Kelly à Paris!: D'autres Chats à Fouetter

Bonsoir tout le monde!

The past couple of days have been jam-packed with language-intensive crash courses along with some excursions. Throughout the week, the IES center has been providing trips and free admission (woot woot!) to various attractions throughout Paris. I know that I will be going to certain attractions numerous times, such as the Louvre and Notre Dame, so I wanted to try take advantage of this week to see attractions that I might not otherwise get around to seeing.

On Monday afternoon, I visited the spectacular Paris Opéra Garnier. Our group was given a guided tour throughout the Opera House. We were even able to watch a portion of the ballet rehearsal, which is generally forbidden for the public. Other than the breathtaking foyer, what I liked most about the Opera House was the view. From the balcony we were able to see a postcard snapshot of Paris. I am kicking myself a little as I am writing this because I neglected to take a picture—oh well, looks like I’ll just have to go back!

The following day I opted to join the guided tour of the Musée D’Orsay. The Musée houses the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces in the world, by painters including Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Sisley, Gauguin and Van Gogh. We were only there for an hour and a half, but as self-proclaimed ‘art skimmer’—it was more than enough time.

Throughout the week, I have had several hours each day dedicated to polishing up my French. My class this week is taught by a native Parisienne, which has been especially helpful as she has taught us a few native slang phrases. For instance, instead of the North American phrase ‘I have bigger fish to fry’ the French have the phrase ‘j’ai d’autres chats a fouetter’ which translates into ‘I have other cats to whip.’ Strange right? Anyways, I’m not too sure how that euphemism got started…lord only knows what the French get up to behind closed doors. Because of my house mom’s affinity for pop culture and gossip, I have started to read the local gossip magazines such as ‘Paris Match’ and ‘Télé 7 jours’. This new hobby serves two purposes, it helps improve my French and it also gives me some context when my host mom dishes the latest scoop.

While finishing up some grammar at a café today, I had the sudden realization that I had yet to see the Eiffel tower. So I figured I would test out my knowledge of the metro, and go do some solo exploring of the Eiffel Tower. After making it to the tower in one piece, I quickly took some shameless selfies, walked around the perimeter of the tower and then headed back home. What was so great about this little detour was that it made me realize how truly accessible the city of Paris is. In addition, it also gave me a certain sense of adequacy in terms of my ability to independently navigate throughout the city.

This weekend, myself and two other Lehigh students are headed to London, England. I think I am most excited for the slight possibility of meeting One Direction…one can dream!

C’est tout pour moi à ce moment, au revoir!