procrastination

HI. So I realize it has been forever since I’ve written in this blog, but that’s because I’ve been super busy living my glamourous Parisian life. It’s pretty much just all champagne and foie gras for me. Just kidding. My life here is largely spent underground sweating in the metro. The Paris metro is a wonderful thing, don’t get me wrong, as it allows me to travel virtually anywhere I want to go in Paris in about 45 minutes. But it can get quite toasty, especially when all the smelly Parisians are packed like sardines. Having a metro card is like having an all access pass to the city though, it enables me to pick a stop and explore, something I have found myself doing on Thursdays when I am the only person I know not in class. Being here for an extended time means that I don’t have to stress about fitting in the touristy stuff right away (I’ve been here for a three weeks and have yet to see Notre Dame and only recently went to the Louvre), but can spend hours wandering the quaint streets, open air markets, and parks. Getting lost in Paris is part of the fun, and I get lost a lot. There’s something so scary about being alone in the midst of all these people yelling French and these ancient buildings that is also so freeing. Never have I ever been so nervous and so exhilarated at once. It really teaches you about yourself and who you really are.

I will give everyone an update on my life now, I know that’s really what you’re here for: My classes are great, I only have them MTW so that gives me so much free time. Unfortunately that usually means my Sundays are filled with homework. I still have not gotten used to the French food, so I mostly just eat baguettes, goat cheese, and some form of fruit. Also I have been eating a ton of delicious falafel from the Marais area by my school. I’ve been on two trips outside of Paris so far, I’ve visited Trouville and Deauville (two cities in northern Normandie along the coast) and Versailles. Normandie was fabulous. We were there during the American Film Festival but we spent most of the day wandering the coast and jumping into the English Channel. Also their food was wonderful and apparently their moules frites were to amazing. We travelled to Versailles last weekend, but spent the majority of our time outside in the impeccably kept gardens. My favorite part was definitely Marie Antoinette’s chateau. She had this dreamy wooded area with an orchard that was gorgeous. Travel plans for the upcoming weeks include Giverny, Barcelona, Amsterdam (where I will be staying in a boat so – awesome), Germany, Strasbourg. For our fall break, Taylor and I are planning an extensive tour of Italy. Other than that (so far), my time will be spent in Paris, where I am in love with everyone and everything.

the most beautiful part of versailles

the english channel

normandie

reeducation

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain

tour eiffel

adaption

For our last day of orientation we did a course on cultural adaption, specifically referring to the differences between Americans and Frenchies through the analogy of fruit. Obviously the French (namely Parisians) are stereotyped as rude and snobby, making many overly friendly Americans uneasy. For me, I don’t particularly have an issue with it as I prefer not to have long conversations with strangers on public transportation or in line at the boulangerie or things like that. But when one actually focuses on the reasons for the differences instead of just categorizing an entire people as rude or snobby or weird (or even smelly), it becomes easier to understand and appreciate the culture. The French, our teacher explained, are like coconuts; very hard (and hairy) on the outside, but once you break through their exterior they are sweet and milky on the inside. This personal identity can be traced back to childhood, as the French were raised very differently from Americans, who could be represented by peaches (soft, warm, and fuzzy on the outside but often have a hard interior pit).

Anywayyyyys, in other news I’m having an amazing time. Probably my favorite activity so far would be my experiences at Pont Neuf. It’s this little stone island jutting out from below the bridge (Pont Neuf means new bridge) along the river Seine. It has all these huge willow trees draping over the water and you are able to have picnics, play music, and drink wine all while sitting in this beautiful area, full of young people, with a gorgeous view of the glittering Eiffel Tower. Cannot think of anything better.

sunset at Pont Neuf

view from Pont Neuf

exhaustion

Bonjour from Paris!! So obviously I’m alive (yay) and well. Just super tired. I’m attempting to stay up to force my body to get used to this time zone, but so far it’s not working. We arrived at 8am (2am Kentucky time), but fortunately getting through customs and baggage claim was relatively quick. We then had a mini orientation at our campus before driving to our dorm. It’slocated on rue de Naples in the 8th arrondissement, which is a great neighborhood full of charm and history. It’s this great old building with huge windows and doors, which I’m more than happy to keep open with this high 60’s degree weather. Our dorm is ridiculously large but since neither of us brought hangers to put in our wardrobe, we are currently not unpacked. My only complaint to far is that the shower is located in this weird closet (legitimately a closet turned into a shower) with no temperature gauges and in an effort to conserve water (I guess) it shuts off every 30 seconds. So anyways, that’s my update for now! This next week is full of orientation activities so I know we’ll be super busy but I will try to update again soon because I know everyone (my grandma) is full of anticipation. I will also include a picture from my plane ride over since I don’t really have pictures of anything else at this point. À bientôt!

preparation

T-minus 2.5 days until I leave for France. Holy crap. People keep asking me if I’m excited and really, at this point, I’m just full of anxiety. All of my friends have gone back to school and I am completely jealous, I guess I never really realized how much I would miss not going back to Rhodes. So, for now, I am stuck at home watching HGTV reruns; forced to focus on the looming pile of laundry on my closet floor and the ever-growing list of things to do before I leave. This is it. Eff.

too much for one suitcase?

anticipation

“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” – Ernest Hemingway