“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.”-Semisonic, ‘Closing Time’
Our time in France is nearing its end with great haste. Our exams are all finished, the last homeworks submitted, the packing begun. The last few weeks have been balanced between soaking in the last days in the country and making time for quiet studying. I feel that I performed very well, which is (to be honest) a different feeling than back home. At UM exam time is usually also a time of stress and anxiety, but here I had more preparation to go over my subjects. Like the other exams in France, the studying was based from textbook reading and practice rather than poring over old homeworks and going to extended office hours, and again I found it easier to evaluate and subsequently demonstrate what I had learned. There are definitely methods I prefer in the US, but I believe we could learn quite a bit from trying to emulate the model of the French education system in certain ways.
Outside the conclusion of schoolwork, I have been doing my best to reach the places I wanted to see before returning. In Paris, I finally made it to the top of the Eiffel Tower, which was fantastic; you not only have a fantastic view of Paris, but can marvel at the architecture of the tower itself. Many people don't realize that it was meant to be a temporary structure for the World's Fair at the beginning of the 20th century, but remained standing and has stood the test of time and two world wars. Brad and I climbed the 600+ stairs from the ground to the second floor before taking an elevator to the top, which was a great opportunity to take a slower and closer look at the structural engineering of Gustave Eiffel's masterpiece (besides the Statue of Liberty, of course).
The Champ des Mars from above
One of the only selfies I took abroad. Well worth it.
A closer look at one of the main support girders. The most amazing part for me was the brilliance of the curvature of the steel, the entirety truly is art meeting engineering.
In Cergy I walked my normal routes while exploring more of the ponds, trying out all of the different running routes available in the fields. I also plotted and ran a 10 mile loop, which was one of my goals during my time abroad as I have been getting back into good running form. It took me through the northern parts of Cergy, then south until Neuville (the first stop on the train when departing Cergy) before returning to the ponds and back home. It was a satisfyingly varied route, passing town centers, fields, and forests alike, and was the perfect way to break in the great weather (we have been enjoying high 70s, low 80s). One thing I will miss, in addition to the wide, varied green spaces and great number of sidewalks, is the lack of dramatic altitude change. Ann Arbor is part of what I have heard described as a 'glacial landscape', which in laymans terms is 'stupidly hilly', and I have loved the relatively flat topography of France for my running. I present below a series of forward-and-back photos of Axe Majeur, an public art work that also functions as a public space for the citizens of Cergy.
Looking back to the start of the monument. At night the tower emits a green laser that can be seen over a mile away.
Turning around and looking forward towards the ponds. The main towers can be seen. (If you squint a bit, just to the left you can see the skyscrapers near Paris and the Eiffel Tower)
Forward again, now in between the main tower, with the bridge to the ponds below.
Looking back to the top of the hill, where you can see the walkway and stairs continuing the symmetrical line to the ponds.
Turning around to look forward across the bridge
Looking back to the starting point
And finally turning around to see the ponds, with the pyramid in the water marking the end of the piece. One of the best walks to take in France.
I passed over this during my last post, but a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to celebrate my birthday in Paris! I started the day with my run in Cergy, traveled to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, followed the Champs Elysee to the Tuileries where I read Les Mis for a few hours, moved to Luxembourg Gardens when it started to rain, listened to a crowd of passerbys sing traditional French songs during a thunderstorm, ate just off the Boulevard St. Michel, went to evening Mass at Notre Dame, and finally had wine on the Champ des Mars with a couple friends, counting down the time until the moment of my birth and officially turning 23 (naturally counting by Eastern Standard Time). I couldn't think of a better way to spend a birthday, especially since I could label my route as a tour of my favorite places in Paris, which isn't something that I thought I could ever say.
I really cannot believe my luck some days
Tonight I am doing my packing and cleaning of my apartment, in order to spend one last full responsibility-free day in Paris. I'll be writing my last post there, reflecting on my time here in Europe, and making my last post in the evening before my flight home on the first. To those who have been following my posts, as well as the other IPE bloggers, thank you so much. It has been a privilege for us to receive a scholarship to share our experiences abroad, but the true joy is having readers supporting us and vicariously living our strange lives with us.
Timothy Kennedy
Electrical Engineering
ENSEA FAME, Cergy-Pontoise, France
