“They are the proof of something that was there and no longer is. Like a stain. And the stillness of them is boggling. You can turn away but when you come back they’ll still be there looking at you.” - Diane Arbus on photography

Today after class, my friends and I went to the Diane Arbus exhibition at Jeu de Paume in Concorde, which is around the center of Paris. Diane Arbus is an American photographer so it was interesting to see the Parisians’ reactions to her work, especially all of the ones she’s done of transvestites and circus/carnival people. I’ve seen her work before in New York and LA (at the LACMA go see it if you haven’t!), but going through the exhibition today made me really motivated to take more pictures on this trip. Not just silly ones (as important as those are too) but ones that really capture the moment I’m living. I want to be able to relive as many as possible, especially here in Paris, when I’m back to my normal life in NY. 

But on top of that, it got me thinking of all the other ways I can make memories on this trip. First, this blog: I’m actually going to keep up with it all throughout the semester recounting important events, travel ventures and silly stories along the way. Second, my friends and I have been running around the city and recording silly videos of us dancing everywhere: clubs, bars, the Louvre, up and down staircases, at Invalides, in our apartments, in tiny elevators, Musée D’Orsay.. you get it. But at the end we’re editing it all together into a music video. So…. look forward to that. I promise it’ll be ridiculous. 
And lastly, I’m keeping every ticket stub, every brochure, every little thing to add to my little box of college memories like the one I have of all the stuff I’ve done since NYU started. I can’t wait until it all comes together.

This trip is already so much better than my last trip to Paris. Not only am I much better at French, but I can see how much I’ve grown and changed in the last couple of years. The adjusting period is officially over, if you could even call it that.. it’s been amazing. But now that classes have started and my week is on a more structured schedule, the reality that I’ll be here for an entire semester has officially sunk in. But I’m not scared, I’m excited. 

Je suis prêt. 

Travel countdown: Venice in 10 days.