Author: Mary Eiserloh

My name is Mary Eiserloh and I am currently a rising senior studying Religious and Theological Studies and Writing at St. Edward's University.

Trois and Counting

Sometimes, I think we miss memories more than we miss places. These moments that could only happen because of the places you were and people you were with. You won’t miss the place as much as you will miss the way it looked as the backdrop to special moments in your life.

The first time I went to the Eiffel Tower, I went all the way to the top with my high school French club. Because, at the time, the way to make the most of your time at the Eiffel Tower was to go to the top.

Picture this, twelve teenage American girls with intermediate level French skills all enter the top of the Eiffel Tower. Needless to say, it was loud. At this time, we had studied French for at least four years, and this was our peak. I remember stepping out the elevator and immediately feeling the wind hit my face. Paris was the only thing you could see for miles, well, I guess kilometers. I remember smiling for pictures and worrying about how the wind was making my hair look. We could hear my teacher yelling “Les filles! Les filles!’ Desperately trying to get our attention so we wouldn’t make a fool of ourselves. However, this did not stop us from laughing and smiling the whole time we were up there. It was dark and we could hear other people around us fulfilling their somewhat immature dreams of being there as well. Since French had been a part of my life since I was young, it felt like this was a moment I had been preparing for.

The second time I was at the Eiffel Tower, it was with one of my friends from elementary school and her family. Her mother took her, her sisters, and me to Paris that summer. They had a family tradition where each of the siblings went on a trip to Europe with their dad after graduating high school. What made this different, was that her dad had passed away just two years earlier. I felt very honored to be on this trip with her and her family.  It was approaching the end of our time there, and we decided to see the Eiffel Tower at night. We stood around waiting and eating crepes. Eventually, we saw the lights gradually start to pop up on the tower until it was a full-blown sparkle. I can’t remember whose idea it was to hop on the carousel at that moment, but it was a good one. We were throwing our heads back and laughing at the fact that we were all on a children’s ride and genuinely having a good time. Right then, there was a moment of joy amidst several months of sadness I had seen my friend living in. That night, the Eiffel Tower served as the backdrop to a different moment in my life. One that not only meant a lot to me, but even more to those around me.

Recently, I was in Paris studying with my school. While it felt like the days were long due the sheer volume of exciting things we did, sitting here now, it feels like time flew by. In Paris, I was able to not only go to new places, and meet new people, but I was also able to learn how to navigate around a big city. My third and most recent time at the Eiffel tower was this past June. I was drinking wine and eating snacks. It started with two bottles of wine to share with four people and turned into multiple bottles with 12 people.

It just so happened that I was in Paris at the same time as one of my hometown friends who decided to meet us there along with some of the friends she had made. Everyone was enjoying each other’s company and I was still experiencing that same issue with the wind and my hair I had the first time I was here. There was music playing just loud enough on other people’s speakers to serve as the perfect background music for us. Not only did I have the freedom of being in college, but I also had a full understanding of how to use the public transportation system to get home by taking RER B towards Robinson, and the possibility of a Tunisian man meeting me under the Eiffel Tower in fifteen minutes? Who had I become? This is not something that would happen to me at home. Once again, I found myself at a pivotal moment with the Eiffel Tower’s silhouette taking shape in the background.

I have been to the Eiffel tower three different times now.  Each with different groups of people and as different versions of myself. The first time, I went to the top and saw all that I thought the Eiffel tower had to offer, one of the best views of Paris. Now, if anything, the Eiffel Tower offers more than a backdrop for great pictures, but also as the perfect setting for memories to be made.

Albert Kahn and an African Religious Community

The Albert- Kahn Museum in Paris, France holds unique insights to the culture of humanity across the globe. Through Kahn’s foundations and philanthropic pursuits, he was able to document the biological, sociological, political, economic, and geographical differences of communities around the world. This once successful banker used his funds to foster his own curiosity about the world in hopes of creating conversation and understanding between humanity.

Albert Kahn, born Abraham Kahn in 1960, moved to Paris when he was only 16 and began working as a bank clerk. Through his determination, he was able to work his way up the latter and eventually became a partner in the bank. After this, many of his funds were accumulated by investing in gold and diamond mines in South Africa. This led to him eventually setting up his own bank at 38 years old. Given his natural curiosity and recent financial gain, he launched many philanthropic projects dedicated to social and political questions. Since he wanted to understand the complex lives of humans all over the world, he set up multiple foundations and eventually created a global project called The Archives of the Planet (Biogrpahie d’Albert). The focus of this project was to, “…safeguard the memory through photography and cinematography, of small societies which were threatened with extinction by the standardization of the modern world (Balard).” The Archives of the Planet have since become the focus of the Albert-Kahn Museum, as well as the influence for the breathtaking gardens.

The creation of the museum was a gradual process that began at the end of the 1930s. It is located where Kahn lived, in the area of Boulogne sur Seine. He purchased a mansion and then slowly began buying up the surrounding plots of land. This led to his creation of his roughly 10-acre garden that was to represent harmony among different cultures (Un brève histoire des lieux.) According to the museum, the garden was, “a place of life and private sociability” for Albert Kahn. It is clear this goal has been reached due to visitors like Rosalyne and her 16-year-old granddaughter, Stella, who come to the gardens as a way out of the hustle and bustle of Paris. Rosalyn said, “There are not a lot of parks in the middle of Paris,

so I like to bring my grandchildren here. It is very peaceful and quiet.”

While the gardens are a main attraction for this museum, they would not be possible without the imagination and curiosity of Albert Kahn, as well as his need to preserve other cultures. For instance, he financially supported Father Francis Aupiais, the Father of the Society of African Missions, during his time in Dahomey, also known as present day Benin. Father Francis, a missionary, and
Frédéric Gadmer, an operator on behalf of Albert Kahn’s Planet Archives, collected more than 1,000 autochromes and 9,000 meters of film in the time they spent in Dahomey. These records were just the beginning of ethnographic cinema and their contents support Father Francis’ initiative to promote African cultures in the ever-changing world. There were two films created during Gadmer’s time with Father Francis. One is called, “Religious Dahomey” and the other, “Christian Dahomey.” Voodoo culture was captured in “Religious Dahomey” and is the earliest animated documentation of these practices in film (La recherche au musée). In the film, “Christian Dahomey,” the Christian parts of Dahomey were documented, including images of the feasts of Epiphany and Joan of Arc. The main focus of this was to showcase a need for indigenous clergy (Balard).

This part of the Archives of the Planet is a perfect example of what Albert-Kahn intended for his foundations and money to do. An obscure society was filmed and documented for the sake of preservation and understanding. Not only did the film showcase the current culture and religious ceremonies of the time, but it also was used as an attempt to promote a more diverse clergy in areas in and outside of Africa. Since 2016, there have been multiple approaches to conserve and promote this collection through research at the museum (La recherche au musée).

Overall, the legacy of Albert Kahn tells the story of humanity at a time when it was difficult and expensive to do so. His legacy and the legacy of humanity will remain as long as people continue to ask questions, conduct research on his previous findings, and enjoy the peaceful gardens he has created.

 

 

Biographie d’Albert Kahn. Page active. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://albert-kahn.hauts-de-seine.fr/ 

La recherche au musée. Accueil. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://albert-kahn.hauts-de-seine.fr/les-collections/actualites-des-collections/la-recherche-au-musee 

Balard, M. (2007). Les combats du père Aupiais (1877-1945), missionnaire et ethnographe du Dahomey pour la reconnaissance africaine. Histoire et missions chrétiennes, 2, 74-93. https://doi.org/10.3917/hmc.002.0074

Un brève histoire des lieux. Accueil. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2022, from https://albert-kahn.hauts-de-seine.fr/le-musee/breve-histoire-des-lieux 

 

Working From Home at the Flea Market

While there are many types of old treasures with historical backgrounds to buy at a flea market, Le Puces market in Paris contained some of the most incredible antiques I have ever seen. The booths were filled with items such as colorful glassware, designer vintage clothing, and lost photos from old film cameras. As I intently browsed and picked up things, I had no intention of buying, I peeked down an alleyway into a warehouse-like building and found the true showstopper of Europe’s largest antique market, the furniture.

Each of these garage-like spaces were filled with individual vendors. To put it simply, it could be described as a mid-century modern interior designer’s shopping dream. The garage spaces in this warehouse were filled with unique pieces of furniture that looked like they were straight out of a sixties house. The lack of people in this area tells customers one of two things. First, either they missed the crowds due to the time of day, or second, all of this stuff was way too expensive for passersby or international travelers to consider purchasing. Nevertheless, each space draws you in regardless of one’s willingness to buy. It was like these Parisians were giving you a peek into their lives by opening the doors to their private homes with the intention of selling their things. Each space followed similar themes but were also widely different. They could either be black and white with pops of orange or red on a table or in a bowl or filled with pastel pinks and lightly colored wood. Some of them even had sets of stairs leading to a room above their shop. Walking through the flea market felt like I was getting a glimpse of someone else’s home, and also their workspace. Either way, they offered something different, while always remaining in style.

As workers took smoke breaks outside their shops, my observations were soon paired with the slight smell of cigarettes. However, at some points you could not help but get a whiff of an item that had the familiar smell of something old. It is a stale, water damage like smell that always accompanies antiques and old photographs. To me, that is how you know what you are looking at is legitimate.

Many of the vendors were sitting in chairs or desks that were a part of their display. Occasionally, you would run into someone working on a piece of furniture in order to make sure it is in the best possible shape for selling, or you could hear the hums of conversations happening between neighboring vendors. They would bring one of their chairs out and all sit in the same area, close enough to their booths, but also to each other. I could hear them laughing and relaxing. Conversation between these neighbor-like figures only halted when a customer would approach with a polite, “Bonjour.”

Considering this was just on part of Europe’s biggest flea market, I cannot image what the rest holds.

America, finally in Paris!

America Garcia, rising senior and Communication major at St. Edward’s University, has finally been able to fulfill her childhood dreams of traveling to Paris. As a lover of film and bérets, she hopes to document her time in the city of love through vlogging the unexpected Parisian culture. While in Paris, she awaits adventure, preferably with a Frenchman, and a new Parisian approved wardrobe. Below, Garcia describes what being in Paris means to her after spending so much of her youth dreaming of what it would be like to visit the city of love.

Q: So, I know that Paris has been a big love of yours for a long time. So, when did that love start? Around what age?

A: I have no idea, probably around the same time I got my first camera. Like probably eight or nine.

Q: And what was it that drew you in? 

A: I don’t know. I just know that I was obsessed with it. I feel like one day I went into a Hobby Lobby or saw a painting of the Eiffel Tower. And I was like, yeah, yeah, that’s it. But like you know how when you are in middle school you have a lot of creative writing assignments? For me, everything was set in Paris. When I posted my first Instagram in Paris, one of my best friends from preschool commented, “OMG did you get married in Paris?” Because when I was little, I wrote a song about getting married in Paris. She reminded me that I would literally write songs about living in Paris. I would wear bérets every day to school.

Q: So, what are your Paris goals?

A: I want to thrift an entire new wardrobe. I want to dress like a Parisian straight up. But like, I really want to vlog my entire experience and make a really good video for YouTube. And I want to spend a lot of time by myself in cafés just writing. And I want to improve my French because eventually I do want to live here. So, like, by the end, I want to feel more comfortable.

Q: So, if you were to write a creative story now and set it in Paris, about your current time here, what would it be about?

A: I think it would be about a depressed girl, post breakup, trying to find herself in Paris. But it is always going to be about love because we are in the city of love. So yeah, post breakup, and she is like, “No boy will ever give me what I want, let me go to Paris and just focus on myself.” But that doesn’t happen because the perfect Frenchman stumbles in front of her and she has this crazy adventure with him and rides away on his Vespa to get married.

Q: What did you imagine Paris to be like when you were young versus how you see it now?

A: I feel like I thought it would be cleaner. Yeah, for the most part. I feel like this is what I imagined. But it’s giving. It’s giving Mexico City really, it really is. But like, but at least the outskirts where we are. But then when you go to the actual city, where the Eiffel Tower is and where the cool stuff is. Where the buildings are old, and the balconies have these little details. That is just how I imagined. Honestly, like, a little dirtier, like, watch out for dog poop.

Q: Have you been disappointed at all?

A: I’ve just been disappointed in myself. For not trying hard enough to learn the language. I was obsessed for so long. I ask myself, “Why didn’t I actually try to learn it?” The one thing is just not being able to communicate.

Q: So, it is no secret that you love, love. Right? Do You think there’s a combination or some sort of connection between you loving love and then becoming obsessed with the city of love when you were younger? 

A: You’re making some good points. Yeah, for sure. I’m trying to think. Wait! Phineas and Ferb! I remember watching an episode when I was young where they went to Paris and talked about it being the city of love and falling in love in Paris. I feel like that was a moment for me where I was like, “Wow, the City of love.” I was like, “I want to be like Phineas and Isabella and fall in love in Paris.

Q: Did you think you would ever make it to Paris?

A: No, never. At least not until maybe I had a family and it was possible. Honestly, like a week before I was like, I’m not going to go, I’m like, this isn’t actually going to happen. I am always like that, especially since COVID-19. So, it’s like the fact that I am here. It’s kind of crazy. It feels surreal.