p a p e r d o l l

It’s been an odd couple of days of weather. It will rain ice, then be super sunny, then super cloudy, then it will pour proper water rain, then be sunny again. A constant: chilly wind. In one of those spurts of sunniness yesterday, I took myself out for a run. The park was so gorgeous after the rain! Everything was glistening, ducks were taking a walk on the grass, a few trees were in full bloom (come Spring come!) and the big lake was very calm. I finished the run satisfied, but unbecomingly red as well- mainly from the assault of the cold wind.

Gave another presentation today. On an excerpt from W.E. Adams’ Memoirs of a Social Atom. I talked about the balance of work and play in Victorian Britain through an excerpt from the autobiography. It went very well(: As it should! Put in quite a bit of effort for this one… as I always do. I can’t get it in my head that I only need to pass to obtain the credits for credit transfer. No! Cannot! Just need to do my best. (Grind teeth at this need.) Must say I really really like this class- the history of this period is so fun! Helps too that the two professors teaching it are very capable- organized, prepared, interesting.

Work aside, I need to tell you that there’s been an explosion of English-speakers in Paris! Many exchange students from English-speaking countries in the city… more than during the first semester, that’s for sure. There are also these hordes (no better collective name to call them) of loud American high-school kids (or if you understand Hokkien: ghee2 na2 gia4)- just walking about and being loud. English-speaking tourists too. Not exaggerating when I say that 50% of conversations heard out and about are in English. Strange indeed.

Coming back to work (isn’t that always the case?), now I have to write a paper in french on les élites et le savoir-faire, which I have to hand in on Monday. I’ve come up with une grande question that I will answer in a three-part analysis (the Sorbonne people answer everything in three parts each with three sub-parts- I swear) and give a good conclusion that will allow the reader to aller plus loin (go further i.e. think more/ know more than what has been covered in la dissertation). Also have a presentation on Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying to give on Monday. On top of these, I have to study for the scariest of all things to do for the coming week. I basically have to read about the EU in french and take a devoir-sur-table (test) in the same language next Thursday on it. I know next to nought about it à ce moment, so gulp. 50% of the grade! Alright staying calm amidst the panic. I am doing fun stuff here and there in the next few days herher. You’ll read about them as they happen.