You know you've been in France for a while when..

A metro strike doesn't even phase you anymore! 

The first metro strike was a huge deal, and they've become subsequently less and less significant for me: I just leave half an hour earlier than normal and hope for the best, I don't have any other options!  Now that we all know what metro lines to avoid on strike days..they don't seem like a big deal at all.  I'm used to it by now: just like I'm used to showing up to the bus stop only to see that there won't be a bus at all that day because a demonstration is blocking the bus route.

Another confirmation of my being in France: during my four hour exam on Saturday, we weren't allowed to go to the bathroom, drink, or eat, but when the girl next to me raised her hand and begged to be let out of class to smoke a cigarette, the professor let her! 

On more personal terms.. I know I've been living with a host family for a while when I don't even blink an eye when my dinner consists of: a hard boiled egg, raw radishes, and cauliflower baked with bacon bits.  Only just now, an hour later, did I realize how bizarre of a meal that was.   

A curiously American week so far

My week has felt so American thus far!  Today everyone in the program had our first and only paper of the semester due.  Since none of us have had to write anything since December, it was quite a challenge and even though it was nowhere near as difficult as some of the papers I've done, it took me forever!  For once I actually appreciated the awful weather because forcing myself to write would have been harder if it was beautiful out.

I wrote it on the introduction of coffee in Paris, the mass opening of cafes and coffee houses, and how cafes and coffee have been intertwined with Parisian history.  It was interesting, but lots of research.

Yesterday for lunch, a few of us went to a place called Breakfast in America.  We were all craving pancakes and wow- they were great!  There's a few other American-style places here but this is the first I've been to...

Tonight I'm going to a friend's apartment for dinner which should be nice.  My host mom isn't the best cook so I am REALLY looking forward to going home where my Mom will cook for me (when I am home) and I can actually cook for myself in D.C.  Having no control over what I have for dinner is getting kind of old.

So there you have it-- a week quite like a week in DC- writing papers and eating American food with friends!  Of course, I couldn't go a full four days without doing some exploring, so I spent some time reading in the Arenes de Lutece.  Lutecia was the name for Paris when it was first settled by the Roman empire.  The Arenes de Lutece are the remnants of the coliseum-style amphitheater, now it is a public park.

 

My neighborhood

This week has been pretty boring so far: I had an oral exam yesterday, a dictation today, an oral presentation tomorrow, a midterm on Thursday, and a grammar AND phonetics test on Friday!  As you can imagine I've been accordingly nerdy.

Luckily, this means for now you're spared a history lesson and instead get a peek into my life in Paris!

Here is my metro stop.

Here's the park right next to the metro stop in the foreground, my apartment building is in the background.

This is a big public plaza that's about 2 blocks from my apartment.

My bedroom & desk, kind of messy because I'm in the middle of like six things. 

If you thought that was messy..don't worry because here's the state of the kitchen/living room.

Also in my neighborhood there are some neat buildings with modern architectural aspects..very un-Paris which is kind of sad but at least they're not 70's style (aka ugly).  

OK I am off to analyze a painting in French for my oral presentation tomorrow.  Wish me luck!  

What I've been up to..

-Fondue (yum..Michael you will be proud of me that I did try one piece of beef)

-School, this is my class building

-Ice skating in front of the Hôtel de Ville

-Wandering around, this is the Saint-Eustache church which I've never heard of but we stumbled upon it last night

-On Friday nights the Louvre is open until 10, so yes I conquered some more of it before heading out last night!  

In other news, my busy schedule caught up with me yesterday when my 1 hour sieste somehow turned into a 4 hour nap!  It was a real challenge to emerge from that foggy, sleepy feeling afterwards.  Also, I just said au revoir to my 21 year old host sister who is leaving for her second semester in Korea today.  Now I am preparing to meet some friends for a picnic in Montmartre-- definitely one of my favorite spots.  

Hopefully tomorrow I will be planning what remains of my spring break trip!  The first week Mom, Dad and Michael will be here and after a few days in Paris we will be going to Brussels, Bruges, and Amsterdam.  Then my tentative plans are to meet up with a friend in Seville, then hit Granada and Barcelona.  I'm hoping to plan a weekend in the south of France in early May and if that works out, then I'll be visiting all of those places as well as Strasbourg (last weekend), Madrid (next weekend), Prague (March 13-15), Geneva & Interlaken (May), and day trips to Fontainebleau, Rouen & Giverny.  Sounds like more 4 hour naps are inevitable! 

Castle visit!

Today we went to see the castle! It was incredible, when we pulled up I could not believe that people actually lived there. It has been in their family for a long time- the grandfather told me it was built in the 18th century, and German soldiers seized it and lived in it during World War II. There's not much more I can say because the pictures speak for themselves!

The sign from the road. I haven't googled it yet but I'm sure there's info online!


Pulling up to the gate


Me in front of the Chateau


Entranceway


Sitting area


The old kitchen (They only use/renovated the right half of the house so the left half is still old style, unheated, and not really useable)


The bedroom they had to keep at all times for the Archbishop's visits


Writing from when the German's occupied the Chateau


A great view of the whole place: yes those are swans


Of course they have horses, this guy was my favorite


I have so so many more pictures, but they take forever to upload! When I get back I will be sure to share with everyone. It was about a 1.5 hour drive from Paris, after I got back I met friends in the Latin Quarter and got dinner and hot chocolate. Now I'm getting ready for bed and I finally find out my class schedule tomorrow. Then classes start on Tuesday!

EDIT: this website has some great panoramic photos of the Chateau.

Je suis arrive!

I'm here!  Getting here was quite miserable as my flight was delayed nearly four hours and I spotted a bunch of mice in the airport, but I'm just glad I made it!  Actually, the friend I was going to meet also experienced delays since it was snowing when we arrived, so despite being 3 hours later than expected, our flights came in within ten minutes of each other.  We cabbed to the ACCENT student center and had about a half hour to check into our hotel before a short walking tour.

Yesterday afternoon and all day today were a flurry of orientations, group meals, and little errands.  Seven of us went out for a walk and some wine last night, but we stuck to a glass or two since we were feeling pretty jet lagged.  I got my cell phone and Navigo metro pass, and picked up a contact case since I couldn't find mine.  This afternoon we found out some very basic info on our homestays: the family members ages, and the location of the home.  

I was a bit bummed to find out that I was the only student not living within Paris: I'm doomed to life in the suburbs.  But in reality it's not really suburbia at all so even though I'll have a farther commute than everyone, it shouldn't be too bad.

Finally this evening we met the homestay coordinator at our hotel and met our families!  My family is a recently divorced woman, her 21 and 17 year old daughters, and a cat.  Their names are Emmanuelle (mom), Anne Gaelle (21), Charlotte (17), and Noisette (cat).   It's a 3 bedroom, 1 bath apartment and it's about a block from the metro station Pont de Levallois.   Anne Gaelle doesn't live at home-- she's studying abroad in Seoul this year and leaves in 2 weeks.  

Tomorrow we have an academic orientation in the morning, placement tests at the Sorbonne, and then an afternoon boat cruise on the Seine.  Lots of the girls (and 2 boys) in my program haven't been to Paris before so I think they are all itching to have time to actually see the sights!