Programming Assistant

Hey guys,

My name is Alex and I would like to introduce myself to everybody, I am the new programming assistant over in International Service Offices. As most of you know, here we like to plan events that promote our C3 ideology (conversation, community, and culture) and I hope to see you soon at our events. Like most of you who have shared your cultural experiences, I have recent one that I would like to share.

Two weeks ago I was visiting the city Paris, France doing all the touristy things that people do the first time they go there. I saw the Louvre, had lunch in the Eiffel Tower, took one of those tacky double-decker bus tours (which are actually really great when you first arrive), took a stroll on the Champs-Elysees, and even made it to sex district to see the Moulin Rouge. But, my most memorable encounter with French culture came at a little café no more than 30 yards away from my hotel.

After spending the day sightseeing all the cliché places, my father and I would like to interact with the everyday Frenchman to really absorb the culture rather then get spoon fed the buttered up tourist sites. So what better place to meet and talk with them then bars/cafés? For the first four nights we did this going out to explore places just trying to get far enough away (but not too far). By the fifth night, we were tired and just wanted to get some drinks by the hotel before hitting the sack. We walked over to the closest café and saw there were a few people sitting outside, so we decided to go inside and sit alone being exhausted from the day of sightseeing. Here, we sat for about two hours having drinks and watching the rugby that was being played on tv. Even though we didn’t understand the game and it’s rules, my dad being an ex-football player and me a hockey player, we could appreciate the physicality and competitiveness of the game enough to enjoy watching. During this time we also conversed with the French bartender who only spoke a very little amount of English, this allowed the conversation topics to not venture far past alcohol and sports. But, about an hour into our drinking, the owner realized we were American and came in to invite us out with him and his American friend. We thanked him but politely declined his invitation. As the second hour passed, more beer and scotch had passed into our system over taking our drowsy demeanor and unleashing the social side. At this time the owner came back in and offered again, we accepted.

Now outside there was a group of 15 or so people and we sat down right in the middle. There was a man playing American rock n roll songs on an acoustic guitar, girls dancing, couples and single people talking and laughing, and now my Dad and I. We started talking with the American outside as he explained that he had been living in Paris for nine years now as lawyer, and in the states he attended Princeton for his undergrad and then went to Harvard to attain his masters. From this, our conversations grew to the people around us talking about subjects from the recent arrests of Strauss-Kahn to debates about which song the guitarist should play next. As the night wore on the guitar player got tired and handed me the guitar allowing me to even play a song or two. Finally, as the last sparkling of the Eiffel Tower fizzled off in the distance, we walked back to our hotel that sat beside entrance the Louvre.

This single night in Paris is memorable for me and one I will never forget. I could go on and on trying to explain the stories I heard and things I’ve learned. I hope you international students will be able to experience a night like this with one of our C3 events and hope it will be as memorable to you as this story was to me.

-Alex Smith