39 weeks

Well, I could have just put "9 Months," but in case you haven't already noticed, I like being unconventional.

9 months is quite the milestone. For most exchange students, it means that there is only one short month left. Which is practically true for me; I only have 33 days left here.

I don't even know where the month of May went. It seems like a blur.

Before I go on to write philosophically, I have some updates from the past week and a half!

From May 18 - 20, Parthenay was having its annual festival for the Pentecost. It wasn't a religious festival, no. Rather, for the holiday, the city was filled with tents typical of fairs, with food stands, games, and even rides. I spent the weekend with Claire and Brittany, another American living in the Deux-Sèvres department.

The night of Sunday the 19th, we watched a parade. This parade changes themes every year, and this year's theme happened to be luck. Go figure. Mocking me about how my luck has placed me in the middle of nowhere while I would have much rather preferred to be in a big city, but at the same time evoking the sheer luck I have to just be living in France.

Here are some photos from that night!

Oh my gosh. PEOPLE.

WOW WHAT A PHENOMENON

Apparently, Friday the 13th signifies good luck in the French speaking world.

The equestrian club's float

Looks like I had bad luck while trying to capture the float of malchance (bad luck)

The next day, the girls and I took a stroll around Parthenay. I have gone on that same promenade a multitude of times throughout my exchange, but at this point of my year, I've been more nostalgic looking at the scenery. It's really quite a charming little medieval town. I couldn't help but take more pictures to the plethora I already have of Parthenay.

That being said, on Wednesday the 22nd, I went up to Nantes for the day to say good-bye to Aarohi. If you've been keeping up with my blog at all, you'll know that she's one of my best inbound friends. (Click here to see the first entry I mention her in!) Because her school in India starts at the beginning of June, she had to leave a bit early; May 25 to be precise. Of course, since I hadn't seen her since the Rotary weekend in Paris, I had to see her one last time. We spent lunch and the afternoon together and with some other Rotary friends, but at about 5:00 pm, it was time to say good-bye...

...for the last time.
(Well, the last time on this exchange.)
In honor of our friendship, I made this collage.

Those pictures don't even begin to convey how much fun we've had together.

With the departure of a girl who has been so close to me since the very beginning, I've begun reflecting a lot on my own exchange.

Now more than ever, the memories from the beginning of my exchange replay, hyper-real, in my mind. When I think of the emotions I felt, they resonate within me as if to transport me back to how I was then. But I'm not who I was back then. Back then, especially starting school, I was vulnerable. I didn't know anyone, I didn't know how to comport myself, I was inexperienced with how to act around French people. But since then, one of the most important things I have learned was how to have faith.
Faith in the people around me, believing that in every stranger is somebody I could rely on, no matter how trivial the request. Whether it be asking for a ticket to reload my cell phone, or asking for serious advice on a personal dilemma, everyone on this Earth exists to be of help to everyone else. We are, after all, all in this together. (Thank you, High School Musical!)
Faith in the passage of time. During rough patches in the beginning, I told myself that no matter how surreal or difficult life was, nothing was as real as the steady march of time. It waits for no one, slows down for no one. Cringe-worthy moments and moments I cherish alike will eventually fade and exist only in my mind. Eventually, I will question myself as to whether certain things actually happened, or if my imagination just fabricated them or twist an already existing memory. (Disclaimer: I keep a journal, just to have proof of such memories. I like being sure that certain things really did happen.) Furthermore, no matter how long and boring economy class drawls on, it eventually ends. No matter how far away a trip or a Rotary weekend seems, it will eventually get here. All I need is patience. And faith.
Faith in the fact that no good-bye is forever. Even though there are people I miss terribly, I know that every day that passes since the last time I saw them only means one day less until I see them again. I know in my heart that I can see the friends who mean the most to me again, sometime, somewhere. Remember how I saw Francesca again? Today's world is so compact, and especially with the communication technology and methods of travel, anything is possible.
And of course, most importantly, faith in myself. Compared to how I felt in the beginning, I'm completely confident in who I am now, and self-conscious isn't a word I'd use to describe my daily character anymore. I trust my determination to accomplish everything I set my heart to do. I trust that it is up to me to make my exchange, and my life, as incredible as it can possibly be. I know that I am capable of anything if I feel motivated enough. The life I have ahead of me is brimming with opportunity and adventure. With the profound faith in myself I've gained throughout this exchange, I really can make my dreams a reality and live up to this quote...

As a final note:
Thanks to my faith in myself and my planning skills, and my faith in the fact that it is possible to be reunited in the most unexpected ways, I managed to squeeze in a day trip to Paris soon to see a very special friend again, two weeks before I leave.
I'm not gonna be anxious for time to pass because I have faith that the day will come eventually, and even though my counselor hasn't replied to my email explaining the plans, I'm confident that he'll let me go.
Well, aren't all these lessons I've learned culminating well? ;)

Obligatory Post on the 19th: May

A wise and all-powerful oracle once told me:

The answer to the ultimate question, of the universe, of life, of everything...
...is 42.

Look, it's even official on Google's calculator.

I bring this up because at this moment, I have 42 days left in France.

There isn't really much to say, other than how I'm feeling about it.

To put it bluntly, I'm content with the date June 30. I have no wish to leave any sooner, nor any wish to leave later. Ten months is a long time to take a sharp detour from the path you choose to take in life, and I am quite excited to come back and prepare for senior year. However, there is nothing I regret, and I don't think I could have made a better choice for my junior year than this exchange. I've explored Europe, become fluent in the French language, tasted weird and delicious foods, and made some unforgettable friends that I know I will keep for life. Before I start to sound like I'm writing the entry concluding my exchange, which in no way is happening until the very end, I'll digress.

Anyway I began working on my exposé for the end of the year, a presentation that I will give to the Rotary Club of Parthenay on June 10 (and I will translate in English eventually to give in front of the Tualatin Rotary Club). I found myself stuck in a quandary as to how I should organize it (how the heck do I sum up my year abroad without reading all my journal entries in the order I wrote them or something), but I found a cohesive way to do it: I divided it into four sections- the Rotary Weekends with district 1510, the voyages I undertook on my own, a special surprise section (that I will spoil here is a section dedicated to the food I have eaten on my exchange, since for some reason I have over 30 photos of me eating different delicacies of the region), and my impressions of my exchange. Ah, I don't really know what to put in the latter, but I figure I'll cheat, read through my blog, and pull direct quotes from it. ;)

I'm proud of the voyages section of my slideshow. Here, take a sneak peek at four of my favorite slides:

The opening slide for the voyages section, with logos that will forever have a special place in my heart

Coming right after the New Year's at La Roche sur Yon slide, a map representing all the countries I have seen in 2013 so far

The slide for The Netherlands

The slide for Poland

As you might be able to deduce, I take my presentations very seriously. If there is some way I can make the entire thing accessible on the web, I'll do so once it's complete.

Oh! So my souvenir that represents my entire year came in in the mail on Friday.

My new watch.

I created this watch on the website http://www.wysiwatch.com. It's a fabulous French website where you can customize your own watch, and as a bonus, it's made in France! When I heard about at the beginning of the school year, I knew I had to make one for my exchange. I wasn't quite sure until recently what to put on it; I think the idea came to me around the time of Eurotour?

Anyway, here's an explanation for what it is (other than the French flag on its face, of course).

The straps are cropped images from the cover art for MIKA's single, Elle Me Dit (She Tells Me). I spoke about this song on the post on the 19th of September, but I don't think I've ever actually explained what the song talks about.

It's from the point of a view of a boy who is continually harassed by his mother, because she nags him to get out and do something with his life. The two most important lines are, in my opinion, Pourquoi tu gâches ta vie? (Why are you ruining your life?) and Elle me dit, "Danse!" (She tells me, "Dance!") This is the song that pretty much every exchange student in France knows. It's incredible fun to dance to it, and when we were doing karaoke in the bus on Eurotour, everyone sang to it enthusiastically. I like the message contained in this song- you only have one life, and you might as well make the most of it while you have it. Don't waste it, and don't be afraid to make something of it. The fact that it is in French only makes it even better; it is indeed a perfect representation of my exchange year. One of the theme songs of the year, pretty much.

I'll be keeping this song in mind throughout the last six weeks of my exchange, just like in the days when I first heard it before I even became involved with Rotary.

I'm almost there! 

“★★★★★”

These five stars don't rank a book. They don't rank a hotel. They don't rank a movie, either.

Well, I guess you could say they could, if there were hidden cameras filming me throughout the day on May 4, and if a film were released from that footage.
That day has been among the most unforgettable of my exchange, and in terms of individual days (as opposed to chains of days or weeks), it is number one.
For the first time in my life, and undoubtedly not the last, I roamed Paris with only one other friend (Lydia), discovering the city on our own. And what an adventure that was.

(For background on how I got this to happen, read this parentheses. If you want to skip this and go right to a recount of the day, then be my guest.
All right, so the SAT is a national American exam that high school juniors and seniors take in preparation for college. Apart from the main exam, which includes reading, writing, and mathematics, students can choose to take the SAT subject test. There are various topics to choose from, such as history, sciences, and foreign languages. Conveniently, all these tests are available internationally and can be taken at tests centers around the world for students interested in going to college in the United States.
I, being fluent in French now, decided to take the French subject test because a) they were easy points to obtain and would work very well in my favor, b) the testing center was in the American School of Paris, and c) the tests would only last an hour in the morning, giving me the rest of the day to, I dunno, maybe go to Paris?
Glad my mother thought it was a good idea as well, I signed up and got Lydia to sign up too. We were to be hosted by Julie, the daughter of my district governor, who lives in an apartment in a Parisian suburb.
Lydia and I took the test Saturday morning. I was shocked upon entering the American School of Paris, because it was exactly like an American High School, a type of institution I have not seen in practically a year. I don't know whether I embraced the familiarity of the atmosphere or not, but either way, I'm pretty sure I did well on the test. The written bac blanc I had to take on Friday morning certainly made it easier in comparison.)

To get around Paris that day, we purchased a youth weekend metro ticket that cost only 3,65€ and granted us unlimited access to public transportation in the city. "Worth it" is an enormous understatement, considering a ticket worth one trip in the metro costs 1,60€.
Look at all the stops we found ourselves in...

The black dots represent a place we got on/off

Our first stop, to kick off the day, was the Trocadéro. As we descended the train and made our way to the exit, an accordionist played his instrument, his music echoing in the station, as if he was providing a soundtrack for us. From the base of the stairs leading up to the street, we could see the sun that indicated a clear day out shining down on us, bathing us in its light as we gleefully ran up the stairs to arrive at the sidewalk, and as we ran some more to arrive on the grounds of the Trocadéro, laughing along the way. And there it was where it has always been, the Eiffel Tower, standing resolutely against the horizon. Lydia and I gazed at it for a few moments, the symbol of the country we love so much.
Although I have already seen that view many times, it was never more beautiful to me than it was at that moment.

We felt victorious. We had the whole day ahead of us in Paris, so we didn't stay too long at the Trocadéro. We decided to go to the Champs-Elysées next, so we went back down into the depths of the metro, leaping into the train as the garish alarm rang out and the doors slammed shut, sealing off the passengers an instant after we both reached its interior. A few stops later, we were at the Champs-Elysées, the supposed most beautiful avenue in the world. With the intention of buying eyeliner at Sephora, we headed there. I was pretty satisfied with my purchase, considering its quality and of course where I bought it.

We continued to meander, taking in the sights, finding it at times difficult to believe what we were currently experiencing. At noon, we went to the "Espace Culturel" of the Louis Vuitton store to see an exposition on letter correspondences.

"Correspondences, until May 5 2013. The Espace culturel of Louis Vuitton invites you to an original voyage across time and space with a new exposition on the theme of Mail Art."

The entrance was a large, dimly lighted room with three elevators and men in suits serving as their operators. That of the elevator we entered was a stunningly handsome young Frenchman (I sadly have no picture) who told us, as we established ourselves in the black plush-walled elevator, that during the ascent we would be plongé dans le noir/"plunged into the blackness." Thus, once the elevator doors slid shut, we found ourselves in pitch darkness in the company of a very attractive Parisian male. 7 floors up, the elevator opened, and we stepped out into the display grounds of the exposition.
Providing light onto the items being showcased were floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the Champs-Elysées and the rooftops of Paris. The view made us gasp in awe.

Aux Champs-Elysées ♫

We could see the Butte Montmartre in the distance

A familiar sight

Walking around and looking at various letters and pieces of art, one sentence we read that particularly struck us was:

Never be obliged to say what's on your mind...but always be obliged to do what's in your heart.

Keeping that in mind but heeding the call of our hungry stomachs for the moment, we decided to go have lunch. I already knew where I wanted to go- a restaurant named Flam's, but more specifically, the one in the deuxième arrondissement. Why? Because it was the first restaurant in Paris I ever ate in, more than three years ago. (Never mind how I was able to find it, just know that I've been keeping a daily journal since the 14th of December 2008.)

Lydia with our flammekueche, a specialty from Eastern France

So good.

While enjoying my flammekueche, I reflected on how I was that day the last time I was in that restaurant. I was with the other 8th graders, and we were all tired from the flight we just took. I had a terrible loss of appetite, very minimal knowledge of French, and a tremendous desire to discover Paris, a city that to me then was new, strange, and completely unexplored. At that point in time, would I have imagined that one day not too far in the future I would find myself having lunch once again in that restaurant, with one of my closest friends, alone in Paris, being able to navigate the metro and speak French?

Only in my wildest dreams.

Feeling fully satisfied from our meal, we wanted to do some walking. We got off at the St-Germain-des-Près quarter, an area of Paris renowned for its jazz and literary scene (Ernest Hemingway frequented a café here, Les Deux Magots). Of course, as we walked up the stairs of the metro to emerge onto the street, a jazz band had to be playing a lively tune, adding even more color to the idyllic springtime scene.

They were on the edge of the sidewalk

"Writing is a journey"

Check out the weather we were blessed with

The oldest church in Paris.

Once we tired ourselves out walking again, we decided to revert to our American origins and visit the Starbucks in the 6th arrondissement. Sharing a refresher and a Nutella crêpe, we chilled on the second floor, chatting and gazing out the window.

Don't get views like this in the States.

Our next destination was the Montparnasse Tower, situated right across the train station I always arrive in upon going to Paris. I had always assumed that that tower just served as some sort of office building, but after having remarked ads in the metro boasting its panoramic views of Paris from the top, I decided we had to go there. 

Well, let's just say we didn't regret it one bit.

Seeing Paris from all the way up there, its legendary monuments mere specks amid clumps of green and masses of its classic white buildings, quite literally took my breath away. I could even feel chills down my spine upon contemplating the vastness of the view. It made me re-realize how insignificant and how tiny (and I am not just talking about being 5 feet tall) I really am. There are billions of people in this world, this world that may be a cosmic speck but offers me an endless amount of opportunities. The least I can do for it is to try to make my own impact on it, no matter how little the change.

There was Paris in all its beauty, more than 200 meters underneath me. Lydia and I took about 30 minutes walking around the viewing platform before we went back down.

The last thing we did was have a drink of chocolat chaud à l'ancienne on the St Louis island on the Seine River, but we couldn't savor it properly because we had to go right away to Lydia's train station. Once I said good-bye to her, I met up with Julie (our host, a musician living in a Parisian suburb), and by my request we visited the Pont des Arts as the sun began to set.

Grayscale to set the mood

Walking along the bridge, I noticed a man dressed peculiarly, with a pineapple on his head to be exact.

Julie explained to me that he was doing his l'enterrement de la vie garçon (burial of a boy's life). It is a French tradition that I had never heard of until then where an engaged man goes around dressed like a wacko doing crazy stuff in public for a day, and then he and his friends go clubbing during the night. I was very amused with the idea, and I thought of how much about France I still don't know. Of course, there is already so much I know, more than the superficial things one is taught in class and movies, but that just goes to show how much there is to discover in every country around the world, with its culture, (food...) cities, and people. Whenever I go out, especially when I see someplace new, I always make sure to stay attentive. I never know what oddity might pop out at me next.

The day terminated well, with my feet feeling terribly abused after walking in three inch boots the entire day. I was extremely satisfied with everything Lydia and I had done. It was not only one of the best days of my exchange, but definitely one of the best of my life so far. 

I would say it's my last time in Paris for a while, but up until last month I did think that my visit during Eurotour would be my last time in Paris on my exchange, so I'll just say that I never know what might come.

54 days are left for me in France, this beautiful country I proudly call one of my homes. I can't anticipate what they will bring, but whatever happens, I will embrace it with all my heart.