day 2: your favorite movie.

i’m going to cheat on this one too.

favorite-foreign-movie-that-i-don’t-own-but-really-need-to-get-on-DVD: Amelie.

it’s simply wonderful. audrey tautou is, in the words of british actor simon pegg, “cute as strawberries.” yann tiersen, composer and accordionist extraordinaire, contributes a score that both accentuates that cuteness and doesn’t make it too syrupy OR sad at the sad parts. the cinematography is, if i may use such a word, plucky. and so on. i have nothing but good things to say about this film. also, not only was it filmed on-location in mostly paris, but in my favorite neighborhood of paris. *le sigh* i miss france so friggin bad. did i mention it’s technically a french film? well, there you go. teehee.

favorite-movie-musical-from-before-my-time: Fiddler on the Roof.

oh, jews. who doesn’t wish at some point or another that their life was (even briefly) like a musical? this movie is legit. you gotta appreciate a musical that has both drinking songs and serious sabbath prayers. culture is not trivialized, but embraced, beards and all. each progressive branching-out by the daughters of the protagonist should be vaguely challenging to modern-day parents and their kids–getting grounded is not so bad as being SHUNNED by your entire community (including your family), now, is it??

favorite-children’s-book-adaptation: two-way tie between Harriet the Spy and Matilda.

1. i don’t think i’m in the wrong to say that harriet the spy is my favorite thing with michelle trachtenberg. no, i haven’t seen buffy, but joss whedon is certainly a demi-god. 2. poor mara wilson. i don’t think anybody’s seen you since you were adorable in the 90s (unless, like me, you were subjected to the “thomas and the magic railroad” in 2000 because your little brother was obsessed with trains…*cough*).

transitions.

So…I haven’t put up a blog post since the middle of november OCTOBER.
Oops?
I’m back in the states now, by the way.
Not that I didn’t do anything between then and december…

Quite the opposite.

I helped a friend through a difficult break-up (if such a thing is possible,
that is; does one ever really “get over” someone?), went to some museums, had a
brief scary incident with a nicely-dressed but tempermental frenchman, had more
awkward/unwilling sex/dating talks with the french fam, saw movies with good
friends, did christmas shopping, ate churros, went ice skating, saw a play, took
some intense exams, rode on a giant elephant machine thing that runs on
hydraulics, performed in a play (in french, yes), read books (french and
english)…in short, life happened.

And that was BEFORE I went to paris.
Whew.
My aunt monique lives a little ways outside the city limits, and most of the
week I was there I took the train into the city and did whatever I wanted to do.
By myself. It was great. With the loads of snow that arrived on day 2 (rare for
paris) that was a bit limited, but hey, Paris!
I did museums, mainly. Music, the arab world, modern art…I’m a nerd, and it
was awesome. I also explored the majority of the ginormous Pere Lachaise
cemetery, making a friend in the process, and finally got to the inside of the
palace at Versailles (last year, I only saw part of the gardens outside).

And then, suddenly, I was on a plane headed home. Strange. I’m still getting
used to this country that speaks english and depends so heavily on both the car
and fast-food (I’m now convinced that the new burger king cupholder-shaped fry
cartons are both ingenious and deadly), and I suspect it will take perhaps as
long to readjust as it did to adjust to france…which I never fully did in the
first place. I think I’m “doomed” to forever be between 2 cultures, and honestly
I’m okay with this. It’s who I am. I’d already explored this concept in a poem I
wrote for a class last year, and now I believe in it more strongly than ever.
I also suspect that not all the effects/consequences/repercussions of this
semester abroad will be immediately evident, and that it will be one of those
life events I’ll look back on when I’m older as being something formative. I’d
like to know what my other friends who’ve done study abroad think about this.
Right now, most of the changes in me feel superficial. For example, a meal
without bread and then cheese following the entree is missing two crucial
elements. I have now fully embraced both straight-leg and skinny jeans. And I
resent the car-centric nature of transportation here (with the exception of new
york and to an extent chicago, DC, yes, I know).

But I am so ready to see my t-town people again. I expect shrieking from certain
people, and hugs from all. Having a good phone again has been a lifesaver this
nearly 2 weeks, but I’ve always been “quality time” focused, and texts can only
fill so much of that 4-month long hole I had.

So, with that, the “rachel went to france” blog has come to a close. By no means
will it end–france will always be in my heart–but where my life takes me is
the next journey. Before I get too existential, I bid those who have followed my
wee adventure a sort of farewell and hello. I’ll see some of you very soon.

P.S.: i totally typed this whole thing out on my blackberry while i was on the road. my thumbs were a bit sore afterwards.

Rachel