sverige

for you i'd wait til kingdom come

the weather is hot and sultry.  i raise the blinds and step outside.  the sun hits my face.  i pack a blanket, water, book, ipod.  i slip on a tank top and a skirt.  i go to a park.  people are sprawled out everywhere.  i find a spot, set up my space.  Paul Auster and the sun keep me entertained as Akon plays his catchy tunes.  why Akon?  because Akon rocks.  

i deserve this weather.  i have been waiting 9 months for this weather.  and now, in my last three weeks here, I will fully take advantage of this weather.  i thrive in this weather.  

please sir, no more.

In 6 hours I wake up to go take my final exam of the year.  The final test I will take while in Paris. The final French grammar test of my life (hopefully).  

These past weeks, I've felt a growing need to sit down in a large lecture hall and learn about supply and demand, opportunity costs, the hazardous effects of minimum wage!  Ahhhh, just typing it out makes me want to go back to the classrooms filled with the economic minds of tomorrow.   What I'm saying is that I miss real school.  Real school!  Real school where I had the capability to sit down and learn fun facts that actually matter!  I'm so tired of learning grammar rule after grammar rule. 

 "You can use this tense when you are speaking about this, but uhh, sorry here are the exceptions to that rule."  Subjunctive, conditional, passé simple, pronouns, prepositions...PLEASE STOP!!!!!!!!!!! 

At the beginning of the year, I remember thinking, I would totally be able to become awesome at the French language and then one day teach people these rules about grammar.  But, when I think about possibly taking another French grammar class in the future, I think I spit up a little in my mouth. 

In some ways it's a relief, at least I can check French teacher off the list of possible things to do with my life.  

Today as I was studying (haha, flipping through the pages of my binder, skimming, really.  What?  No mom, yeah I studied...haha, no I studied today I promise....huh?), I was thinking, "wheennnn willll thissssss evverrrrr ennnddddddddddddddd??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"  Torture, I tell you.  TORTURE! 

I also realized that my level of French has reached a pretty good level, still not perfect, but pretty good.  I mean, I can totally communicate, and if I come back to live here (which, oh yeah, I want to), I'll be able to survive.  I'm surviving now, right?  Right.  

So, au revoir French classes.  Hello summa summa summa time.  

I should probably go to bed now. 

poems are cool

I'm supposed to be studying for my oral exam tomorrow.  But, I really want to share a poem with you; one that is part of the list of texts I may have to analyze in front of my teacher.  I really hope I get it, because I connected so much with it while I was reading.  Yeah, it's in French, and I think that's the way it should remain, but I'll try to find some sort of translation for all of you non-speakers out there.  

Le Pont Mirabeau par Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918)

Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine 

Et nos amours 

Faut-il qu'il m'en souvienne 

La joie venait toujours après la peine

Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure 

Les jours s'en vont je demeure 

Les mains dans les mains restons face à face 

Tandis que sous

Le pont de nos bras passe 

Des éternels regards londre si lasse 

Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure 

Les jours s'en vont je demeure 

L'amour s'en va comme cette eau courante 

L'amour s'en va 

Comme la vie est lente

Et comme l'Espérance est violente

Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure 

Les jours s'en vont je demeure 

Passent les jours et passent les semaines 

Ni temps passé

Ni les amours reviennent 

Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine 

Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure 

Les jours s'en vont je demeure

I think this poem has a very nostalgic quality to it, for those of us, well, for anyone really, who has lived somewhere, and who has had to leave prematurely, or without really wanting to leave.  I know it has this "love story" theme running through it, but taking that out.  Well, hell, why take it out?  There's so much love in the hood, here.  So yeah, time passes, people come and go, love comes and goes, and he keeps saying, "je demeure," or "i remain."  Remain locked in this time, guarding a certain feeling, love; but love, I think love is the most fleeting of feelings.  I think we try so hard to capture it, and once we do, we try so hard to keep it within us, but it slips away and again, we remain.  Do we realize when it has left us?  Or do we keep holding on to the memories, hoping that the memories will have will bring back the same feelings?  

I dont know.  OH.  I just realized I didn't get a translation.  Ok, go find on.  I know you can.  Do it.  DO IT.  

LOVE (because I have a lot of it to offer), Ranna 

The Surprise

I get a text last monday from thom.  "It's my adopted birthday tomorrow, come meet me out for an early dinner and drinks." 

How could I ever say no?  Thom is my great friend and I want to spend his birthday, adopted or not, with him. 

"I will be there."  I text back.  

I talk to Yasna online that night.  

"So tomorrow is Thom's adopted birthday."

"He's adopted?"

"I don't know, I think he just decided it was his birthday.  I guess?  I dont know." 

We start talking about trees.  

Salma babysits on Tuesday.  Her phone is not charged so I give her mine.  I can't get in touch with anyone.  Thom calls her 9 times.  Finally she gives him her own number and he calls.  I pick up.

"Here are the details. "  [Details]

"OK, sure cool." 

"Cool?  Sure?  No, you're supposed to say you're so excited, that you cant wait, you're supposed to sing for me."  He starts singing.

"Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to meeee. Today is the day I was separated from my druggie parents.  Happy birthday to meeeee." 

Awkward pause.  

"OK.  Cool, I'll sing to you tonight." 

So, he's adopted.  I wish I had known.  

I meet Marion at Hotel de Ville at 8:00.  I'm late, as usual.  We walk to a restaurant in the Marais.  We have flowers.

"Hey, sooo did you know Thom was adopted?" 

She looks at me, typical Marion look, "You didn't know?"  

We keep walking.

Outside of the restaurant.  We look up and see Thom sitting at a table.  He smiles, waves, and walks down to greet us. 

"So, who's coming tonight?"

"Just me, Thomas, you guys, and one of my Polish friends." 

I'm confused.  I always imagined Thom's birthday being a rather large affair.  Simple?  Really?  

We walk in and up the stairs.  Thomas stands up and greets us.  We kiss twice on the cheek and sit down.  I notice Thomas is drinking a martini and Thom is drinking a coffee...and beer.  Gross.  Really?  Coffee and beer?  Really?  

Chatting begins.  Chat.  Chat.  Chat.  Chat.  He extends his hands.  Marion and I hold one each. 

This is weird, kind of.

"My bitches are all back with me"

"Hi guys." 

My stomach fell to the ground.  Hey.  I know that voice.  

It all happened in a sort of slow motion.  Marion and I both looked back to see who was talking.

When I saw Yasna I thought it was all in my imagination-that she wasn't real.  And then I looked at Marion's face, who look equally as confused and shocked and it hit me like a bullet.  

I got up and walked away with my hand over my mouth.  "No f**king way!!!!!!!!"  

Marion was still looking at her and Yasna was laughing hysterically.  They hugged.  No.  Wait.  Whattttttttttttttttttt??  

"What the hell are you doing here?"  Marion yelled.  

"I don't know I just decided to come back to Paris for a week and surprise you guys."  

Surprise.  Yeah, you could say I was surprised.  

I went in to hug her still not fully sure if she was real or if I was having a really vivid dream.  Nooo.  This cant be real, as I hugged her.  I talked to her last night.  No wait, I talked to her online this afternoon!

"Wait...you were in Paris today when we spoke???" 

Evil laugh

"You bitch!!!!!!!"  

As we sat down and [sort of] calmed ourselves the story about her surprise visit kept unveiling.  Little details about the day and the weeks prior finally made more sense.  And then it hit me...

"Thom.  Are you actually adopted???"  

Laughter.

"No.  But wasn't it a good story?"

One of the best weeks of my life.  And today we go to Sverige (did you know it's pronounced, Sve-ri-yeh?  Fun fact).  

Be gholeh mamanam, "Shomah dohtah az hamdigeh khasteh nashodin hanooz?" 

Yeah.  Not so much.  

I'll update when we come back.  Cheers. 

the one where ranna *tries*

What are we doing and what have we done?  I've avoided writing a blog post because the amount of places we have traveled to in the last few weeks is quite overwhelming.  Writing about it seems frightening.  Should I write out every detail?  Should I place more emphasis on one place and not another? 

Every city has had its own unique charms.  Little details that are etched forever in my brain.  How can I write about them all without boring my audience to death.  What is significant to me, will not necessarily be significant to you, dear reader.  

Therefore, I have decided not to write about the past four weeks at all.  Skip them and start anew.  Why?  Because I can.  Because I want to.  Because this way, I don't have to place any judgement on where we have gone.  The observations I made are in my head, and that is where they will stay. 

For those of you who are curious, however, about where we went, I will tell you this much: 

Italia--Roma; Sabaudia; Napoli 

Deutschland--Berlin; München 

Czechia--Praha

Österreich--Vienne

There.  That's that.  

So whats on the schedule now?  Time is moving so quickly--I'm not ready for all of this to be over.  And yet, I'm so excited or the plans we have set up.  

Next week, Salma, Courtney and I are headed to Svedala, Sverige to visit our very own Yasna for a week.  Our return to Pareeeee marks the departure of Courtney (*tear*).  School ends two weeks after--at which point I must bid my adieus to Madame Amsellem (this time for real) and Sarah Burke (gasp, you too, Sarah!).  

AND THEN, for anyone who I have not already told: rather than returning to the United States during the first week of June, Salma and I have extended our trip to the first week of July.  Back to Mason, we will go then for lovely summer classes.  

We will be hanging out in Paris for a couple of weeks.  Hit the beach au bord de la Seine, and then jump on a plane to go to Copenhagen where we will attend Scandinavia's (and I think one of Europes) biggest music festival, Roskilde, http://www.roskilde-festival.dk/.  It's basically a huge equivalent to Woodstock (without the fires, crossing fingers now).  For a list of musicians playing, check the website.

We were pretty surprised that the plan to go to the festival actually went through.  i think its going to be the perfect end to the perfect year.  

But, who really wants to think about the end?  Not me.  for now, I will sit back--actually, I will probably lie back on the grass at Luxembourg, and relax, take in the beautiful weather.  Maybe I'll even eat a gelato or two.  

Because, as my mother likes to say, I'm living in an alternate reality--an imaginary, perfect life--and I'm going to hold on to it for as long as I can.

Take that, real life.  

SIH

Salma is here!  

She arrived safely and soundly yesterday at 11:50 AM.  I was late (comme d'habitude) to pick her up.  It wasn't my fault though, first I got stopped by RATP security because I didn't buy the special ticket to go to Charles de Gaulle Airport.  I feigned innocence by speaking English (love that you can do that), apologized profusely and they let me go...granted, I smiled coyly and batted my eyelashes--that may have had something to do with it too :)  And then I was stuck at Gare de Nord for 15 minutes...mètro, tu me soulle, quoiiiiiiiii.

Anyway, we passed a lovely day.  OH OH.  I'm losing my English speaking skills.  I hang out with Marion so much that I've begun to say things that she would say....

"We passed a lovely day."  "On a passé une bonne journée" 

"Do you want to take a coffee?"  "Tu veux prendre un café" 

My English grammar is going down to the ground.  How irrelevant. 

So, we walked around; I took her to café Parvis (yas, love you, jaat khalli), and I made her ultra-tired so that she would sleep well that night.  On our way back home in the metro we had quite a scare when a drunk woman stumbled passed us and was waiting for the metro to arrive but right near the edge of the platform.  She couldn't stand up straight and she was freaking us out.  I thought, "this woman is going to fall down any second now and its going to be bye bye random French woman." 

I went up to her and asked her if she was alright.

yeah, yeah, I worked all day and now I am a little drunk

Madame, you should be a little more careful, do you want to sit down?  

That's nice of you, but I'm ok.  Where are you from?

The United States 

I am Moroccan but I've lived here all of my life.  Here in France, it is different than the United States, people can do things like this.  We drink.  No one asks us if we are alright or that we should be more careful.

Nervous smile...where is she going with this?

Thank you, it's very nice of you.  What are you doing in Paris?

Actually, I live here and study.

Where do you live?

The 13th.

Where in the 13th?

Near Place d'Italie.  

OHhhhhh, my best friend lives there.  I'm going to go visit her right now.  See, I have more wine in my purse.  But its very nice of you to ask me if I'm alright.  Very nice...

Metro arrives.

I like to say I saved her life.  Salma says, "Ranna, idiot, she was capable without you."  

Today we went my friend Courtney's house for brunch...OH, so we finally had daylight savings, only neither my phone or my television configured automatically, so I was late and we didnt wake up.  We started the day off late.  

But, we had french toast and strawberries.  And then we went to Montmartre and sat in at Mass at the Sacre Coeur.  

The coolest was that I understood the sermon.  I mean, I spent more time thinking about how it was cool that I understood to REALLY understand (you know what I'm saying?).  

I hope Salma hit it off with Courtney and Marion.  I hope she likes them because...well, she's going to be spending a lot of time with them.  She better like them, is all I'm saying.  :) 

Tonight we are having a "Welcome to Paris" party for her with pizza and birthday cake...because Marion wants to pretend its her birthday tonight.  I dont know...Oh man, I'm late.  I have to go order pizza.  And buy candles.  I hope people arrive later than I told them to arrive.  

WHATS WRONG WITH ME?  I'm always late these days. 

These blog posts are going downhill.  Maybe if I actually DID something....OK BYE.