Paris Summer School 2017: Revolutions

Paris 13th August 2017

Student Sara Killian’s thoughts on the summer programme:

The summer school quickly exceeded any expectation I had reserved, it was a very remarkable two weeks; of trips around Paris, of dinners and picnics, and plenty of independent exploring, all made possible with the fantastic scholarship I received from the University of Kent (especially the lunches and provision of a Navigo pass!).

I arrived into Paris on a hot, Saturday evening, taking the metro line four in the direction of Montrouge from Gare du Nord and got off at ‘Odéon’, a short walk from the Foyer International des Etudiantes. A stranger to Paris, of course I got lost and wandered the streets I would walk through every day (Saint-Germain, Saint-Michel). I can promise that most of us felt nervous about coming to Paris by ourselves, not knowing one another, etc., but all it took was the first night to feel comfortable and among friends! We were welcomed at a dinner at La Crêperie; by the end of the evening I was sat on the Seine by Notre Dame eating ice cream with my new roommate, Molly.

No day at the summer school was ordinary or repetitive; the schedule which consisted of a 10 AM lecture, a lunch and later excursion was a creatively organised experience that differed from day to day. I loved my morning routine of walking through the Luxembourg (some mornings I would leave earlier to sit there when the only people around were the gardener) to Reid Hall in Montparnasse, of getting a cup of 50 cent coffee and sitting down to a lecture in the ‘Maison verte’.

Everyday’s theme was interesting, new, and inspiring, giving us an education that was so different to anything I had experienced before Paris. We discussed Kant over coffee, learnt about Picasso from an expert (Peter Read), studied architecture and revolutionary women. Discoursed on the theme of science at the Grande galerie de l’Évolution, learnt about the art of writing from a published writer, and what was subjectively my favourite lesson: the dérive.

I saw so much of Paris between the excursions, the free evenings and weekends. But in the end, I learnt not to get hung up on ticking every part of the city off a to-do list, but to be spontaneous. If you are lucky enough to go to Paris, concentrate less on going to the Eiffel Tower during the perfect weather forecast, —go walk down any street as soon as it starts raining. Paris is unbelievably beautiful in the rain.