One thing that has stuck out to me since being here is that everything is super old. That may seem silly to say out loud, but it’s true. Back in Fredericksburg, some of the oldest buildings are from the 18th century. In Paris, the 18th century is considered to be young. While America was being colonized, the Europeans were building these monsterous masonry structures. That just completely blows my mind. When I stepped into a Roman bath that was built in the third century, I was completely taken aback. The technology that was used to create that was so far ahead of their time. How, HOW did they do that? While I was standing in the middle of that room, I could almost imagine the activites that used to occur in that space.
Living in Fredericksburg part-time, you get really comfortable with Chesapeake architecture and the Chesapeake lifestyle. In Paris I’m completely out of my comfort zone. The last time I learned about the Middle Ages I was in high school, and my teacher was a football coach (so you can imagine not much practical learning was taking place). I’m surrounded by a completely new culture that I now want to know everything about. I thought I was only interested in just American history because that’s what I’m used to and that’s what’s being taught, but there’s so many other histories to explore and I’m ready to take them on.
Things I’ve learned: how to use the public transportation system and that the French really, really, really don’t believe in AC
Goals: learn more about the Middle Ages as well as the French monarchy, eat even more cheese, and get over my fear of ordering my meals in French