On a Boat...

On March 31st, 2010 there was a party in New York City. Well, there must have been many parties that night. One in particular was aboard the Jeanne d'Arc at Pier 90, hosted by none other than the French Navy. Built in the 1960's for the Cold War, the ship has been sailing the world on missions for the past fifty years. The helicopter carrier was making its last journey as a naval ship. At each port along the way until it reaches Quebec in four months, the ship will host an exclusive party.

French speakers and non-French speakers alike, there was something at this party for anyone who enjoys French food, champagne, hors d'oeuvres, music, or military uniforms. I was able to practice my French which was definitely one of the night's highlights. All men aboard the ship were in military uniform (for the most part, with the exception of a few men who donned suits). The female guests all donned dresses of all kinds, some representing American styles and some representing French styles. Members of the crew also led tours of as many guests as were interested around the ship's command center and defense center. Many of the controls are electronic, which differs vastly from a tall sailing ship, for example.

The views from the ship of the Manhattan skyline at midtown were stunning. The party started while the sun was still up, so guests were able to observe sunset while aboard, cocktail in hand. There was a French band that featured French marines singing, and there was never a shortage of delicious appetizers. After the main party was over, an after party ensued that featured exquisite desserts of all kinds and more champagne.

If you are inclined to try to secure an invitation to one of the port parties, the ship's only remaining destinations are St. Pierre, Quebec, and its home port, Brest. For marveling purposes only, the ship's previous stops included Rio de Janeiro, Montevido, Ushuaia, Valparaiso, Callao, Balbo, Pointe-a Pitre, and New York.

A great video profiling the ship's last journey can be found at the Daily Motion: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xc4cvf_navy-the-jeanne-d-arc-s-last-trip_news

NYC midtown from the Jeanne before sunset.

The extended tour of the ship's upper decks.

Night view from the command room.

March 29, 2010: President Sarkozy of France speaks at Columbia!

The exclusive event, made available to French majors before the rest of the student body, govered admittance by the typical Columbia lottery system. The lottery opened at 8am the Monday prior to the arrival of Monsieur le President Sarkozy. Due to its first-come, first-served nature, the all seats had been taken within ten minutes. Having woken up at 7:55 am to try and secure a spot before the lottery site crashed due to over-activity (which was inevitable when thousands of students are trying to access the site at once), I was lucky enough to

secure a spot at the lecture.

Besides the thrill of hearing him speak in French, I was really excited when he mentioned some themes that directly related to the themes of my International and Global History Since WWII course this semester. He talked about how important participation is from every country in the world economy, and that it is important that members from countries from every single area of the world are permanent members of the National Security Council. It was really powerful when he questioned how could we possibly have a successful, thriving, world economy if the National Security Council lacks permanent representation from Latin America and Africa, for example. I also found the general tone of the importance of global solidarity to be refreshing and inspiring. Sarkozy's energy and the conviction with which he spoke was exhilerating. I also spotted Carla Bruni, which was a spectacle in itself!

Another highlight during the address was when Sarkozy gave President Obama the metaphorical thumbs up, telling the audience that he supports the new healthcare plan. Sarkozy came close to making a joke about how France would never leave citizens on the street without giving them health care -- and is glad to see the US's adoption of the reformed healthcare plan.

The closest Sarkozy came to making a joke was while discussing relations between France and other countries. After naming a few countries and classifying each country's relation with France throughout history, he came to Italy, motioned over to the side of the lecture hall where Carla Bruni was seated among the delegates, and said cooly that things have always been good between France and Italy.