Reading in Paris and Autumn Term Roundup

I'm sitting at my kitchen table, back in my family home in the UK. The Christmas tree is still up, and therefore the whole family is still somewhat caught in a happy festive haze, wandering around eating Christmas cake to the soundtrack of the carols on Classic FM. It's times like these that I feel like I've never even been away because everything's so warm and familiar. It's comforting to have this 'point de repère', or landmark, in my life at this time. I feel that everything is changing so dramatically and that every time I go away I come back even more different to the girl who left her home town in Sept 2015 for Paris.

As I predicted, this term has flown by even faster than I could have imagined. Essays and deadlines aside, I've loved every single minute. Yes, uni has really challenged me (at least I'm getting my money's worth!), and I've found my modules genuinely interesting. They've been very literature-heavy, which I thought would put me off French literature for a good long while, but quite the opposite has happened. They've ignited a strong interest in both French and English classics and now I'm reading everything that I can get my hands on. My last reads are L'Etranger (Camus), Le Petit Prince (Antoine de St-Exupéry) and 1984 (George Orwell). As you can imagine, these are all extremely thought provoking and I think my brain may explode. This situation may not improve any time soon as I've just bought War and Peace, and The Catcher In The Rye is waiting patiently on my bedside table. In terms of French literature, La Peste (Camus) and Voyage Au Bout De La Nuit (Céline) are definitely on my list.

This spark of interest has come about partly as a result of my shame that my knowledge of French literature is definitely not what it should be. Also, as somebody who is extremely interested in translation and who is considering it as a career, I should be reading as much as possible.

One book that has had an unprecedented deep effect on me is Nord Perdu by Nancy Huston. The author was born Canadian, moved to France in early adulthood and now is a bilingual French citizen. The book, written in such beautiful French that I could only dream to produce one day, is an account of her experience of trying to find balance in her life between two continents and cultures. I read it pretty much in one go, huddled in a chair in the freezing Luxembourg Gardens, unable to put it down because it touched me so deeply. The compass as a metaphor was powerful and all the joys and the difficulties that she spoke about I related to on some level.

In the spirit of my two great loves of Paris and reading, here are some....

 Quiet and Secret Gardens to Read In!

• Square Marcel Bleustein Blanchet, 18ème- hidden behind the Sacré-Coeur, this is overlooked by everybody. 
• Square Ajaccio, 7ème- Shh, this is a secret one. 
• Allée Marcel Proust, Champs-Elysées- set back off the busy Avenue, you can block out the traffic if you strategically place yourself on a bench behind a bush. 
• Little park in front of Trinité d'Estienne-d'Orves- this is where I did a good chunk of my revision last summer. The church, my favourite in Paris, gives a beautiful backdrop.

What else have I been doing this term apart from studying and reading, I hear my devoted fanbase clamouring to know? (I joke, my fanbase consists of my parents. Big love to you)

Here's another list: 

• Jumping on Line 13 to go to my Translation Internship
• Experimenting with omelette fillings
• Going to concerts of my favourite artists- a nice mix of old theatres and huge arenas 
• Exploring the streets whilst running
• Getting angry about the US Election with literally everybody
• Making cute treats for Halloween
• Eating sushi home-made by my flatmate 
• Cleaning up the mess I make by continuously knocking over my cacti 
• Being all touristy with my friend Jenny who came to visit (fun shout out) 

And even more random memories, because I'm sentimental and I love it: 

The metro late at night////drinking hot chocolate for breakfast in Panis////running down the Avenue de Saxe in the rain////sheep behind Invalides////stockpiling chickpeas////exchanging cute notes with flatmates via our pigeonholes////Piscine Blomet////the autumn leaves in the Luxembourg Gardens///sharp morning air on the Boulevard Raspail////looking for a suede jacket and finding one/////being covered in streamers at the Maitre Gims concert////gatherings at Maubert-Mutualité, Strasbourg-St-Denis and Poissonnière 

I never wanted this term to end, and now it has. In true Katharine-style, I wish the same for this coming term. As long as I'm still laughing, running and working, I'll be happy.

I'll be back in Paris on Thursday. I can't wait to see what this new term brings.

K x