness of it, Chipotle for the amazingness, and my mom's for the... yeah.
11. I used to be a runner, but I wasn't that good. I like to tell people that I am a triathlete now, but in reality I've only done one race so I don't know if that counts.
12. My two favorite bands at present are Augustana and McFly. They aren't similar at all, but both of them make me feel good when I listen to them.
13. I'm a bit lonely. I think it's because I don't know a lot of people that I can relate to. I guess that means I'm unique, but sometimes I wish there were some people out there that had the same brain as me.
14. I love Survivor too much for my own good. I almost applied to the next season but got too lazy to do the 20 page application and the video. But if I were on it, I would win. Promise.
15. I don't really want to grow up. I wish I could be like 19 forever. Too bad I'm 21 now.
16. I have a very strange lingo. I try not to use it when I'm around UofC kids because I feel like they are above it, but I talk like I'm a 18 year old high school boy on the west coast or something. I have a lot of strange words I use.
17. My favorite films are Breaking Away and Broken English. For different reasons. Breaking Away is about a kid who loves cycling and no one really gets it. Broken English the main character is called Nora and she is a bit like me. Its almost the story of my life, but not.
18. I feel like I've lost touch with most of my old friends. I think it's partly due to my lack of cell phone use, and partly due to the fact that I'm too lazy to actively see how they are doing.
19. I didn't realize how stereotypically American I was until I got to France. I am so flippin American its not even funny.
20. I'm scared for the future. But also dead excited for it too.
Here goes:
1. I am currently living in Paris, France and I don't want to leave. But I have to. I'm almost out of money and my visa is going to expire.
2. I am sort of dreading going back to Chicago. There is nothing there pulling me in. No reason to be there other than school. And that isn't a very good reason.
3. I have no real ambitions for this summer. I want to live with my parents. Save money. Do nothing strenuous. Be a kid.
4. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. All I know is that I like international relations and managing things. I don't know what this adds up to or where it takes me. Somewhere.
5. Based on the last four I appear to only want to bum around and travel. I guess that sums me up ok.
6. I can't live without my bike. It's literally killing me here in Paris without my wheels. One of the first things I'm doing when I return to the States is riding. Fuck it.
7. I go on more about cycling than anyone wants to hear, which is a pity. I wish there were more people who got cycling that I could talk to. It's not fun wanting to talk about a race when no one gets what you're saying.
8. I drink coffee like it's water.
9. I'm probably the worst-read student at the University of Chicago. I haven't read anything important. I can't even pretend.
10. After my bike and my family the thing I miss the most from the States is Mexican food. Taco Bell for the sheer cheapness of it, Chipotle for the amazingness, and my mom's for the... yeah.
11. I used to be a runner, but I wasn't that good. I like to tell people that I am a triathlete now, but in reality I've only done one race so I don't know if that counts.
12. My two favorite bands at present are Augustana and McFly. They aren't similar at all, but both of them make me feel good when I listen to them.
13. I'm a bit lonely. I think it's because I don't know a lot of people that I can relate to. I guess that means I'm unique, but sometimes I wish there were some people out there that had the same brain as me.
14. I love Survivor too much for my own good. I almost applied to the next season but got too lazy to do the 20 page application and the video. But if I were on it, I would win. Promise.
15. I don't really want to grow up. I wish I could be like 19 forever. Too bad I'm 21 now.
16. I have a very strange lingo. I try not to use it when I'm around UofC kids because I feel like they are above it, but I talk like I'm a 18 year old high school boy on the west coast or something. I have a lot of strange words I use.
17. My favorite films are Breaking Away and Broken English. For different reasons. Breaking Away is about a kid who loves cycling and no one really gets it. Broken English the main character is called Nora and she is a bit like me. Its almost the story of my life, but not.
18. I feel like I've lost touch with most of my old friends. I think it's partly due to my lack of cell phone use, and partly due to the fact that I'm too lazy to actively see how they are doing.
19. I didn't realize how stereotypically American I was until I got to France. I am so flippin American its not even funny.
20. I'm scared for the future. But also dead excited for it too.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Chateaux of the Loire: Take Two
One of the sort of downers about doing two quarter programs with the University of Chicago in Paris is that I have to redo some things. The Chateaux trip was one of them. Don't get me wrong, I was actually really stoked to go again, and it wasn't a complete redo. Last quarter we went to Chenonceau and Chambord, and this quarter it was Blois and then Chambord. And Chambord is my favorite anyways...
We started out ungodly early in the morning. The sun doesn't rise here until about 9:00 AM right now, so it's a bit difficult to roll out of bed and be somewhere at 7:30 when it's still quite dark outside. My program and the Social Science kids all jumped onto a nice bus and were chauffered to the city of Blois. I don't really remember the ride, I was asleep the whole time.
We got into Blois a little before 10:00 AM and my History of Paris professor took us on a tour of the chateau. The chateau is strange because it's a jumble of different styles of architecture quite literally shoved together. It is one of the best examples of the differences between the styles in France and probably the world. I like the classical stuff the best, it looks really classy... think Versailles. Some of the Renaissance stuff is a little ridiculous, but generally it's all quite nice. The tour itself was interesting. My professor really knows his stuff, and he knows how to convey it to college students. And of course it had to do with La Reine Margot, a ridiculous film I watched last quarter...
We had lunch at a really really fancy restaurant in Blois. I'm not really sure what I ate, but it was pretty tasty. It may have included rabbit. I'm not exactly sure. And I'm not sure I want to know. But it was fun, and that's what counts.
After we went to Chambord. I literally went on the same tour as last time, but it was in english so I caught a little more information. It was cool to see it again. And I spent less time listening to the tour guide and more time actually looking at the place. It's incroyable. Incredible.
After we jumped on the bus for a long ride home. I slept again. Hah.
Photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011066&l=5c1d1&id=1599570086
We started out ungodly early in the morning. The sun doesn't rise here until about 9:00 AM right now, so it's a bit difficult to roll out of bed and be somewhere at 7:30 when it's still quite dark outside. My program and the Social Science kids all jumped onto a nice bus and were chauffered to the city of Blois. I don't really remember the ride, I was asleep the whole time.
We got into Blois a little before 10:00 AM and my History of Paris professor took us on a tour of the chateau. The chateau is strange because it's a jumble of different styles of architecture quite literally shoved together. It is one of the best examples of the differences between the styles in France and probably the world. I like the classical stuff the best, it looks really classy... think Versailles. Some of the Renaissance stuff is a little ridiculous, but generally it's all quite nice. The tour itself was interesting. My professor really knows his stuff, and he knows how to convey it to college students. And of course it had to do with La Reine Margot, a ridiculous film I watched last quarter...
We had lunch at a really really fancy restaurant in Blois. I'm not really sure what I ate, but it was pretty tasty. It may have included rabbit. I'm not exactly sure. And I'm not sure I want to know. But it was fun, and that's what counts.
After we went to Chambord. I literally went on the same tour as last time, but it was in english so I caught a little more information. It was cool to see it again. And I spent less time listening to the tour guide and more time actually looking at the place. It's incroyable. Incredible.
After we jumped on the bus for a long ride home. I slept again. Hah.
Photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2011066&l=5c1d1&id=1599570086
Thursday, January 15, 2009
L'Assemblée Nationale
So I had a pretty cool day today! We had a class trip to the Assemblée Nationale, which roughly equates to the American House of Representatives. Pretty cool huh? We were supposed to do a small tour and then Q & A with some random guy, but instead they were having an emergency session so all of the stuff we were supposed to see was barred to the public. So instead? We got to sit in on the session! It was way cool, and I'm glad I know French so I could understand what was going on. They were debating putting really strict restrictions on speaking times at sessions. Right now they are allowed to talk for an undetermined amount of time, as long as its topical... sort of like a filibuster but not really. The new plan would put some pretty tight restrictions on everything. The majority (right wing) is in favor of all of this, but the opposition groups aren't. Which makes sense since the majority would be the one benefiting from it. The socialists were particularly incensed about the proposal.
The thing that I found the most interesting was the manner in which debate was carried out. The President of the Assemblée Nationale presides over debate, but he does not hold a neutral stance. You could see he was somewhat favoring the socialists today, at one point even arguing with a right wing representative. The other thing I found interesting was the lack of decorum in the room. People were talking over the speaker all of the time, and there was lots of cross-talk in the chamber. It was pretty chaotic! That and only maybe a sixth of the representatives were present. Apparently these "sessions" aren't really to persuade the other delegates, but rather to get some TV time to bring up the issues with the French public. Apparently most of the decisions are made in smaller meetings prior.
It was a very strange contrast to what I'm used to seeing in the States, or in Model UN. And, I was really really happy that I got to see it. It was seriously really cool!
The thing that I found the most interesting was the manner in which debate was carried out. The President of the Assemblée Nationale presides over debate, but he does not hold a neutral stance. You could see he was somewhat favoring the socialists today, at one point even arguing with a right wing representative. The other thing I found interesting was the lack of decorum in the room. People were talking over the speaker all of the time, and there was lots of cross-talk in the chamber. It was pretty chaotic! That and only maybe a sixth of the representatives were present. Apparently these "sessions" aren't really to persuade the other delegates, but rather to get some TV time to bring up the issues with the French public. Apparently most of the decisions are made in smaller meetings prior.
It was a very strange contrast to what I'm used to seeing in the States, or in Model UN. And, I was really really happy that I got to see it. It was seriously really cool!
New Quarter, International Studies Program
First of all, I apologize profusely for completely and utterly neglecting this space for the last month. It's been nuts traveling all over the place, but really fun. I kept a written journal on most of my travels, but I've found it hard trying to find time to sit down and write out blog posts. Hopefully someday I will get around to it, but at this point I feel like I'm just getting further and further behind, so I'm going to start with the New Quarter! which started on January 5th.
The new program is called International Studies, and it's pretty tight. I've got four classes, which are all pretty cool. I'm taking the main course, Lecture Series on International Organizations which is all about the UN and the like. Right up my alley. I'm also taking two electives: Intro to European Issues and History of Paris. Both are interesting in their own ways, and cool experiences. The fourth class is a French class that focuses on the oral, so it should be a solid way to keep up my language skills.
On top of the classes the new program has a series of excursions with it. Some are more normal, I'm hitting up the chateaux of the Loire Valley again tomorrow, and we're doing Versailles later on. And some are program specific. We are visiting UNESCO, the OECD, the IEA, the European Parliament, and we saw the Assemblée Nationale today. All government stuff.
The new kids are really cool. It's the second week now, so I'm still getting to know people, but so far so good. It's also been fun because a lot of people I knew from first and second year are here, so it's been cool to catch up a bit.
Again I'm sorry about the lack of updates. I posted links to my Spain pictures, but here are links to my Italy pictures... oh, and I went to Germany last weekend to celebrate my 21st birthday (yeah, I'm 21 now!). It was fun and I met some cool kids from the Chicago area which was strange, but really cool too.
Anyways, the pictures:
Florence: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010856&l=468a0&id=1599570086
Vatican City: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010860&l=a2de5&id=1599570086
Rome 1: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010861&l=ee24f&id=1599570086
Rome 2: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010862&l=c73d8&id=1599570086
Rome 3: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010866&l=17c2f&id=1599570086
Capodanno (New Years-in Rome): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010868&l=313dc&id=1599570086
Naples/Pompeii: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010869&l=d586e&id=1599570086
Sorry again!
Love,
Nora
The new program is called International Studies, and it's pretty tight. I've got four classes, which are all pretty cool. I'm taking the main course, Lecture Series on International Organizations which is all about the UN and the like. Right up my alley. I'm also taking two electives: Intro to European Issues and History of Paris. Both are interesting in their own ways, and cool experiences. The fourth class is a French class that focuses on the oral, so it should be a solid way to keep up my language skills.
On top of the classes the new program has a series of excursions with it. Some are more normal, I'm hitting up the chateaux of the Loire Valley again tomorrow, and we're doing Versailles later on. And some are program specific. We are visiting UNESCO, the OECD, the IEA, the European Parliament, and we saw the Assemblée Nationale today. All government stuff.
The new kids are really cool. It's the second week now, so I'm still getting to know people, but so far so good. It's also been fun because a lot of people I knew from first and second year are here, so it's been cool to catch up a bit.
Again I'm sorry about the lack of updates. I posted links to my Spain pictures, but here are links to my Italy pictures... oh, and I went to Germany last weekend to celebrate my 21st birthday (yeah, I'm 21 now!). It was fun and I met some cool kids from the Chicago area which was strange, but really cool too.
Anyways, the pictures:
Florence: http://www.facebook.com/album.
Vatican City: http://www.facebook.com/album.
Rome 1: http://www.facebook.com/album.
Rome 2: http://www.facebook.com/album.
Rome 3: http://www.facebook.com/album.
Capodanno (New Years-in Rome): http://www.facebook.com/album.
Naples/Pompeii: http://www.facebook.com/album.
Sorry again!
Love,
Nora
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