Week 11- Je ne parles
pas Francais.
Monday
morning came, and France was 48 hours away. But first, we had a test for Medical
Device Design on Tuesday morning over the FDA. It was 40% of our grade and I
stayed up pretty late to study for it and make my cheat sheet she allowed us,
but the test came and went and Anna blessed with how easy she made it. I ended
up getting a 90.
Tuesday
night, I went to buy some shoes that I desperately needed after Greece
absolutely demolished my only pair of walking shoes. Then I went to Math class and
a group of us went to Zebulon. Ana, Ryan F and I left a bit early to go home
and pack while Sid, Madyson, Joshua and Marcus stayed. Apparently, they had quite
the time without us.
Wednesday
morning, Ana and I caught the 6:32 bus to meet with the others in front of AIB
and head to Colmar. The 5 hour drive was long, and I spent most of it reading
Da Vinci’s journals for my essay. Colmar itself was nice and relaxing, and I
would have liked a whole day there. I ate lunch with Adriana and Melania and had
about 45 minutes to myself, so I found a tea room and sat for a bit with Rose tea
and Brazilian chocolate. We met at the museum to see the Isenheim Alter, which
may be my favorite art piece I have seen all semester. (That is saying A LOT!)
I was so bummed that it was being renovated, but the images and bits that I could
see were incredible.
We left
and headed to Beaune- which is the same French word that Bonn got its name from.
The hotel room was one of the nicest I’ve seen. It was a loft and the beds were
big and comfy- only there was no wi-fi. As Ana and Madyson and I walked around
town to find dinner, we turned a corner and saw a big group of our students on the
street doing the same. “Oh no,” we said, under our breath. We turned around and
there were more. “We are never going to be seated,” we agreed. We continued
walking around, and everything seemed far too expensive. We found a place that
wasn’t too outrageous and sat down across from the other group. Our waiter was
awesome, a Moroccan nomad. We balled out, honestly. I got the steak and mashed
potatoes and the waiter gave me free fries. We split a bottle of some Burgundy
wine and had crème brulee and espresso at the end, all for a whopping 30 euro
before tip. I regret nothing.
We ended the night by going to a
wine bar. I was very content. The meal was wonderful, the waiter was added to
my list of “super friendly waiters in Europe,” and the wine was perfect. We
left the wine bar, but not before meeting two Aggies who were doing business in
France. I went back to the hotel and a big group of us stayed down in the lobby
socializing, and then socializing turned serious, and then serious turned
existential. We started talking about God and Christianity; Sid, Lindsay,
Joshua, Ariella and I. I was intrigued to know more about how they felt spiritually,
and it was especially interesting to hear from Ariella, who I had not gotten
the chance to truly talk to all semester. Ariella and Josh were super knowledgeable
about the Bible, and I liked asking them questions about topics I had little
exposure to.
I was tired and knew I had to be awake
on the bus to Paris to finish reading my journals, so I headed out at almost 3
am. The rest of them continued talking for quite a while. I woke up Thursday
morning and relished the French breakfast they served us before we went to the
Hotel-Dieu. On the bus ride to Paris, I read the journals again, and Joshua (a
sweet genius) helped me understand some confusing sections. When we were done
eating lunch, he sat with me and we talked more about my own religious views,
and also shared out political views, and our views of each other. I really
enjoy talking to Joshua.
When we could see the Eiffel Tower from
the window of the bus, happiness washed over me. I was in Paris.
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