Ice Skating in Palaces and Marching on the Bastille

Hello, folks! So I think I said I wasn't going to post again until after winter break, but I lied. Sorry! These pictures are from last weekend, where instead of studying for finals I just went out and enjoyed Paris. My program director actually encouraged this not studying option, so that's two votes for and none against! Yay democracy. My exams went well anyway, it's amazing how everything gets done somehow or other. I had my last final (until January, as our semester hasn't ended yet) this Thursday at "La Maison des Examens", literal translation being "the House of Exams". Fun times. It's basically a 5-story T-shaped building housing nothing but rooms to take tests in and a minuscule cafeteria, and it operates the whole year. I sat in one giant room with about 5 other History classes, and had 3 hours to answer one question. Luckily, the prompt was something I had already written a research paper on, so I got off easy. But still, the whole experience was very telling of the French educational experience, and also made me feel like I was living in the 60s or something. Plus, they made me take the train out to the suburbs. Not cool. 

But anyway, let's get back to this awesome weekend. These first pictures are from when I went ice skating with my American friends Paul and George at the Grand Palais (Great Palace). It was built for the Universal Exposition in 1900, and it's known for (as you can see) its vaulted glass roof and iron and steel framing. They turned one who wing of it into a giant ice skating rink, complete with a little cafe, and on weekends it's open until 2 in the morning! Though of course it costs more to go at night. It's most definitely something only tourists do, according to real Parisians, but I actually enjoy touristy things a lot, and who wouldn't want to ice skate in a palace? 

Here's the rink upon entering the palace. Note the awesome disco ball. Oh, and those white flecks aren't snow. Yet. Just wait. 

Me and Paul, super excited to tear up the ice! Proud to say I didn't fall even once!

Here's a picture of the "snow", which actually looked more like soap falling from the sky. But I'll accept it. 

Another disco ball picture. 

Me marveling in this magical snow as if it's manna falling from heaven. 

Me and George, just bein' cute. 

Side note: After leaving the palace we realized it was 8pm (dinner time!) and we were starving, so we went to the grocery store and long story short 4 of us ate 6 steaks, 500 grams of spaghetti, and a Christmas ice cream cake that said it was meant for 8-10 people. But that meant 8-10 French people, who can't even finish a cupcake by themselves, so I don't feel bad. 

So here is what I did on Sunday instead of studying! As you may have heard/I may have already mentioned, the issue of gay marriage and gay adoption (allowing gay people to adopt) has been hotly debated in France for the past 10 years or so, and may now be coming to a decision. It's in the papers everyday, and there have been at least 4 protests (both for and against) since I got here in September. People have told me that the majority of French people are against, but I don't really think so. I think they're too afraid of religion in government to let their Catholic tendencies affect a policy decision, plus they're usually pretty chill with what people do with their private lives. But then again, the conservative, bourgeois families have all the money and a lot of political influence, so we'll see. But judging by the 150,000 people that showed up from all over France for this protest, the LGBTQetc. family is not going down without a fight. 

So about this protest. We all showed up at Place de la Bastille, obviously the site of the former Bastille, and a really strong symbol of France's revolutionary history. I got there about half an hour before it was supposed to start, and already people had taken over the square and were drifting down the side streets. And it wasn't just individuals and news teams, but the Socialist Party (the party of the current President), Front de Gauche (another political party), some unions, an interfaith group, an AIDS prevention organization, student groups, and various LGBT  and Allies groups from across the country (and Belgium!). It was also very multi-generational and representative of people of different backgrounds. I saw elderly couples, people my age, families with children, high schoolers, and other foreigners. Plus, everyone was really friendly and offered to explain political stuff to me and my friend George. Lots were decked out in various rainbow-paraphernalia, I personally was wearing a rainbow flag as a cape, and had really awesome, witty signs. I'll translate those you see in the picture above. "God loves our families," "God thinks well of us," "God is a black lesbian," and "Jesus also had 2 mothers". Some other favorites, not pictured here, include "If you hate gays, stop having gay children," "Who do you think designed your wedding dress?," and "I asked for your rights, not your opinion."

Another picture of the crowd forming. 

Getting ready to march

The crowd.

We have taken the Bastille! 

150,000 strong!

Waiting to move forward. It took my friend and I about an hour to cross the street to where those two buildings are, but then once we got about halfway down that street it cleared out a bit. And then we marched all the way to the Jardins du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Gardens), where the Senate is. It took about 5 hours. 

A lovely family cheering us on from the side of the street, wearing "Gay O.K.) sweatshirts

Marching through the Marais! (A district known for being home to "outcast" peoples, such as the Jews and more recently the gays)

Someone dressed up as the Pope. As we caught up to him, two little boys marching with their mom ran up behind him and we're yelling "It's Santa, it's Santa!" then when they got closer one of them says to the other "No it's not, it's the Pope!". Everyone around me (and me included) just about died laughing. 

This was taken at the beginning of the protest but whatever, I'm putting at the end of this blog. This is what it must have felt like to be in the French Revolution! Except for more headless people. 

But in all seriousness, it felt amazing to get involved in political activism over here, as LGBT rights affect us all, wherever we live. And as long as one person lives in repression, we all do. I hope to continue participating in these protests, even though it makes for semi-awkward times at home as my host dad goes to the anti-gay marriage/adoption protests. But I know there's nothing I can say to change his mind, so I just shut up and eat my foie gras when he starts talking about it. But what really matters for me is finding and joining a fellow community of human rights activists all the way over here, making Paris feel that much more like home and the differences that divide us all in some way feel even more insignificant.