Crunch time.

Yesterday on my way to school, walking with Pierre, the kind-hearted graduate assistant who is part of my program, whose French I can barely ever understand due to the heavy Quebec accent, I learned a new phrase: compte à rebours. Countdown.

(This is where I would break out Europe's "Final Countdown" on my iPod, if this were real life and not the Internetz.)

I have 9 days left in Paris. In addition to the sudden realization that this means I have *gasp* 2 FINAL EXAMS next week, it also means I only have 9 days left of this beautiful city and the Seine and all the places I haven't gone yet, and the soldes I haven't taken advantage of enough yet, and of course ALL OF THE PASTRIES AND CRÊPES THAT I AM CLEARLY NOT GETTING ENOUGH OF. (This might be a slight exaggeration; I am eating my fair share of French deliciousness. But when your time together is finite...there's really no shame.)

I've noticed that at the beginning of the program I thought I would keel over from all the walking and excursions that seemed neverending. Towards the middle it got a little easier and I remember thinking, "Well hey, this isn't too bad!" Now, however, I'm convinced that we got a break in the middle for good behavior and it's back to the grind, because my feet HURT. It's a good kind of hurt. The soreness I feel upon waking is the good kind of sore, the "I walked up a kajillion steps AND meandered through 3 museums AND changed metro stations 8 times yesterday" kind of sore. It also means that when I get home in the evening I only want to shower, eat dinner, and go to sleep.

Hence, the speed version of the last few days:

Tuesday - Montmartre. In the heat. Do we walk up a gazillion steps to Sacré Coeur with the sun beating down on us? Or do we jam ourselves into the funiculaire with 87 sweaty parisians in an airless chamber for 5 minutes (which feel like an hour)? We cram in the funiculaire on the way up and nearly die, then take the stairs on the way down and nearly die again. Like everything in Paris, it's more than worth it at the end, so of course my complaining is over.

Wednesday - Musée Marmottan-Monet. Super cool photography exhibit. Movie of Paris from above, with fun music. Lots of Monet. I love Monet, and I thank Paris for that.

Thursday - Musée Rodin. Another very cool museum. Was going to see a movie after, but that didn't pan out, so I did some clothes shopping instead. And was actually somewhat successful. Score!

And now it's Friday. The first Friday in weeks that I actually got to sleep in! Going to a cookbook-store in about half an hour, then Musée de Cluny and the arènes de Lutèce. And then fondue for dinner tonight, if I recall correctly, as a group outing, because our group is so wonderful that we do stuff together even when it isn't required or planned by school....that's true friendship.

I know that wasn't a very exciting or insightful view of what I've been doing. But it's better than nothing, right?

Anyway, it's time for my morning croissant aux amandes.