I am now officially a student in Paris! I had my first two classes today. They were both a little on the slow side, and when each one lasts 3 hours, it made for a very long day. My French language class this morning was super intimidating. We went around the room and introduced ourselves and every single person besides me has been here since at least the beginning of January, and several have been here for a few years. Yikes! I hope I am not too far behind everyone else.
I keep having to look at the pictures I've taken to remember what I've done the past few days. It feels like I've been here so much longer than a week and a couple of days, probably because I've been going nonstop the whole time. It felt amazing to sit all day today! Since I last posted, I've gone to: Musee d'Orsay, Sacre Coeur, Moulin Rouge (during the day), les Galeries Lafayettes (giant store with a bunch of designer stuff), Notre Dame and the Louvre! I've definitely kept busy, and I haven't even gone to half of the places on my list! Maria Copp (TU student studying in Nantes this semester) was in Paris for the weekend so we went to church together and the Louvre, and stumbled upon some other cool sites too--the St. Ouen flea market and St. Eustache church.
I've started planning some other trips and realized that I won't be back in Paris for the whole weekend until the last weekend in March!
this weekend: Normandy and Mont St. Michel with ISA
5-7: Amsterdam with Elisa
12-14: Milan with the parents
19: Reims champagne tour, also with the parents
And the last weekend I have billions of visitors! Ok, more like 5, but still!
I don't feel so bad about leaving all the time since I have Fridays and Mondays free to do whatever around Paris. I get the best of both worlds, getting to know Paris and exploring Europe too!
Fun fact: I've seen at least 7 accordion players on the metro since I've been here, and several violinists as well. It's not just in the movies!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Internet finally!
Hooray! After a 45-minute phone call and trying to follow instructions in a language I sure don't know, I finally have internet access at my apartment!
Yesterday I had an oral test and confirmed my advanced status, so we'll see how all of that goes! I did a lot of wandering afterwards, around the school in the morning and around the area between my apartment building and metro stop (about 4 long blocks away) in the afternoon. I never feel lost here, especially since if I do lose my way, there is sure to be a metro station nearby that I can hop on and figure out how to get back. Transportation is so much easier here than any other place I've ever been, and I love it! Even the buses are easy--there's a schedule, they all go the places they're supposed to, they announce what stop you're at (there are specific stops!) and they all charge the same price! That's a shocker after trying to figure out the micro system (there really isn't one) in Chile! It's true that there's a cafe (or boulangerie or patisserie...) on every corner, and the coffee and pastries here are everything they're cracked up to be. The bread is great, the cheese is great, we had crepes for dinner the other night AND I had quite a lengthy conversation with Madame Boquet over dinner tonight about differences in our educational systems. So pretty much life is great! Ask me again in a month and I may not think the same, but everything is going splendidly right now!
Last night I aaaalmost slept through the night. I feel like a child. Every night so far I've woken up at 4 or 5 a.m. (9 or 10 p.m. back home) and haven't been able to fall back asleep for a couple of hours, and then all of a sudden it's time to get up. It is so bizarre, but I've talked to a couple of people who are having the same problem so I guess it's normal jet lag? I've also been really tired in the mornings but awake in the afternoons, which makes much more sense. Today wasn't so bad, so I have high hopes for tomorrow. :)
This morning I met up with a few friends (Judy, Maggie and Michelle) and we went to l'Arc de Triomphe, which is my favorite thing I've done so far! But then again, I haven't seen the Eiffel Tower up close yet or been to any museums... I'll post some pictures soon! Then we went shopping all afternoon and actually found a couple of decently priced things that I liked! And a whole lot of other things I liked but definitely couldn't buy!
Last night we took a boat ride (the Bateaux Mouches) along the Seine at dusk and it was beautiful! My first sight of the Eiffel Tower was on the metro on the way there. I stayed on the top of the boat for most of the ride (until we turned around to head back) and it was FREEZING. I could barely move my fingers afterwards! It was kind of misty so I didn't get the best pictures, but it was a really great trip! We even got to see the Eiffel Tower lights come on and then sparkle later on.
Well I'm probably going to go to bed soon (I'm bound and determined to get a good night's sleep one of these days and it's definitely not going to happen over the weekend) so au revoir!
Kristin
Yesterday I had an oral test and confirmed my advanced status, so we'll see how all of that goes! I did a lot of wandering afterwards, around the school in the morning and around the area between my apartment building and metro stop (about 4 long blocks away) in the afternoon. I never feel lost here, especially since if I do lose my way, there is sure to be a metro station nearby that I can hop on and figure out how to get back. Transportation is so much easier here than any other place I've ever been, and I love it! Even the buses are easy--there's a schedule, they all go the places they're supposed to, they announce what stop you're at (there are specific stops!) and they all charge the same price! That's a shocker after trying to figure out the micro system (there really isn't one) in Chile! It's true that there's a cafe (or boulangerie or patisserie...) on every corner, and the coffee and pastries here are everything they're cracked up to be. The bread is great, the cheese is great, we had crepes for dinner the other night AND I had quite a lengthy conversation with Madame Boquet over dinner tonight about differences in our educational systems. So pretty much life is great! Ask me again in a month and I may not think the same, but everything is going splendidly right now!
Last night I aaaalmost slept through the night. I feel like a child. Every night so far I've woken up at 4 or 5 a.m. (9 or 10 p.m. back home) and haven't been able to fall back asleep for a couple of hours, and then all of a sudden it's time to get up. It is so bizarre, but I've talked to a couple of people who are having the same problem so I guess it's normal jet lag? I've also been really tired in the mornings but awake in the afternoons, which makes much more sense. Today wasn't so bad, so I have high hopes for tomorrow. :)
This morning I met up with a few friends (Judy, Maggie and Michelle) and we went to l'Arc de Triomphe, which is my favorite thing I've done so far! But then again, I haven't seen the Eiffel Tower up close yet or been to any museums... I'll post some pictures soon! Then we went shopping all afternoon and actually found a couple of decently priced things that I liked! And a whole lot of other things I liked but definitely couldn't buy!
Last night we took a boat ride (the Bateaux Mouches) along the Seine at dusk and it was beautiful! My first sight of the Eiffel Tower was on the metro on the way there. I stayed on the top of the boat for most of the ride (until we turned around to head back) and it was FREEZING. I could barely move my fingers afterwards! It was kind of misty so I didn't get the best pictures, but it was a really great trip! We even got to see the Eiffel Tower lights come on and then sparkle later on.
Well I'm probably going to go to bed soon (I'm bound and determined to get a good night's sleep one of these days and it's definitely not going to happen over the weekend) so au revoir!
Kristin
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Je suis arrivée à Paris!
Bonjour!
I made it here after several hours of delays, maybe half an hour of sleep and a lot of waiting around. Sunday I took a shuttle to my apartment, managed to make my way through the 3 doors, 1 code and a conversation via intercom that ended with my host saying she would just come find me. I live in an apartment with a retired French lady, Madame Boquet, and a roommate from New York (the state), who has been here for three weeks already. I was a little unsure about the housing situation the first day, but I've managed to have several successful mini conversations and I find my host very understanding and patient, which is important with my limited French!
I've found that I know more French than I thought, or at least understand more. I have some issues speaking, but I understand most of what's going on around me, although I'm sure they all slow down a lot to help me out.
My classes don't start until next week, but as long as I don't bomb my oral test tomorrow, I only have 3 days of class a week--WIN! I just found out that there are a few other students with 4-day weekends so hopefully we can travel together some.
I haven't done a whole lot yet, besides orientation, getting a cell phone, figuring out public transportation (so easy! I really feel like I can go anywhere as long as I have a map, for the first time in my life!), etc. I walked around the neighborhood a little bit yesterday, through the Luxembourg gardens, which are going to be beautiful when it gets warmer out. I'm planning on doing some touristy things later this week or this weekend, and hopefully shopping soon!
Random observations:
Toilet paper comes in packs here? In the apartment, we have what looks like mini pink Kleenex as toilet paper.
The ISA staff here are basically the most wonderful people I've ever met. I want to be best friends with all of them!
There's a coffee machine in the ISA office that's just like the one outside of our classrooms in Chile.
Speaking of Chile, it's cold here! Good thing they all wear thick scarves.
My internet doesn't work at the apartment yet, so don't expect to skype me!
Contact info:
Skype: krizzle.bizzle
Mailing Address:
Kristin Wood
c/o ISA Paris
75, bis rue des Plantes
75014 Paris, France
(side note: if it's a package, ask me about it first because there are special instructions!)
Love you all!
Kristin
I made it here after several hours of delays, maybe half an hour of sleep and a lot of waiting around. Sunday I took a shuttle to my apartment, managed to make my way through the 3 doors, 1 code and a conversation via intercom that ended with my host saying she would just come find me. I live in an apartment with a retired French lady, Madame Boquet, and a roommate from New York (the state), who has been here for three weeks already. I was a little unsure about the housing situation the first day, but I've managed to have several successful mini conversations and I find my host very understanding and patient, which is important with my limited French!
I've found that I know more French than I thought, or at least understand more. I have some issues speaking, but I understand most of what's going on around me, although I'm sure they all slow down a lot to help me out.
My classes don't start until next week, but as long as I don't bomb my oral test tomorrow, I only have 3 days of class a week--WIN! I just found out that there are a few other students with 4-day weekends so hopefully we can travel together some.
I haven't done a whole lot yet, besides orientation, getting a cell phone, figuring out public transportation (so easy! I really feel like I can go anywhere as long as I have a map, for the first time in my life!), etc. I walked around the neighborhood a little bit yesterday, through the Luxembourg gardens, which are going to be beautiful when it gets warmer out. I'm planning on doing some touristy things later this week or this weekend, and hopefully shopping soon!
Random observations:
Toilet paper comes in packs here? In the apartment, we have what looks like mini pink Kleenex as toilet paper.
The ISA staff here are basically the most wonderful people I've ever met. I want to be best friends with all of them!
There's a coffee machine in the ISA office that's just like the one outside of our classrooms in Chile.
Speaking of Chile, it's cold here! Good thing they all wear thick scarves.
My internet doesn't work at the apartment yet, so don't expect to skype me!
Contact info:
Skype: krizzle.bizzle
Mailing Address:
Kristin Wood
c/o ISA Paris
75, bis rue des Plantes
75014 Paris, France
(side note: if it's a package, ask me about it first because there are special instructions!)
Love you all!
Kristin
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