Final Days in France

Final Days in France

Paris life is so different from the lazy life in Leysin. There is so much to see and do it is incredible. Right now I am very grateful to be in the program. They have really hooked us up. We get a museum pass, a nice hotel in the center of town, a Eurorail pass, a subway pass. I am so impressed with all that planning that has gone into the program. The program managers or directors have really pulled out all the stops. How I am so fortunate to be a part of this program with such a high caliber of a participants I’ll never know.

I’ve seen the Eiffel Tower now. If I only had a girl to romance under it...That would be ideal. I’ve seen the Louvre, the Arc de Triumph, and quite a few other museums and attractions. My favorites have been the Flea Market, with all the Rasta, thug clothing, and antiques, and of course the Modern Art Museum (the Pompidou). Wow the Modern Art Museum was crazy cool. I can’t say in words just how wild it was there. Much of the fun was going with Dan who just said the craziest comments like “who gets credit for this? Sherwin Williams.” That was said in front of Blue Panel. Ok some entries were a bit a push to be considered art, but most were wild. I loved the Modern Art Museum and wish I could’ve seen more of it there.

I’ve eaten crepes almost everyday. Hot dogs and Panini’s here are delicious. We visited the OECD. Our tour leader had a very strong personality. The OECD has an interesting way of keeping member countries accountable. Peer review was the method. It utilizes peer pressure make sure countries abide by the competition standards.

I’m really glad that I stayed in Paris for the free weekend. I’m glad to take advantage of all the hook ups we get here. Also I haven’t seen anything in Paris. I feel I’ve just scratched the surface. The Catacombs are way morbid. I thought they might be really short but they continue on for a long time. There is so many bones there.

I’m also really proud of our group. I continue to be impressed by the quality of people in the program. There hasn’t been much drama at all from what I’ve observed. And that’s quite an achievement considering the length of time we’ve been together. Everyone is excited to see each other in the mornings and go and do things. I think one of the group’s downfalls though is Groupthink. Everyone is such good friends that no one wants to be left behind. Smaller groups would be preferred I think. There are also many natural leaders in the group. I’ve seen many classmates fill the roll of group leader. However, now as we’re nearing the end of the trip, most are burnt out of the leadership role.