First, you'll note that I have added some French music to this blog. I will be mentioning it in other posts, but for now, if you enjoy listening to it while you read, continue reading! If you need to read in silence, go down to the bottom of this page and pause it. I tried to pick music that matched the "retro pictures" that many of you have commented on and I also found a few more pics for you that will be in this post. Enjoy! Now, here's the latest post from me to you!
I received my schedule from Giles when I first arrived in Paris and neatly tucked it away. I knew that I was enrolled in the Cours de Civilisation Française de la Sorbonne and would be studying French culture of the 19th century -- music, art, philosophy, and literature -- but did not know how to get to the university! Now that my first class was going to be the very next morning, I dug out my schedule so that I could find the address and plan my commute. I noticed that the Sorbonne is located in the "Quartier latin" in the 5th arrondisement. I was going to be on "la Rive Gauche"! I would be studying in one of the oldest sections of Paris and I would be walking on the same streets that famous artists, philosophers, musicians, and writers once walked! I would be studying at a university that was founded in the twelth century! I then saw that I also was scheduled to take a grammar class and that this class was not in the same building. It was on "rue de Fouarre" and so I quickly searched for that location, too, and made my plans for the following day.
How did I find my way around, you ask? There were no cell phones, no iphones, no GPS applications, no laptops, so what did I do? I used my "Plan de Paris" booklet given to me by Giles. (I will show it to you in class.) This was PRICELESS! It had the metro map, the bus routes, listings of every street in Paris, as well as maps of each arrondisement and a large map of the entire city. For a person who's weakest subject was geography (well, geometry wasn't my best one, either!), reading this book was quite the challenge, but I soon became very adept at using it and LOVED having it with me!
I will share more about my classes at the Sorbonne, as well as my grammar class. For now, though, I have a few questions for you. Can you tell me why Paris has a section called the "Quartier Latin" and also what it means to say that it's in "la Rive Gauche"? And, do you know what an arrondisement is? Lastly, would you like trying to learn how to get around a big city without modern technology?
25 comments:
I read your blog Madame Schmearer and I like the music. But I did have to pause it because I can't listen to music and read at the same time. Also your "Plan de Paris" book seemed like it helped you a lot getting around Paris! Anyway I can't answer the questions at the bottom of your blog but I'm sure you'll explain to us tomorrow in class how to answer them. Sorry.
"Dénise" - I, too, cannot read while listening to music, that's why I decided to let everyone know ahead of time how to pause it if they needed to! As for answering the questions in class, perhaps others will explain it -- who knows?! I will definitely show you my Plan de Paris book, though!
I paused it this time because I already had some music on -- how interesting, I find that I read *better* with music! Anyway, I would guess that 'Quartier Latin' would be the Latin quarter of the the city and that maybe an arrondisement was a section of the city. I would have liked a Plan de Paris booklet because without it I would probably get totally confused and lost. (it happened several times when we were in Belize) As for GPS, I'm probably better without one, they usually get me even more lost!
I would of loved to walk around in the Ouartier Latin because I would love to be where famous people had been a long time ago and I love seeing how the buildings and landscapes would of been from before. But I wouldn't survive with out my cell phone, laptop or a GPS in that situation.
Alright so first off I love the song La Vie En Rose! I've heard this lady singing it in a movie called Love Me If You Dare, or something like that. But I also really like it when Louis Armstrong sing it because his voice is so deep and I like to imitate him, also my grandpa listens to this a lot. I have no idea how you found your way around with that little book thing, I would die. I would seriously take one look at the book then have a heart attack. Mapquest is my life pretty much. Also in a city you'd never been to (I guess, you probably visited before??) that's amazing that you actually made it there.
I was on this blog during workshop not realizing there was music so I heard it and kept wondering what it was. I think that the Quartier Latin might be like we have streets that belong to a certain group like China town they might have a place for Latin American people. And I don't think that I would be able t get around because maps in places that I don't know where they are is like gibberish to me.
Wow. Paris sounds so complicated! Big cities confuse me... I don't know what I'd do without a Plan de Paris. It must have been so cool (and strange) to be learning the French version of everything you learned in America. Did you feel like you had a disadvantage among the other students? I love the music, by the way! Oh yeah... did Mme. Lamy speak English?
It must have been so cool to walk on those same streets that famous artists, philosophers, musicians, and writers had walked on! I'm quite surprised that you could understand that book, it looks really confusing and it would probably make it even more difficult for me to find my way around! The University is so pretty, and that's so cool that was founded in the 12th century!
-Hannah C.
I'm so jealous! I need to go to France! I loved the music you played, I kept it playing while I was reading. I think it's named the "Quartier Latin" because Latin was widely spoken in the time period it was built and it was the international language of learning in the middle ages. I looked up what la Rive Gauche means in English and it said it meant the left bank. Arrondissment the largest administrative division of a French department, comprising a number of cantons. And the last question depends on where I am, I'm not sure if I could in France because they don't speak as much English. On the project do we have to have the year for their birthday?
The music is such a great touch to this blog! I remember being in your room the day Sally was setting it up, I am so glad it worked! The music is very pretty, too. I found that Paris has a section called the "Quartier Latin" because it is the international language as in the middle ages it was widely spoken, and what it mean to say that it is in "la Rive Gauche" is that it is in the left bank. An arrondissement is the largest administrative department division of a French department. I don't think I would like to learn how to get around a big city without modern technology, that would be extremley hard for me to do something like that. That book must have been tres tres useful for you.
I like the music a lot. Good touch.
I would still myself lost for awhile until a few weeks. Did you ever meet any rude French people? I heard that they can be very snotty haha (Stereotype). But when I look at what you have said everyone seems to be nice to you. Any mimes?
I think trying to get around paris with the map would be VERY difficult, especially these days when every one is very dependent on their GPS or cell phones! For the question I remember Quartier latin being used as a latin neighborhood, or at lease there was something similar, and the other things, well i have no clue honestly, hopefully you will touch up on that in class. I also thought the music was a good addition to the site!
What a good idea to adding music in the back round it was a very nice addition to the blog. When I heard one of the songs I felt like I was in a very old french movie but yet somehow I also thought it was like a song from the original Charlie and The Chocolate Factory in a french version if there even is a french version. But anyway I think Paris has a place called "Quartier Latin" because maybe that place in Paris the people speak/spoke Latin back in the day and now. "La Rive Gauche" means left bank. Arrondisement is the administrative district of the capital city of France. And yes I would like to learn how to get around a big city without any kind of technology because that way I can slowly find my way around and get to look at the life, the history, the cities, streets and the stores. It would be a challenge but it would be really fun to do.
Au-revoir pour maitenant! =)
Wow, I would get so lost, even though I had that book. I would like to attempt to get around the big city without modern technology because quite frankly I don't use mine anymore at all except for music. That university was build in the twelfth century?! Wow! Knowing my luck I would touch it and it would crumble to the ground. I don't know what an arrondissement is, but it sounds really complicated.
Everyone else already said what I thought Quartier Latin was. I have no idea what an arrondisment is without looking it up. I think it would be a good thing to know how to get around a big city without modern technology, but that doesn't necessarily mean I would want to. Also what is the point in geometry?
I don't understand how you could find your way around a big city like Paris without getting completely lost! Is the Quartier Latin a latin neighborhood?
I bet I would take one look at that book and throw it away, because I can be very stubborn about reading directions and instructions and things like that. I can't have people telling my what to do, I like to figure things out all by myself. But if I weren't so stubborn, I bet that book would help a lot for me, like it helped you!
That map looks very confusing just like the metro map I would have gotten late to my classes late everyday for about a month because it would take me so long before I could find my way around. That University looks very cool and very but it seems like a very nice place to study.
I can't even imagine trying to read a map, let alone a map in french! Giles seemed like he really help you with giving you that booklet!
and arrondissement is a department in France, it is for local government administration.
I think that trying to find your way around a city you've never been to before and speaking a different language would be extremely difficult, I have a hard enough time trying to remember street names in South Portland and just thinking about trying to remember names of streets or buildings in a different country is amazing! But as tough as it sounds, I think that it would be fun to try and find my way around a big city without using the technology of today. Like New York for example, walking around there with my family in previous years, my parents always used a map, common sense, asked for directions or past experience to find our way around. There was no GPS or cell phone number to call to help and I think I would like doing that someday too.
After you showed us the map it seems like it might of been easier than I thought. But, I would still of gotten lost...
I don't think I'd want to learn to get around a city without my ipod! I think what I would like to do though, when I get to Paris or London or any other large foreign city, is I'd like to just have a map, an ipod and a really nice nikon and just wander... Who knows what I could find? Then when finished I'd use the map or ipod to find my way home. 19th century culture sounds really interesting to me as well...
That music is AMAZING!!!!!! It sounds so cool! And it totally goes with your blog! It sounds like it might have been easier to find your way around with the "Plan de Paris" .
But if I was in Paris I know I would find myself not knowing how to use it,
and accidentally losing some of the maps!!!!
That map from Giles sounds like a savior from above. Id love to look at it. Id definitely want s detailed schematic of whatever country I was in. I think I could live with no computers.
It must have been really hard to find your way around the city. But the plan de Paris must have help even though I could have never used it it would be way to confusing for me. But walking past all those beautiful sites must have been great!
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