Snow Day

Before I came to France, numerous people told me "It never really snows in Paris." After I got here, Parisians assured me, "When it does snow, it never sticks." So you can imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning, and saw this outside my window.



I've already expressed my dislike for winter, its cold and darkness. But one thing I have no complaint about is snow. Snow (at least in its pre-slush state) is pretty and Christmasy and calm, and if it were only warm I would spend my entire winter outdoors.

Today my original excitement was dampened a bit by my last final exam. But afterwards I decided to make the most of the first snow day in Paris. First I headed to the Jardin du Luxembourg, which was completely blanketed in snow. My favorite part of the garden were all the locals out taking pictures and throwing snowballs. While I don't agree with the stereotype of Parisians as cold and arrogant, it is true that they can't generally be described as "playful." It's good to know that snow has pretty much the same effect around the world.



After running a few quick errands, I walked along the Seine to Notre Dame. It's always a beautiful cathedral, but especially impressive at night. And the addition of Christmas decorations doesn't hurt its appeal. I sat inside for a few minutes, listening to the organist and the choir, before heading off to the Champs-Elysees. As you might expect, Paris does Christmas right. The trees along the avenue were covered with glimmering blue lights, leading to the Arc de Triomphe in one direction, and a huge Ferris wheel in the other. On either side of the street were Christmas market stalls, selling food, clothing, jewelry and more. It wasn't on the same scale of the Munich markets, but it was beautiful nonetheless.


Today wasn't just notable because of the snow. It's also the last day in Paris for the semester students on my program. The group flight back to the States leaves tomorrow morning. So today was a day for saying goodbye, for taking final group photos and lingering in the program center for the last time. So I spent the night with departing friends, first during dinner at Breakfast in America, then during several hours spent in a cafe by the Opera Garnier. It's surreal to think that by the time I get back from Christmas break I'll be surrounded by 50 new students, all of them strangers. In preparation for winter break travels, I spent much of yesterday organizing my room. In doing so, I came across all of the ticket stubs, maps and brochures that I've collected this semester. Looking at all of them--the Christmas card given to me by my French students, a bus ticket from my first international trip, a signed playbill from the Comedie-Francaise--I was reminded of just how much I've done this semester. I haven't accomplished nearly enough to leave Paris, but I'm finally beginning to see signs of the "change" that people always talk about with study abroad. I can only hope that I'll see even more in the six months I have left.

Tomorrow I leave for Italy and won't be back in France for almost three weeks. This snow day was the perfect way to say a temporary goodbye to Paris, but I'm glad it's not goodbye for good.