Sunday, November 8, 2009

Crazies

I have a (scientifically proven, by me) theory that everyone is basically nuts.  Everyone is crazy, it's just something you accept, most of the time you get it from your parents (thanks, guys) and other times you get it because you just have to be a lunatic sometimes to get by.  HOWEVER, my time in Paris has proven to me that some kinds of crazy are definitely worse than others.

A few nights ago, a crazy neighbor on the floor of our apartment building basically lost it.  Background story: this man is old and senile, hates women because his wife left him 20+ years ago, and has threatened to kill the landlord's wife.  At 4:30 in the morning the other night, homeboy woke up I guess with an incredible urge to scream.  I woke up to a man's voice YELLING at the top of his lungs in French I couldn't understand.  He was repeating himself a lot, and it was clear that he was addressing someone directly, in the second person...someone who obviously wasn't there, because it was 4:30 in the morning and he's standing in a dark apartment stairwell.  I've actually never in my life heard someone scream and yell like that.  I am by myself this weekend in the apartment, as Anne and JC are out of town with Anne's choir group.  Needless to say, I was terrified that Crazy McCrazypants was going to bust up into the apartment (despite two locks), so I went to the kitchen and got a knife and mentally prepared myself to murder if it came to it.  I fell asleep again a little while later, and haven't heard from McCrazypants since then.

Then there are psycho people on the metro.  Men are different here than they are in the US, with respect to how they approach women.  They can be really obnoxious and unyielding when trying to get female attention, like by saying really stupid things or following you around for a couple blocks.  But that's just a cultural difference, and women are different here too in how they respond to such mating calls.  Some guys - as in every society/culture - take it way too far, and therefore get to be labeled "Crazies" as well.  A man on the very crowded metro the other day was positioned in such a way that we would have been face to face had he been situated in front of me, but he was off to the side a little so that he was looking over my right shoulder.  As everyone was pressed up against each other with little room to move much less breathe, the guy's arm fell directly in front of me.  As the metro was swaying and rocking people to and fro, it became clear that he was touching me inappropriately, and it needed to stop.  Moral of the story, I punched him in the stomach.  Just because they're psycho doesn't mean they don't need to follow everyone else's rules.

I haven't posted in so long - about a month!  Can't believe it.  Anyways, during this long sejour I went on Fall Break and had an AMAZING time.  I visited my best friend Jessica in Copenhagen, where she is studying abroad.  It was incredibly surreal being in DENMARK, and staying with her host family, who live in the suburbs of the city.  It's just so different, a tiny little country that you know exists but few people actually see/visit.  It was SO great being with her there, and meeting her friends.  We participated in the 350 climate change event, and our 350 photo was on the front page of the New York Times website for awhile!  Here's an awkward video of the event, in which a creepy man asks my name, and there isn't really much to see:

Did you guys know that Denmark is cold?  Well it is.  I spent most of my time there with my coat on and hood up.  I had an absolute blast though, and would love to visit again (maybe in the summer).  
Next I went off to Italy, to meet Sarah, Maddie and both Chelseas.  I flew into Florence in time to see the Duomo at sunset, and enjoyed a fabulous gnocchi and wine dinner with the girls.  The next day we went to Siena, and walked up a mountain with our luggage to the Duomo there.  That church is probably the most beautiful I've ever visited.  It helped that the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  After Siena we took a train to Rome and spent the remainder of our week there.  We hit all the big Rome sites - the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Roman Forum, the Coliseum, the Vatican, and had a BLAST doing it.
We ate delicious food the entire time (read: delicious carbohydrates in the form of pasta, pizza, and gelato), and acquired many inside jokes.  Sarah and I had a mental/physical breakdown regarding our footwear, seeing as we were essentially backpacking in Europe for a week in ballet flats.  The foot pain was like none other I've felt before.
Two nights I soaked my feet in the BIDET (awkward), and I was popping Ibuprofen like I was a pharmaceutical company tester for overdosing.  In our painful delirium, Sarah and I got spooked that we would have to wear unattractive prescription shoes, like CROCS, for the rest of our lives when we got back.  I decided to look on the bright side, saying I'd decorate mine with those stupid little rhinestone and letter clip-on things.  Sarah suggested I write out my to-do list on my shoes everyday.  I said I was going to put profound quotes from famous authors on them.
The Vatican was a really amazing experience, seeing the Basilica (or Basilisk if you confuse normal every day language with Harry Potter speak, like I do) and the Vatican Museum where the Sistine Chapel is.  It was a beautiful and moving place, and made me think about a lot of things.  I realized that I had been to lots of holy places for different religions.  To be very frank, it makes me really uncomfortable to think about all the monuments and things built to honor religious deities.  But, I also consider them as works of art and in that way think of them as  important cultural objects that warrant lots of respect.  Here's us at the Vatican, taking it all in:

And Maddie running into a crowd of pigeons outside, but kind of getting a little scared in the process:

Classes have been going well, and I've gotten through midterms with my sanity intact.  The next big thing to be working on now are my term papers.  I'm writing one on immigration in Europe (specifically, comparing Eastern European and African immigration into France and Great Britain) and one on socialism between the world wars (specifically, how the Socialist Party in France grew and insured itself a place in the national political dialogue for the rest of the twentieth century, versus at the same time in the US how the Socialist Party ceased to exist).  I'm excited about researching both papers and am immensely interested in both topics.  

We are over halfway through our time in Paris.  It's sad in a lot of ways.  I feel very much at home here, in the sense that the day-to-day rhythm feels natural and the culture something I feel very close to.  However, real life calls - I need to go back to the States and GRADUATE (eek) next semester, find a job, figure things out, be an adult.  Long-term, I'm planning on working and living abroad, so it won't be so much "Goodbye, France," this December as much as "See ya latertotes!"

I've been making a list of things to eat when I get back stateside.  Not that food in France isn't AMAZING, but there are some things you just MISS, you know?  Anyways, topping my list is Taco Bueno, followed by Taco Bell, Chipotle, Blue Goose, Pappadeaux, Chili's, Cheddar's, Royal Thai, sushi, and that Chinese take-out place that's next to my house.  You know what else I miss? Fucking central heating.  This building is FREEZING.  I don't care what they say about those stupid radiator pipe stupid things being "on", they DON'T WORK.  I sleep every night with tights and sweatpants, a shirt and sweatshirt with the hood on, warm socks and gloves, and a sheet and two comforters over me.  The water that comes out of the sink feels like literal ice and every time I brush my teeth I want to cry.  I dread showering because I know I'll be freezing the whole time.  I miss driving a car.  I miss sleeping on a couch in front of the TV.  I miss my family.  The people here are getting REALLY tired of me talking about "OMG my mom..." or "OMG my dad..." or "OMG my FREAKING AMAZING LITTLE SISTER..."

Amy is coming for Thanksgiving! Amy is coming for Thanksgiving! Amy is coming for Thanksgiving!  That is CERTAINLYTOTES something to give thanks for!  My best friend in the whole wide world is coming and we are going to have a BLAST UP IN THIS BITCH.  I can't wait for her to be here, she's never been to Europe!  I wish we could have spent a whole semester studying abroad together, but this is a great consolation prize.  Seeing her is going to be FANTARIDICUTOTES.

Let's talk music!  This song, "Skinny Love," by Bon Iver (a play on the words "bonne hiver" in French, which mean "good winter") is basically amazing, and there isn't much else to say about it.

And this is Feist, with her song "I Feel It All."  I originally heard this song in a performance she did on the Colbert Report some time ago, and it was extremely moving with respect to the things I was going through at the time.  Some choice lyrics: Oh, I'll be the one who'll break my heart/ I'll be the one who'll hold the gun/ I love you more, I love you more/ I don't know what I knew before/ But now I know I wanna win the war.

Finally, here is David Guetta's "Missing You".  David Guetta just released a new album that is REALLY GOOD.  I mean, you don't really listen to the songs for the lyrics.  Anyways, Guetta has a lot of popularity in Paris and throughout Europe, first of all since he's Parisian and second of all since Europeans go crazy for house/club music.  His song Sexy Bitch with Akon is amazing, but I have my personal favorite off the album here:

You cannot possibly sit still and listen to that.

Alright, it's back to homework and a cozy Paris evening for me!  I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying happy times.

Peace, love, and Paris,
Rhiannon

5 comments:

  1. First of all, I hope I never make that face at the end of the pigeon video ever again.

    Secondly, let's have a long conversation about all of the things we miss about Amurica. Because my host family is tired of hearing me bitch about missing my mommy.

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  2. Everyone is crazy. I agree with you. Some of us are good crazy, some of us are bad crazy, and certain people bring out our bad crazy more than others.

    You are adorable and I miss you, bitch! I'm glad you're having such a great time <3

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  3. you are amazing. fantaridicutotes?! like what other fantastically amazing person can say things like that?

    i WISH that i could have been there on the metro with you to see you punch that crazy in the stomach. i would have steadied by hand for the next punch to his ballz :P

    i have so much to tell you/show you. this will definitely be a europe trip of best friend looooove.

    T-MINUS FUCKING 16 days!!!

    <3 amy

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  4. you are amazing in every way

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  5. love this blog. so many items of interest. wish i could have seen the punching action. way to rock. everything you have seen must be amazing. how do you fit it all in your brain? i'm so glad you have such great friends to share your experiences with. you will be friends for life, even if you lose contact, they will always be in your heart. i'm so happy for you. love that you are loving it.
    mommymommymommymommymommy

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