Paris sans-fil
I'm sitting in my host family's apt in the 17e arrondissement in Paris with ~35% battery power.
it's been approx 7weeks since I left the US.
the same amount of time has ecroule-Passed- since I've spoken to max.
english is more difficult than french these days, but only marginally so.
my french is more or less back where it was when I last left the continent.
which is good.
my cello teacher is good, very old, very forgetful (have to remind him of my name pretty much every lesson)
he's a personal friend of Yoyo Ma, played with Rostropovitch in the Salle des Pleiades, used to teach at the Conservatoire de Paris, and besides is unbelievably endearing.
I might (Might) get to play in a memorial concert for Rostropovitch on Nov 12 along with 99other cellists.
the piece, my absolute favorite composition, the Faure Elegie.
I wrote my college essay on this piece, it's the first one that really resonated with me and made me truly appreciate my instrument.
the whole thing depends on scheduling.
I swear to god, if I am unable to do this because of a silly scheduling question with Skidmore in Paris, I am going to be Pissed.
in any case, I earned 20euros today in an hour.
I spoke english with the husband of a friend of my french professor in the states.
the gentleman is retired and wants to keep up his english.
we talked about the difference between contracts in the US and in France and the rest of Europe as well as the clean water predicament, and he explained all of the downsides to the 3careers that I may potentially pursue (french lit prof, diplomat, lawyer).
I would really Really like to talk to max, but for one reason or another, we can't seem to catch eachother.
Christmas is the other question; I'm not going back to the states for christmas, but I don't really want to spend it alone.
options: bum off of a host family from Normandie (2006-07), bum off of my dad's old host family in Paris, go to morocco and spend christmas with max, stay by myself.
I have discussed none of the above options with any of the implicated parties.
Actually, I have barely been in contact with any of the above parties (with the exception of max via email)
so... right now it's looking like me flying solo on christmas.
which to be honest, makes me really sad.
Christmas is pretty important to me. I don't know what I'm going to do.
if I spend it with another family it'll be weird (like last time) because I'll feel like I'm imposing and I'll just miss everybody. If I spend it with max it won't be the same either, but at least I'll be with someone I really care about; on the other hand, he doesn't celebrate Christmas (due to the fact that he's jewish) and we'd be in Morocco.. a muslim country where there wouldn't be so much as the odd christmas tree or midnight mass.
the alternative doesn't look to great though.
Je ne sais pas trop.
Occasionally I get in one of those moods where everything matters so much that nothing matters and I could just disappear. Usually triggered by letting someone down or by feeling irresponsible/inadequate.
Then I look up at the balconies and the wrought-iron railings; the delicate black over the sandy moulding of the door frames, the light shining out through the curtained windows in the dark, the navy colored roofs stained green from rain: it stirs the coals. I'm reminded that I'm here, in Paris. that I live here, in Paris.
that everything is as it should be and that I just need to keep walking and I'll get through it.
that every little thing is gonna be alright.
it's been approx 7weeks since I left the US.
the same amount of time has ecroule-Passed- since I've spoken to max.
english is more difficult than french these days, but only marginally so.
my french is more or less back where it was when I last left the continent.
which is good.
my cello teacher is good, very old, very forgetful (have to remind him of my name pretty much every lesson)
he's a personal friend of Yoyo Ma, played with Rostropovitch in the Salle des Pleiades, used to teach at the Conservatoire de Paris, and besides is unbelievably endearing.
I might (Might) get to play in a memorial concert for Rostropovitch on Nov 12 along with 99other cellists.
the piece, my absolute favorite composition, the Faure Elegie.
I wrote my college essay on this piece, it's the first one that really resonated with me and made me truly appreciate my instrument.
the whole thing depends on scheduling.
I swear to god, if I am unable to do this because of a silly scheduling question with Skidmore in Paris, I am going to be Pissed.
in any case, I earned 20euros today in an hour.
I spoke english with the husband of a friend of my french professor in the states.
the gentleman is retired and wants to keep up his english.
we talked about the difference between contracts in the US and in France and the rest of Europe as well as the clean water predicament, and he explained all of the downsides to the 3careers that I may potentially pursue (french lit prof, diplomat, lawyer).
I would really Really like to talk to max, but for one reason or another, we can't seem to catch eachother.
Christmas is the other question; I'm not going back to the states for christmas, but I don't really want to spend it alone.
options: bum off of a host family from Normandie (2006-07), bum off of my dad's old host family in Paris, go to morocco and spend christmas with max, stay by myself.
I have discussed none of the above options with any of the implicated parties.
Actually, I have barely been in contact with any of the above parties (with the exception of max via email)
so... right now it's looking like me flying solo on christmas.
which to be honest, makes me really sad.
Christmas is pretty important to me. I don't know what I'm going to do.
if I spend it with another family it'll be weird (like last time) because I'll feel like I'm imposing and I'll just miss everybody. If I spend it with max it won't be the same either, but at least I'll be with someone I really care about; on the other hand, he doesn't celebrate Christmas (due to the fact that he's jewish) and we'd be in Morocco.. a muslim country where there wouldn't be so much as the odd christmas tree or midnight mass.
the alternative doesn't look to great though.
Je ne sais pas trop.
Occasionally I get in one of those moods where everything matters so much that nothing matters and I could just disappear. Usually triggered by letting someone down or by feeling irresponsible/inadequate.
Then I look up at the balconies and the wrought-iron railings; the delicate black over the sandy moulding of the door frames, the light shining out through the curtained windows in the dark, the navy colored roofs stained green from rain: it stirs the coals. I'm reminded that I'm here, in Paris. that I live here, in Paris.
that everything is as it should be and that I just need to keep walking and I'll get through it.
that every little thing is gonna be alright.