Some days study abroad is frustrating. Some days study abroad is not much different from my regular UVa days. Some days study abroad is awesome. Today was one of those days, because I went here:
Disneyland Paris is in many ways very much like its American counterpart. I have been to Disneyland in Anaheim several times, enough to know the names of most of the rides, where they are, and they experience they provide. Quite a few of them have been transplanted into Disneyland Paris verbatim; the little Snow White ride, The Haunted Mansion, Star Tours, and the Tower of Terror were basically the same, except the recorded dialogue was mostly in French. Some were completely different; Paris's Indiana Jones ride is just a roller coaster, and not at all the fun wild jeep ride I love so much in Anaheim. I almost laughed aloud when I saw that instead of churros, the French Disneyland sells crepes, and it was certainly odd when Eva asked a shop assistant about Rapunzel merchandise, and I had to clarify with her French name (Raiponce) because we were met with a blank stare. The overall experience, however, feels very familiar.
It was a beautiful day to go, warm enough that I nearly took off my jacket around lunchtime, and clear as a bell. Eva and I were happy to discover that the TGV station we had chosen was right next to the park, and getting in was a cinch, complete with excellent student prices (46 euro for a one-day park-hopper pass). Since Eva has some problems with motion sickness, we rode quite a few of the smaller, child-oriented rides; it's surprising how nice a time you can have just floating in a boat on Storybookland or chilling on a carousel horse. I do appreciate not having to worry about a height limit anymore, however; The Tower of Terror is one of my favorite rides, and I loved going on it once again.
There were a few hiccoughs; neither of us realized how early the parks close in the offseason, and we ended up having about three hours to kill once we left the smaller not-MGM-Studios-but-similar park. The food is as expensive as you might expect, and not really worth the price, especially if you're a vegetarian, so I regretted not bringing more with me instead of eating something substandard. Incidentally, there is a Downtown-Disney of sorts with a much nicer and cheaper sandwich shop, which had delicious tomato soup and vegetarian options that looked tasty (never got to try one, unfortunately). Eva's motion sickness hit on Star Tours and wasn't helped by Space Mountain, and while I didn't mind waiting with her until she felt better, I wished she had been able to have a nice, illness-free day. When all is said and done, though, it was a great time. A day at Disneyland is a day of virtually guaranteed fun, Paris or otherwise.
Back during the first semester of my first year at UVA, I took a seminar-style class called American Political Tradition. There was a lot of rather heated discussion of the day's issues in that class, and I remember the time healthcare reform came up. Our teacher told us that she was uninsured throughout her twenties, which is taking a pretty big gamble considering how hideously expensive healthcare is in the United States, but luckily nothing happened and she felt free to purchase insurance when she was older. The class's most strident conservative smugly argued that this was why people should not be "forced" to buy health insurance; they can get along fine without it. I was one of the more outspoken leftists in the class, and I jumped to healthcare reform's defense. "But what if you had gotten into a car accident or broken a leg?" I asked our teacher. "You could have been financially ruined. Young people think they're invincible, and it's true that they rarely have serious healthcare issues, but it's better to be safe than sorry!" And it goes without saying that in the United States, not being insured can make you very sorry indeed.
It turns out that I am a dirty hypocrite, because when I got to France, I didn't bother to go get French insurance. "I'm not going to get sick," I told myself. "It's only five months. What's the worst that can happen? I'll just have to take care of myself and be vigilant when crossing the street, and it'll be fine." Well, the expression "famous last words" came about for a reason. This past weekend and for a few days before that, I had been feeling considerable sinus pressure, to the point where it was difficult to sleep at night because my chest felt so constricted and my head was throbbing. I tried to ignore it, but last night it got to the point where I Skyped with my mom and told her how bad it had gotten. She told me to go to the doctor, and I knew she meant business. She's a registered nurse, and she said that my symptoms seemed consistent with a sinus infection, which if left untreated could turn into pneumonia. That scared me. I started taking ibuprofen, which helped, and promptly at 8 I hopped on the Metro to go to Universite de Lille 2's student health center.
Ostensibly the health center opened at 8:30, but they didn't actually unlock the front door until nearly 8:40, and then I had to explain myself to the lady at the front desk in my terrible French. There was no doctor in that day, so the nurse on duty took my temperature (normal), listened to my symptoms, and recommended me to another practice up the street. Off I went. Luckily the doctor up there spoke English, which meant I didn't have to sound like a complete idiot (I don't like not being able to express myself, which is what usually happens when I try to have a meaningful conversation in French). She listened to my heart and my breathing, took my blood pressure, and looked in my ears, and then told me that I didn't have a sinus infection (I would have a fever if I did), but that she would write me a prescription so that if it developed into one, I would have antibiotics to turn to. In the meantime, I should keep taking ibuprofen. Then she asked me for 23 euro in cash, which I didn't have, so I had to run out to an ATM and give it to her secretary. This would not have happened if I had bothered to turn in a few forms and get insurance. Yeah, I are dumb, guys.
I went back to my place, ate a quick breakfast, took more ibuprofen, and went to sleep. I ended up sleeping the rest of the morning and most of the early afternoon. It was nice to actually be able to sleep, and sleep well, though I woke up groggy and disoriented as I always do if I nap in the middle of the day.
The rest of the day felt completely separate from the morning. I walked to the Citadelle to meet Eva, where we ambled along one of the winding paths and just talked. She's a great person to hang out with - I'm glad we're friends. We then headed into the city center and had hot chocolate at a cafe. She had a French class that evening, so we said good-bye and I took the Metro back to my place; I would have walked, but it was getting dark, and I always feel slightly anxious about walking by myself in a city after dark. It was a good afternoon, though, and it took my mind off my sinuses. Thank God for friends!
Woke up super late today, as my alarm didn't go off when it was supposed to. Felt sort of achy and generally not great, so I made a quick trip to the market and then stayed in bed for the day. Things are better now, so I should be okay for tomorrow. Spent the day listening to A Ring of Endless Light, drawing, and replying to emails/drafting essays/watching gymnastics on YouTube. Nothing much of consequence to report.
Okay, so I may or may not have seen the first episode of The Legend of Korra today, but I don't feel at liberty to discuss it until next week, when it's officially released online to fans. So instead, I'll talk a little more about yesterday, A Ring of Endless Light, and how my Saturday went.
I. Yesterday, Continued
As I was walking into the Citadelle, I saw a group of school-aged children leaving the playground with their teachers. They were all really cute, about five or six years old at the most, and well, here is the conversation I have with myself every time I see adorable kids:
Ovaries: Want.
Me: Not yet.
Ovaries: Please?
Me: Ovaries, I haven't even had a boyfriend yet. Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourselves?
Ovaries: But - but - they're so cute!
Me: (sigh) I know, right?
Ovaries: So?!
Me: Give me five to ten years and we'll talk. In the meantime, you'll have to content yourselves with babysitting or surprise adoption.
Ovaries: Fine.
Me: Good.
Anyway, so I kind of smiled as I watched the kids hold each other's hands to cross the street, because it was really stinkin' cute. But one of their teachers saw me, and she sort of frowned at me, so I looked away quickly. I hope she didn't think I was some kind of creepy weirdo or child predator! Is it weird to be dotingly amused by children in France?
II. A Ring of Endless Light
I'm about halfway through my audiobook reread of A Ring of Endless Light. It continues to be ridiculously good, although I am bothered by a few things on occasion. For one, I don't get why Vicky gives Zachary the time of day. I mean, thematically, I understand why he's a part of the story; he's a foil to both Adam and Leo, he represents a darker viewpoint in a story about death, and he's ultimately what Vicky doesn't want, because he's needy and manipulative alongside his good looks. But he annoys me so much, and it frustrates me that Vicky buys into his codependent nonsense. Also, Vicky and Adam have a conversation on a hot day in which she tells him that she's "thinking of becoming an Arab" because Middle Eastern accoutrements are better-suited to warm weather. I understand the sentiment, and maybe I'm just too politically correct, but Vicky's usage of the word "Arab" makes me uncomfortable - it could be that I hear way too many ignorant Republicans using it in weird ways. Anyway, it just stood out to me. Overall, though, I'm enjoying it so much.
III. Today
Slept late, went to the grocery store, folded laundry, brainstormed some internship essays, Skyped with Sarah, made dinner. Will Skype with Pooja shortly.
Disneyland and The Hunger Games coming soon. Can't wait!
Usually I am a big fan of inside. There is no risk of sunburn or getting caught in the rain, it's generally not too hot or cold, and it is highly unlikely that bears will come and devour me. Plus, internet. Every one in a while, though, I am not opposed to taking a stroll outside, which is when I realize that it is actually a lovely place, and I should really spend more time there. Then the internet withdrawal kicks in. But it's nice to have a reminder that nature can be beautiful.
I was acutely aware of this when I paid my first visit to the Citadelle this afternoon. Many of my friends had mentioned it in passing, and I'd seen it marked on maps, but until today I had only a passing interest in going. Now I am regretting not going sooner, although I think it is a place best enjoyed in nice weather, which Lille has not had in abundance while I've lived there. The Citadelle is a park built within the confines of the old city walls, which form a pentagon. There is a military installation there, which I suppose is where the name comes from, but most of the land is devoted to pedestrian paths, small forests, and playgrounds. It is absolutely gorgeous, and the best part was how cut off from the rest of the city it felt. It was so quiet; if I strained my ears hard enough I could hear the faint wail of the European ambulance, which is almost always going off (Lille is, after all, a reasonably large city), but mostly it was positively serene. I walked around and eventually found a fairly secluded log, where I sat and listened to a few chapters of A Ring of Endless Light. The atmosphere of the Citadelle was ideally-suited to getting lost in the story of Vicky Austin; the place and the writing are equally poetic. It's only about half an hour's walk from my place, which settles the matter: I have found my new hang-out place for nice days. Today was one of my favorite days in Europe so far, and I don't think I'm likely to forget it for quite some time.
A Ring of Endless Light is just as good as I remembered. I may or may not be trying to write a novel myself, and my goal is to have it make other people feel like L'Engle's books make me feel. Her turn of phrase is absolutely wonderful.
My Churchill class is officially over. The exam was this evening, and it was short and sweet. I wish my other classes were organized this way, because I really don't want to write three long papers in the next month. I know I'll survive, and being a native English speaker will help for two of them, but this semester has not been good for my work ethic. I'm going to have a rude awakening when I get back to UVa.
I've been short of breath for the past few days and I'm not sure why. Hopefully it's nothing to be concerned about.
The washing machines are so small here. Ideally this would mean that I would actually wash my clothes once a week and don't let them pile up in my suitcase until I'm out of clean underwear, but what it actually means is that I wear everything I own, and when I have no clothes left, I load it up with as much as it can handle, then wait impatiently in my pajamas for about two-three hours, which is an average wash and dry cycle combined.
Beautiful weather today. It's supposed to continue into tomorrow, so I will try to wake up early enough to walk to class. It's a sure thing that I'll be walking home, anyway.
Current flail topics: The Legend of Korra, the first episode of which might be released early online by Nickelodeon next Saturday, The Hunger Games movie, which I am entirely too excited about for someone who was pretty ambivalent about the books, trip-planning, and of course, going to Disneyland next week.
Even five-hour time differences make interacting with your U.S. friends difficult. I got to Skype with Sarah and IM with Pooja, which was lovely, but I miss hearing from my other friends. And let's not talk about California; my parents and I chat fairly regularly, but eight/nine hours (eight for the moment, since France is not yet on Daylight Savings Time) is no picnic.
Peanut butter is the best. I don't know how the French survive without it. Nutella is delicious, but it is most definitely not the same thing.
So I am about halfway through my study abroad semester already. How did that happen?!
Apparently I go through audiobooks like I go through regular books, because I finished Game Change today. The HBO movie focused on the Sarah Palin stuff, and having listened to the source, it was put into the film pretty much verbatim. It basically confirmed my opinion of her; she's got a good instinct for crowds and she's a decent actress, but she's incompetent at best and hopelessly ignorant at worst when it comes to serious policy issues. I understand that the McCain team placed her in a difficult position, but if she was being honest with herself, she should have turned them down (that, and they never should have made her the offer in the first place). I rolled my eyes so much at her whining about the "gotcha media," just as I did four years ago. Sorry, Governor Palin, you were vastly unprepared, and Katie Couric had every right to call you on it. It's insulting to the people you were asking for their vote to insinuate otherwise. Thank goodness she wasn't elected.
In addition to Palin, however, the book devoted large sections to the Democratic primary, the Edwards campaign, and McCain before and after he won the nomination. A lot of it I'd already read about to some capacity, but what boggled my mind was how incredibly tone-deaf and out-of-touch John Edwards really was. I was never his biggest fan, but I remember liking him in 2004, and being glad he was on the ticket. Now I'm horrified I ever felt that way. He may have had nice things to say about the interests of the lower class, but the Edwards in Game Change is narcissistic and as good old boy as they come. He honestly believed that he could have an affair (and a child out of wedlock) and still be president, then he was angling for an appointment as Obama's attorney-general even after the story was more or less known. What a creep. Good riddance. I am sorry to hear that Elizabeth Edwards was apparently a piece of work; according to Game Change, she was horrible to her staff, fought with John constantly (not that he didn't deserve it), and had diva moments aplenty. I know she was sick, and it must be awful to see your husband have an affair, but it's changed my opinion of her, and that makes me sad.
My feelings toward the Clintons have been pretty ambivalent since 2008. I've been a supporter of President Obama since 2004, and was on his side in the primary once there was even an inkling he was going to run. I still don't think the media was "in the tank" for him, as the Clintons maintain, and while I understand that sexism plays an ugly role in politics, ultimately I am confident that the president won because he was the more deserving candidate, end of story (and it doesn't make me anti-woman to say that). Game Change gave me some insight into how the Clintons felt during 2008, and I did feel sorry for them sometimes, but mostly the book just rehashed the stunts that made me angriest at them in the first place. While I've mostly gotten over nonsense from 2008, and I really admire the job Hillary Clinton has done as Secretary of State, I can't say I feel more warmly about her having read this book. It wasn't always fun to hear the president's dirty laundry aired out, either, but there were some passages that reminded me why I like him so much. The book recounts then-Senator Obama's approach to the financial crisis during the fall of 2008, and discusses how he would call the fed chair and treasury secretary repeatedly with thought-provoking questions (Henry Paulson says that he was impressed by the maturity with which President Obama handled the situation) and talk constantly with his economic advisers, while Senator McCain gave a more perfunctory response. I haven't been completely happy with everything President Obama has done since he took office, but I think no one can deny that he is a very smart man, and he takes his job seriously.
Other thoughts - the book basically confirmed what I already know about Mitt Romney, which is that he is a raging opportunist and not even other Republicans like him. Also, everyone swears like sailors. I guess that shouldn't surprise or disappoint me, but as someone who doesn't swear much, it kind of does. And while I guess this is my chosen career field and I should just get used to it, it struck me how utterly wearying and childish the political process can be. I dearly hope that not everyone is as petty as they seemed in the book.
Part two: The Legend of Korra
News just keeps getting better and better on the Korra front. First they officially dropped the stupid Last Airbender part from the title at long last. Now Nickelodeon has finally announced the release date, and it's exactly one month from today, April 14. They've also put out a new trailer, and it's making me practically salivate to find out what happens next.
Thoughts:
I am incredibly happy that an action/adventure series with a female protagonist of color is being taken completely seriously. Just five years ago, when Avatar was airing, Nickelodeon refused to even make action figures of the female characters, and now they're not even trying to hide the fact that this series has a girl as the main character. It might not seem like much, but in the entertainment industry, the prevailing idea is that boys will not watch stories about girls, so especially action shows with female protagonists are thought not to be marketable. I just really want Korra to be an unambiguous success, so the entertainment industry will realize how wrong they are.
The story sounds so exciting. I can't wait to see where it's going.
I've already seen all the leaked clips, so I have a small sense of Korra's character, but she seems so awesome. I'm pretty sure I'm going to love her.
I'm really interested to know what Korra and Tenzin's relationship is going to be like. Based on this trailer, it sounds like it'll be something of a father-daughter relationship, but of course I want to know how Korra being Aang's reincarnation is going to factor into things.
I want to see more of the kids, especially Jinora, since Mike and Bryan described her as a bookworm and kind of shy, and she sounds like a girl after my own heart. Plus, girl airbenders! Oh, and Meelo, I guess.
Mako speaks! He's quite the animated heartthrob.
Calling it: Mako and Korra are going to have a thing.
Bolin, meanwhile, will be her completely platonic buddy, and they'll have really fun times together. I liked the shot of them laughing (and hanging out at a speakeasy?) in this trailer.
Hnng I just want to know the history of this antibending movement and how Korra gets wind of it and what Amon's beef is and ahhhh!
