Nocturnes au Louvre- Les Jeunes Ont La Parole

Me and my funny shirt in front of the painting I presented- Poussin's "The Plague of Ashdod"

Last night I took part in a program at the Louvre called "Les Jeunes Ont la Parole" which means 'the young ones have the floor' (here's the link- sorry it's in French-I'll try to find it in English). It's a program where students, under the age of 30, from schools all over Paris come and present on works within the museum. You have two hours, where you stand in front of the painting and anyone who walks by is invited to come listen and discuss the work with you. I worked with a partner, her name is Jerica, and we had a really great time. I had been ridiculously nervous and anxious all week, anticipating the worst. But I guess that's just what I do. It was so great though. We did almost all of our presentations in French and only two in English. And the English was harder! We'd practiced so many times in French and had all the vocabulary and technical terms in our heads in French, so when it came to explaining in English we kept blanking on nice elegant terms and instead had to go for the closest word we could think of.

I'm quite proud of myself too- not only in an educational or professional sense, but in a lifelong dream sort of way. Who ever thought I'd get the opportunity to talk in an official setting at the Louvre? It keeps amazing me. I feel like I actually speak French now, and I'm discovering a confidence I never thought I had before. Public speaking has always been an issue for me, and all of a sudden things are starting to fall into place and I'm less anxious all the time. It was such a great night, where we met so many kind people who were genuinely interested in art and in what we had to say. I can't wait for next Friday to do it all over again!