Endings, as I am sure we have all heard or felt ourselves, are often bittersweet. There is sadness in closing one chapter and knowing that things will likely never be exactly as they once were, and there is apprehension in the thought of what might come next. Will it match what came before? Did we make the most of the time we had when we had it, before it was gone?
This week, while I am on my Tufts-in-Paris spring break, I have found myself with five whole free days to spend in Paris, ones which I am trying to use to soak up the remaining time I have left in this incredible city.
This weekend, along with the rest of the Tufts-in-Paris program, I boarded an early-morning train from Paris’ Gare Montparnasse and set off toward Bordeaux, a city in the southwest of France and a part of the country’s Aquitaine region.
Two weeks ago, thanks to several Tufts friends who came to visit Paris (and me), I had the chance to reexperience the city through their eyes and feel the excitement of Paris all over again.
I know the same cannot be said for Medford, where the weather within the past week has fluctuated between 60 degrees and sunny and 30 degrees and snowy, but spring seems to be drawing imminently closer in Paris. While spring does not officially begin until March 20 this year — the day on which the sun will be directly over the equator as it moves into the Northern Hemisphere — the past week has given a taste of what the season is sure to bring here in Paris. Afternoons spent strolling public gardens and people-watching from cafes seem to be in my future.
Stumbling upon a museum in Paris has felt to me almost as common as traipsing in and out of the ‘boulangeries’ which dot seemingly every street corner of the city. Well, maybe not to that same degree — Paris boasts an astonishing 30,000-plus bakeries and almost 300 museums — but it certainly seems that way. Much of Parisian life and energy is intertwined with its art, literature and fashion. I really do savor the ability to stroll through a museum at my own pace, opening myself up to its knowledge. I have selected a few of my favorite museums and exhibits to share, ones which have each filled me with unique senses of joy and wonder.
Moving somewhere new is always a challenge. During my time at Tufts, I’ve moved both into — and then prematurely out of — the classic freshman double in Bush Hall, into and out of a cozy single in a suite in Haskell Hall and then into and partially out of my own off-campus house shared with friends. I say “partially” because in December 2021, I packed up about half of my things and trekked home to New York, a trip that was the first step in the much larger and more daunting move that I would make in the coming weeks.
In their latest pandemic ventures, former President Barack Obama and rock star Bruce Springsteen commandeered the podcast space, sitting down for “Renegades: Born in the USA” to unpack their shared understanding of family, work, race and America itself. Their chemistry is palpable throughout each episode, giving readers an exclusive look into their off-camera personas. The duo provides insight into the present condition of the country, assessing how it came to be so divided.
What’s in a name? At Tufts, sometimes even a small change, like that of a department's name, may explain a broader shift in the department's focus, mission or cross-disciplinary nature.Multiple academic departments' names have undergone changes within the past few years: Art and Art History ...
