Margaret McCall
Geology and Geophysics major, Yale University, Spring 2011
My Wednesdays in Paris typically begin around 7:30, when I get up and have a bowl of chocolate muesli with yogurt while I check my email. Living in the 18th arrondissement, I have to allot about thirty minutes to get to the Louvre to meet my CUPA art history class by 9:30. After an hour and a half of examining famous paintings in the flesh, I head to CUPA to study and grab a petit pain with friends before bioethics at 1:00. The professor of my tiny bioethics seminar is demanding, which makes the two-hour class even more intense. I take the metro home and, if I’m lucky, get some work done on the way; a midafternoon nap on my host family’s terrace tends to follow when the weather is nice. If I’m eating with my host family, I make a cup of tea and do some homework until dinnertime rolls around. Afterwards, if it’s before 8:00 or 8:30, I take the bus to the rock gym to meet up with my climbing partner for a couple of hours. Some workouts are more productive than others, but I never regret getting out to climb, not least because it’s a great way to meet French people. The gym closes at 11, but luckily my only class on Thursday is in the mid-afternoon, so I can afford to take a quick shower before hitting the sack.
Claire Jenson
Art History Major, Oberlin College, Year 2010-2011, winner of the 2011 Forum on Education Abroad’s Undergraduate Research Award
As a medieval art history major, a typical day for me would include a large amount of time in Paris’ excellent libraries – but that didn’t mean I wasn’t able to enjoy the city. For example, take one Thursday; finishing a commentaire d’oeuvre for an iconography class at Paris Ouest – Nanterre, I spent the morning at the Bibliothèque Sainte Genevieve, whose Reserve collection houses a wide selection of art history publications as well as rare books and manuscripts. I made sure to finish around midi so I could take a leisurely walk past the Pantheon down rue Soufflot to arrive at the Musée National du Moyen-Âge: hôtel et thermes de Cluny for a lecture on Gothic ivories by a museum conservator at 12h30. Class at 14h in the Galerie Colbert, a 19th-century covered passageway in the 1st arrondissement; I hopped on the metro and got a glimpse of the Opéra Garnier on my way out of the station. After my class, La liturgie médiévale occidentale et ses rituels at the École d’hautes études en sciences sociales, I grabbed a baguette sandwich and enjoyed a moment in the sun in the garden of the Palais Royal. I spent the afternoon at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, continuing my individual research on a 13th century illuminated manuscript from Beauvais. It’s good that the library closed at 8; I needed to rush over to the 16th to attend a South African dance performance at the Théâtre National de Chaillot with CUPA. The day ended with friends at a nearby café, where we all shared Paris stories, stressed about papers, and planned new adventures.
Chloe Bordewich
Near Eastern Studies Major, Princeton University, Spring 2011
My Wednesday began with my 9:30am CUPA art history class (19th-century French painting) at the Louvre. After an hour and a half spent contemplating the likes of Le Sacre de Napoléon and Le Radeau de la Méduse, I headed to Genia, my favorite crêperie just off Blvd Saint-Michel, for the 5-euro lunch deal. Nutella-banana crêpe in hand, I headed to the Sorbonne for my course titled "Introduction to Classical Arabic Literature," in which we were going over early Islamic love poetry. Before my international relations course at 3pm, I sat in Place de la Sorbonne to do a little reading and people-watching. Afterward, I walked a few blocks down Blvd Saint-Germain to the Institut du Monde Arabe, where I was doing research on Algerian politics. Whenever I needed a break, the 9th floor balcony offered the least crowded spectacular views down the Seine toward Notre Dame. Done for the night, I hopped on the bus (my favorite public transportation) and cruised home along the river as twilight fell. If I arrived in time at Tuileries, I would find a bench and watch the sun set at Place de la Concorde, the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Awaiting me at home was a jovial dinner with my host family, which never lacked either a delicious array of cheeses or copious amounts of laughter. The night ended sipping mint tea with my good friends on the outdoor terrace of the Salon de Thé at the Grande Mosquée de Paris.
