Once again, it has been a while since I've blogged. There hasn't been much movement in my life, but there are a few things worth sharing.
First, the amazing. Yesterday I was leaving the last RER (train) station that I travel through on my way to school. This station always, always, always smells like urine. There's a homeless guy who sleeps in there from time to time, so I just figured, you know, it's his. There's no official toilet in there, you see. Apparently, though, there's an unofficial toilet as yesterday I saw a woman take her daughter to the corner & pull down her pants so she could pee. In the corner. Of the train station. On the floor. Amazing.
Next, the comforting. Remember the time that the guy on the metro was asking (a little persistently) if he could kiss me? Remember that I said the three guys sitting opposite us seemed to be watching me to gauge my reaction, & that I felt like they would intervene if they felt they needed to? Well, today I saw a group of French guys intervene exactly where they needed to. These three young adults/teenagers, two girls and one guy, were in the RER station, & they were arguing rather loudly. The guy was making somewhat threatening gestures toward one girl when he decided to go ahead & start hitting her. ALL OF A SUDDEN there were five guys running toward this scuffle, ranging in age from twenties to fifties. The guy in his fifties was at the front of the group, and he immediately grabbed the guy, pulling him away from the girls. The other four guys were right there with him, and the group of them saw to it that he immediately stopped his assault. It was comforting to see how quickly and decisively they acted. They did not hesitate to get involved. You hear stories all the time about people not wanting to get involved, but these five guys RAN to get involved. It almost brought tears to my eyes, and it made me feel really good about French men in general. I've seen them carry strollers up and down metro stairs for women they didn't know. I've seen them give up metro seats (or at least offer) to women they didn't know. I've seen them give money to the homeless people in the metro stations. And now I've seen them run to the aid of a girl who probably went right back to the jerk. But they did their part. God love 'em.
Finally, the magical. So often I think, "I wish I could upload the soundtrack of my life to my blog." In addition to the predictable city sounds, many which are fantastic, there are so many unpredictable and beautiful sounds that color my days. For instance, earlier this week I happened upon a group of musicians playing in the Place Collette near the Louvre. This "place" is just a tiny bit of cement at an intersection. I love strings, the violin in particular, so this was a special treat for me.
Happening upon muscians (or musicians happening upon you) is not a rare treat, however. I hear unexpected music almost daily. In the metro trains, in the metro stations, on street corners, in parks...almost any public place is likely to feature talented musicians from time to time. Today, as I sat on a sun-drenched terrace enjoying lunch, I started to hear music. From where though...? Ah...across the street. At a bus stop? Yep. A band...like a high school marching band! Standing there playing the theme from Austin Powers. And I had the best seat in the house. The waiter, also enjoying the music, said to me "On va dancer?" (Shall we dance?) And of course, I replied, "Ah, oui!" And of course, we didn't. For over an hour, they played random music that made me smile, and they were still playing when I left to head to phonetics class.
I also love the sounds of the vendors trying to entice me to buy their strawberries or taste their mangoes. I love the sound of my teacher saying, "O-bli-ga-toire!" and "Toujours, toujours, toujours!" I love hearing a French person speaking English. And a special treat is a Frenchperson who learned English outside of France--the French/South African/Australian accent is crazy beautiful. There are so many other sounds--gigantic doors squeaking, trains rushing by, the crazy sirens...and so many others that I can't even name them all. Which is why I wish I could just record a day & upload the soundtrack to my life here. It's worth sharing.
Speaking of sharing, I'm attaching some pictures that will serve as proof that spring is trying its best to come to Paris! All from the Jardin du Luxembourg, one of the most beautiful spots in Paris.
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