VIVANT

Then something happened. something difficult to describe. Sitting there, alone in a foreign country, far from my job and everyone I know, a feeling came over me. It was like remembering something I'd never known before or had always been waiting for, but I didn't know what. Maybe it was something I'd forgotten or something I've been missing all my life. All I can say is that I felt, at the same time, joy and sadness. But not too much sadness, because I felt alive. Yes, alive.

That was the moment I fell in love with Paris. And I felt Paris fall in love with me.

March 17, 2009

C’est L’institut de monde arabe! or the Arab World Institute en Anglais! The building itself houses many things, we just went mainly to look at it. The building is modern but incorporates a traditional Arab screen design. The screens are like camera irises because they open and close depending on how much light is too be let in, so essentially each panel is different and always changing.

The top has a little cafe and the best free view of Paris. You get a great view of Notre Dame and of the siene river. The 7th floor has a museum with an exposition about Napoleon and Egypt.

France and Paris still has a problem with racism and xenophobia, as do most countries. A lot of it is gear toward Arab and African French speaking countries. Thats one of the reasons for the large riots a few years back, I don’tthink anything has been resolved just by what I’ve observed and heard. Thats why i thought this large institute in the middle of Paris was particularly interesting.

2 years ago

Comments (View)