Reflection and Remembrance | The Paris Attacks

It's been more than two weeks since I have posted, but there have been many more than two weeks' worth of developments here in Paris. As you will already have learned, on the 13th, Paris was victim to a series of terrorist attacks. Over 100 lives were lost, many more were affected in a way that it will take years to recover from. University can hold all the preparatory talks they want before you leave for your year abroad, but you will never be able to imagine what it is like to be abroad in a time of crisis unless you've experienced it first hand.
The 13th, for me, was a standard evening. I was feeling a little blue, so I decided not to join my friends for a night out. I was in my apartment, watching some trivial show on Netflix, and everything was totally status-quo. It was late when I received a message from a friend who studies at the Sorbonne with me, asking if I was ok. I had no idea what she was talking about. When she explained to me that there were people being held hostage just 3 miles from me, and that a café had been the target of a shooting, my blood ran cold. I opened a news page on my browser; I could hardly believe it. My friends were out, and I had no idea where they were, or if they were safe. Mother-hen instincts took over, and I called one of them to ask where they were, if they were safe, and to make sure they were staying inside. Thankfully, they were all fine - staying in one of their apartments together. I relaxed the tiniest bit. We were all safe, but it wasn't over. Paris Police department were warning everyone not to leave the house, the news pages were constantly updating with figures and statistics of how many were injured or killed. I watched the numbers topple into the hundreds. 
Before long, my phone exploded. Calls from friends in the UK who had seen the news; notifications from distant relatives on Facebook. I assured everyone I was safely locked in my apartment building, and got in contact with all of my immediate family to update them. The most bizarre part of all this was that Facebook asked me to check in as safe. I was less that 400 miles from home; I was in a country I'd been to many times, and that I would never even consider a dangerous place. And yet I needed to check in to let my friends and family know I was safe. Until that point, I'd only ever seen the Check In feature used for huge natural disasters - tsunamis, earthquakes, the like. Maybe I just hadn't been paying attention. I never thought I'd have to do it. I've seen that feature abused too many times; "Joe Bloggs who lives in your little home town has checked in as Safe during the Japanese Earthquake". Completely unnecessary, embarrassingly insensitive. So I asked myself whether I should check in - did I really need to? By this point, old friends and acquaintances were messaging me to check I was ok, so I decided to check in. I suppose it was possible something might have happened to me, but it still felt so unreal. 
It wasn't until this morning - Monday 16th - that it really hit me. The Sorbonne sent out an email to say that classes were cancelled that morning, as a ceremony was being held in memory of the three students the Sorbonne had lost in the attacks. Three. Three people that walked the same corridors as me, three people with homes and families, with lives and futures ahead of them had disappeared from this Earth as a result of what had happened. It's to these three students, and to the dozen of other victims and their families, that I'd like to pay a little remembrance. To Marion Lieffrig-Petard, to Kheireddine Sahbi, to Suzon Garrigues, to the many other victims, and to all friends and families. The atmosphere of solidarity that has arisen from these events is phenomenal. There is a very respectful mixture of tributes to the victims, and will to persevere. It has become a political statement to go for a drink on the terrasse of a café in Paris. A motto shines onto the Eiffel Tower, it reads "Fluctuat nec mergitur", "Tossed but not Sunk". Sites around Paris light up in tribute, and Parisians drink and laugh in perseverance, to remind us not that life goes on, but that they have not surrendered to this tragedy.

The Eiffel Tower is lit with the colours of the Tricolor

Siège la banque postale shows its solidarity

Homecoming

October break crept up on me pretty quickly. I won't say I want to leave Paris yet - I still feel like I'm just getting started there, but I have to admit I've been missing home a bit. Well, to be perfectly honest I've been missing having dogs in my life, and knowing that there are 9 little puppies at home wasn't helping. But I'm back, and it's puppies galore.

The puppies don't seem to understand shelves though. Or maybe they have a better understanding than us.

They've not grasped how the sofa works either. 

Needless to say, their Mum is absolutely knackered.  Aside from the small army of puppies, I also came back because my sister is graduating, for the second time. I'm incredibly proud to have a sister who not only has an Integrated Masters, but now also a PGCE. That's one big pair of boots to fill.

I used to be salty as the Pacific that she was so accomplished, and that I was constantly a step behind her. But now I'm old enough to see how lucky I am to have a role model and a best friend that is capable of anything she puts her mind to. 
But now it's back to La Vie Lumière, back to Uni and back to living without puppies. Sad times. On the plus side, the view from the plane was sensational.