Some reflections...

I am very tired today, and need to go to bed soon, but I feel I should write a little bit. After looking over what I’ve written so far on this blog, I notice that what I’ve been writing is lacking in reflection. Part of this is because when I’m writing I have so much I want to share about what I’ve been doing and I feel if I were to include real reflection, the posts would be a lot longer (and considering the lengths of the entries thus far, I doubt anyone would still be reading my blog) and would take even longer to write. So in this post I’ll try to do less recitation and more musing.

Last time I wrote I was getting ready for my trip to Paris. As I’m sure you could tell, I was feeling really good when I last updated. I can’t decide if most of that excitement was because I am truly loving Dijon, or simply because I was so excited for my trip to Paris. Paris is, naturally, one of my favorite cities. It’s beautiful no matter what the weather and regardless of the day there are countless things to do. Our weekend in Paris was great. Friday we saw Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter, the Musée d’Orsay, and walked a lot. Somewhere in the middle we had a great lunch at a restaurant on the Seine (it’s very famous but the name is escaping me). Saturday was the Conciergerie (the prison for the royalty, where Marie Antoinette was held before her execution), the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées, the Eiffel Tower, good food, and reuniting with friends. Sunday was Montmartre, Sacre Coeur, the Marais, shopping, wandering, the Jewish Quarter, and falafel.

Me on the Seine

It was a very full weekend and I enjoyed every minute of it, but on my way to the train to return to Dijon I couldn’t help but feel reluctant. Until this point, I’d been so grateful for the chance to live in a place completely free of tourists and the English language--I was even pleased with the size of the city. But this weekend in Paris gave me a taste of how wonderful it would be to live there, even just for the semester. On the way back on the train I just thought about what I was returning to in Dijon and I couldn’t help but keep thinking, “there’s a reason tourists don’t go to Dijon.” Sure, Dijon is charming and has a few great things to see, but you really can see them all in a few days, if not one. I feel like I already know my way around this city completely. Thinking back to my semester in Venice, there was always more to explore, and even after my 5 months there I still felt like there was more to see.

The nice thing about my situation in Dijon, one could say, is in knowing a city that well it is easier to really feel at home in it. But the ability to enjoy that kind of comfort is hindered by living with a host family. I’m realizing now that I am never going to really feel at home in this house. Talking to other students on my trip, I realize how different my situation is from theirs, and I envy their ability to go, sit in the living room with their family and watch the news or a French game show on TV. In my house, they don’t heat the living room in the winter, so it’s always empty and dark (and at a very uncomfortable temperature for lounging), and, as far as I can tell, there is no TV in the house. These kinds of activities not only act as more exposure to the language, but also add to the ambience (French word!) of the household, creating a warm atmosphere to come home to.

I’ve just been feeling down the past few days but I’m trying buck up. I’m not homesick, and I wouldn’t rather be at Colgate right now (though I do miss you guys!), I just wish some things were different. But, c’est la vie!

I’ll end on a happy note. Things I’m looking forward to:
Feb 12: Leaving for a week on a romantic getaway to Normandy with two girls in my group.
Feb 26: Tentative trip to Geneva to visit MaryBeth.
March 6: Jim comes to visit!

Ihaven’t thought much past those dates yet. I need to focus on my work right now (my translation class is HARD!), but if any of you other abroad-ies want to meet up somewhere or go somewhere together, let me know!