dimanche+les autres jours

have a lovely sunday!

 {and don't you wish you could have half as much confidence as these girls?}

I love sundays in Paris. Sunday. What a great word. Life always seems a bit brighter on Sunday, n'est-ce pas? On another note, I'm starting to realize the impossibility of documenting my time here in Paris. How can i possibly describe the way the metro sways side to side as it zips through the tunnels? Or the cool light of the afternoon, the way the rays of the sun seek every nook and cranny? Or, the distinctly parisian smell of cigarette smoke combined with pastries and fresh flowers and couscous? But i keep trying. If not for memory's sake (because memory is as fickle as it is fleeting) then to understand this time of change and growth in my life.

Today after church I was able to attend a baptism of a new member of the Saint-Marais ward. The service was beautiful. There weren't very many members there, but love was in abundance. As I played with these little girls after, my whole outlook on Paris shifted. Lately, i'll admit, i've grown a bit tired of speaking French. In our prep course they warned us this would happen but of course i didn't believe them. But yet, here I am and my brain hurts from all of the frenchness around me. However, when I played with these darling girls, speaking french didn't seem like such a task. I felt so so lucky to be able to talk and joke around with these little girls. That's why I want to learn french. Not for the cute sidewalk cafes, not for the street lamps, not for the chiming bells of Notre Dame. It's for those little moments of connection. 

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 With these journals for homework, i haven't had much time to keep up to date on all of the other going-ons in Paris. So, quick re-cap:

"Viens papa! Viens! Je voudrais nager." "Non." "Pourquoi?" "Parce que." "Parce que l'eau est vert?" "Oui. C'est ca." "Alors, il y a un monstre terrible! Laisse-moi nager, s'il te plait?"

 

Went to a rugby game here in Paris. One of the most electric environments I've ever experienced. I rooted for the baby blue team, but this little boy who was routing for the pink was trop adorable. 

I also took the obligatory visit to the Louvre. Surprisingly, i wasn't as disappointed with the Mona Lisa as everyone had prepared me for. I could spend an eternity there. Favorite painting so far was Liberty Leading the People (i.e. the album cover for Viva la Vida)