So I didn't update yesterday because I honestly didn't have time. Yesterday the class went to the Arc of Triumph (Arc de Triomph) to ascend to the upper viewing deck. However, because of my extreme fear of heights I decided I would just take pictures from the ground. I know that everyone will say that I should have gone to the top but honestly, for me, climbing 240 stairs in a cramped staircase with 50,000 other tourists and then having to stand atop a super high monument just sounds like a full hour of misery. Anyway, so I decided to do a little Champs-Elysees walking and then headed home to get ready for dinner.
WAIT. I want to tell everyone about my HORRIBLE metro experience yesterday. So okay. I knew there was going to be a strike because Mme Dugan had mentioned it the day before. So Kathryn and took the bus to school and that was miserable because it took us an hour and a half to get to class when it usually takes us about 20 minutes. So after that we all went and did the Arc of Triumph thing, but the metro line we had to take to it was operating normally. After the Champs promenade I was fooled into thinking that taking the metro would be fine, even though I have to get on one of the most crowded lines to get home. I guess I just wasn't thinking. So anyway the first line I got on was great. I got a seat immediately and there were no crazies. The second line I got on was MISERABLE. There were people so crammed into this car that there arms and legs were almost hanging out of the doors and windows. It was terrible. I have never felt so claustrophobic in my life. To make matters worse it was at least 80 degrees in the tunnel which sounds not so bad, but when you're trapped in between so many people and there is literally no fresh oxygen to breath everyone starts to get a little panicky. So anyway, that wasn't even the worst part. So after all of this horror, a freaking fight breaks out. Someone got on the train and got pushed so whatever he was mad and started screaming at the guy who had pushed him and then they started throwing fists in the middle of the god-awful crowd. Talk about a nightmare. Eventually the two managed to get separated but that didn't stop them from screaming at each other from opposite ends of the car. After I reached my stop I literally bolted out of the train and ran up the stairs so I could breathe fresh air again. I hope I don't have to ride a metro like that again in my life. So when I get home Kathryn said that her metro experience was equally as horrible and we decided to take a taxi to dinner. We met up with a few other girls in the Tuileries gardens and in lieu of walking to the restaurant we took these epic bike taxis. Mine and Allison's taxi was the best! The guy played this American rap for us to listen to as he toted us uphill towards the Charles de Gaulle Etoile. I swear I have never seen so many irritated French people, but I didn't care. I was rockin it. Anyway, we were 15 minutes late to dinner but it was totally worth it to experience something as crazy as that.
Last night's dinner was the farewell dinner for the group. It was great fun. I had a salad with shrimp, salmon, and a pesto cream dressing, salmon for my plat principal, and for dessert I had sorbet. It was alright, but honestly I was disappointed with the meal in general because it was my last big dinner in France and I didn't have anything that blew my mind. After dinner there were some people who wanted to go out but I decided to go home. Since Kathryn and I had sworn off the metro for the day, we took a cab home. It was fun, as always. We also finished packing last night.
So today for our class the 491 class walked around the quarter that surrounds the Centre Pompidou. We gave these mini-speeches about various places and then we all sat down for lunch with Romeiser. It was a surprise because he paid for everyone's meal! We were all really excited. After lunch I headed to the Centre Pompidou and sortof did a speedy tour of it because my head is getting more and more congested every minute I stay outside. I'm hoping that I'm just having extreme allergy problems, but I really think I'm getting a dreaded summer cold. The good news is that I'll be home TOMORROW so if it gets any worse I'll be able to sleep it off until I work again on Wednesday.
So today is my last day in Paris and I'm spending it sitting in my bedroom with the windows open, writing cards, uploading pictures, blogging, and napping. I'm content. Hopefully, if I feel better I'm going to go to dessert with the group at a place called Angelina's (named after Angelina Jolie because it's her favorite place to eat in France), but if not I'm just going to rest until tomorrow when I catch my plane!!
A demain!
I totally forgot to mention why I have a bloated french ego. So here, when you go into museums you can either pay a student fee if you're from outside of Europe, or if you're from the European Union you can get in for free. I managed to tromp both the Rodin Museum and the Centre Pompidou just by telling them I'm french and presenting my student card. I win at speaking french.
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