with an emphasis on the "liberal"

Sciences Po sends out newsletters once a week alerting the student populace of events and such around campus.  There are always famous people speakers or serious world issue conferences, and overwhelmed by all of these opportunities, I often never participate.  I told myself that I must take advantage of something Sciences Po puts on before I leave.  When I heard about the Festival Rideau Rouge 2010, a festival of theatre, it sounded like the perfect event.

So, last friday, I attended the 21h showing of Où le temps s'arrête et sans chaussures, a liberal adaptation of Peter Pan -- with an emphasis on the "liberal".  The play started out nice - there were some bizarrities, but following the plot line wasn't a chore and the actors were impressive.  

However, after about 45 minutes of interestingness, the piece got real out of wack.  This is when Peter brings Wendy back to her home, to find her two parents who are buggin completely.  The dad tries to kill Peter, but then becomes obsessed with flying, so tries to get him to show him how.  Wendy falls in love with Peter, and Peter's a kid so he's like naw.  And then there's Wendy's mama, by far the best actrice of the troupe, who is just kind of chilling trying to make everyone happy.  The play ends with Peter's death (i think)  and the death of the parents (i think) and a really long repetitive monolgue by Wendy.  This was right after a sort of pillow fight, which left the stage cluttered with white feathers, and dust?

I don't know, it was weird.  But I'm glad I went.

i love my jersey

Until UNC, I didn't get the whole sports fan thing.  At family superbowl gatherings, I would either be playing with the dogs or trying to motivate my cousins to turn away from the television and play Yahtzee with me.  Then, as a freshman at Carolina, I started getting the Tar Heel bug, but still mostly going along with the charade for the happiness of the spirit.  I rushed Franklin Street when we won the National Championship and watched as others jumped across fires, but mostly participated mostly as an audience member.  Ironically, now at a parisian university where sports are a side-line thing, I finally get it.

As a proud member of the Sciences Po équipe d'Ultimate Frisbee, I love sports.  I love crying out to my teammates.  I love my jersey.  I love the team spirit.  I love my golden frisbee.  It's a dynamic that had forever been completely foreign to me; I'm glad I finally got it. 

clever lines that spark fiery discussion

So I might be a little bitter towards Sciences Po for making my life, well, academically difficult, but I do love this grand école.  Students are engaged here.  Case in point: the Sciences Po bathroom graffiti.  Instead of inviting phone numbers and sexual visuals [don't get me wrong, I do love these], this is what you'll find on the inside of the toilet stalls:

"Les enfants croient au Père Noël, les adultes votent"

"Children believe in Santa Claus, adults vote"

How powerful is that?  Yeah, it is a little - or a lot - pessimistic, and I do prefer positive thoughts, but wow, point taken.

Here's another:

"Please leave the State in the toilet in which you found it"

Okay, this one is also pessimistic.  But these clever lines spark fiery discussion.  Abstention rates in France are very high - half of the population didn't vote at the last regional elections.  But the action taken away from the polls hasn't disappeared.  It still exists, in the bathrooms, during strikes, on blank ballots.  Bathroom trips have never been so inspiring.