After being here for almost a month, I have gotten used to the Parisian way of life. I am used to taking the métro, buying une demie baguette, switching fromage every couple of days—my favorite currently being comté, exploring the numerous cobblestone streets in the Marais, and trying not to shop since in la première arrondissement this is quite a struggle.
Grèves are another daily occurrence, which have affected my ability to attend class. The professors at Université Paris VII are striking for many reasons including increasing salaries and funding for research, and the structure of the university overall. Classes were cancelled all of last week, and today I attended my first class: Histoire et Esthetique de Cinéma, which focuses on James Bond films. The whole three hours were very intimidating since I was unfamiliar with the French vocabulary required to analyze films. Also, the professor is asking for an oral presentation in front of the other 50 students in the lecture hall and in French. Ah!? That doesn’t even happen at UMass, unless you are in a discussion section. We have a drop period for the next week, so I am not certain I will stay in this class.
So far none of my other classes have started. Last week was frustrating since I went to class only to discover that my professors were participating in the strike. This week I am hoping that classes will start so I can decide which classes I am taking for sure. I know that striking is a “normal” staple of French society—but I am not used to protests having such an impact.
Protesting is not just at school but everywhere in the streets of Paris. There always seems to be some kind of manifestation, or demonstration, on les Halles square near my apartment. Most recently, there has been a lot of commotion about the violence in Gaza. My advisor has recommended that all students stay away from the strikes in case things escalate. From a distance, I have heard the words Palestine and Israel beaucoup.
Also, this Thursday all public transportation and mostly all establishments will be closed because there is a national strike organized by the Socialist Party against Sarkozy’s policies and government. Liberal activism actually affects daily life in Paris et c’est normal? I will definitely need some time to get used to this.
The striking has been kind of bittersweet because I have gotten to prolong my tourism. This past week my friends and I visited the Catacombs or l’Ossuaire Municipal, where the bones of more than 6 million deceased French people rest. In the end of the 18th century, their bodies were transported underground from different cemeteries to make room for the budding city of Paris since the generations of the dead were beginning to overwhelm the living. The plagues, unsanitary burials, and mass graves of the time made Charles Axel Guillaumot lead the transportation of the dead to the abandoned mine tunnels of the Catacombs in 1788.
The whole experience was eerie, wet, and haunting. As I passed piles of ancient skulls and bones in the muddy tunnels… I wondered if I was in a scary movie or Paris?
The beauty of Paris truly is its varied history.
On a brighter note, we went to Montmartre on the same day. I was more than happy to be above ground and see the grand view of Paris from the hill of Montmartre. We visited the Dali Exhibit, which has more than 300 of the surrealist artist’s originals. I was so mesmerized by his work. This quote from Dali really made me appreciate surrealism in a new light:
“The surrealist object is not practical, it has no use other than to soften people, to exhaust them and to addle their brains. The surrealist object is made for honor; it exists only for the honor of the thought it contains.”
My favorite of Dali painting is Le Elephant de Triomphe. He makes the elephant appear more elegant than large since its legs are long and bony. There is something so odd and manipulative about this change. Also, elephants are my favorite animal so seeing them in a different shape captivates me. I enjoy the unpredictability of Dali, and his crazy mustache of course—bien sûr!
