Paris, in general

I was so excited, relieved and genuinely happy to see some friends from Saint Mike's in Paris over the weekend of February 18-20th. I had been truly craving some familiar people, people I feel comfortable with, and especially people who were on the same page as I am as far as things happening at home, things happening abroad, etc. It was so good to just be with people who knew me, understood me. One example of this that comes back to me from that weekend, and that I think will for awhile, is that when we were out in the city, the girls were always turning around to make sure I was still walking behind them. I walk slow, and that's fine with me - it's always been the case and I'm used to it. As long as I can see the group, I'm fine, and I don't need anyone to walk with me just because I'm behind. However, it sometimes is disheartening with my friends here when no one ever turns around, even just to wonder if I'm still there. In comparison, the SMC girls were constantly turning around, even to the point where I would laugh when they did it every two minutes. I said to Anna how I noticed this difference and she said "Saint Mike's raised us right!" and I thought about how part of it must be Saint Mike's - because my friends in Madrid are great, it's not that they aren't kind people, but maybe it's just that we come from different backgrounds that the SMC girls were more concerned with looking out for me. It just made me feel really comforted, because I know that there will always be someone turning around to look for me. It also made me wonder how it could be that no one was turning around to check on Jordan the week before, but I also know that that isn't why anything happened, and that that sort of "blame" doesn't exist. It was just interesting timing to be thinking about both things. Overall, despite very yucky weather, I'm very happy that I went to Paris and I'm so happy to have been reunited with some friends. It was all worth it.

Here is a list of things that I noticed in Paris/that happened in Paris:
1. The Metro is nearly impossible to find and not nearly as clean or convenient as Madrid.
2. I know that Paris is the "City of Light" and one of the most beautiful cities in the world and blahblahblah, but... I thought it was kind of dirty.
3. It rained and was gray and cloudy the entire time.
4. The people were not as rude as I had heard. The nicest people I've found anywhere are still Canadians and Americans, though.
5. People actually wear berets here, unless those were all tourists.
6. I know more Spanish than I thought I did - because I realized in Paris, not knowing French, how easily I do communicate in Spain.
7. We saw the Fountain of Saint Michael and took a ton of pictures in front of it, naturally.
8. I ate an eclair in France!
9. I chose to go up in the Eiffel Tower at night and it was the BEST decision. Even though it was cloudy and kind of cold, it was SO exciting and I know that I might never do that again - so fun.
10. I explored on my own on Sunday, and went to the Musee d'Orsay. In the museum are two of my very favorite paintings by Renoir. I've had a poster of one of them in my room at home (and at school freshman year until it ripped) for several years, and I've always admired my aunts wooden cut out of one of the paintings. In the museum there were tons of people, but I turned a corner and saw the paintings on the wall right in front of me and my heart actually started to beat faster - like I was nervous or had a lot of adrenaline or something. I don't know that much about art and have never really had an experience like that, but it was just really exciting to be standing in front of this painting that I've always liked so much, and to be seeing the real thing, on the wall, right in front of me. That was a really good moment in Paris.