I'm here! And it's crazy!
I got here Friday morning and made my way to the housing center by metro, which is a lot like the DC one, except it's like 3 times the size. Oh and you have to push a button to get the doors to open, apparently to save energy. And they have vending machines on the platforms.
I've mainly been doing the touristy things with a couple other people in my program: walking up the Champs-elysees, checking out Notre Dame, having a pique-nique at the Eiffel tower, walking, walking, walking. We've found a large ethnic neighborhood where everything is really cheap
I'm in a host family in the 10eme arrondissement, in the Northeast corner of Paris. It's pretty amazing, I have a host brother and sister at home in addition to my host parents. My room has a window that opens onto a beautiful courtyard, and although my window doesn't have flowers, most of those in the courtyard do, and my host father has a veritable jungle on one of his balconies. I've been talking to my family a lot. For example, the other night I explained the electoral college, which seemed to confuse the heck out of them. We also had a conversation yesterday at lunch about Crocs, which seem to have had a several year delay and are now coming over to Europe (one of the only things that was trendy in the US first--everybody here is very chic). My host mom thought they looked really comfortable, but her daughter was telling her they weren't classy. Her response was that she didn't need class for her shoes, she was a classy person whatever she wore.
As for the whole studying part, I took a language placement test this morning, have an oral interview tomorrow, and start my intensive French class on Wednesday. So more updates on that later, because we haven't been placed at our universities yet.
A few other things that have really struck me: they give you baskets of free bread at meals. I. Love. Bread.
I am an idiot, and though I know that the French 1st floor is our 2nd floor, the first two days I instinctively hit the 1 button on the elevator instead of the 0.
There are ads for English language lessons everywhere. And most people have at least a rudimentary command of English.
I need a lesson in French slang. They have this weird thing where they invert parts of words. So "American" becomes "ricain" and also "cainri"
More updates to come. Hopefully I'll figure out how to get my wireless to work at my host family's house and be a little more reachable. But continue to send me emails! I love hearing about what's going on at home!
4 comments:
It was good to see you before you left for Paris. Have fun there. It already sounds like you're off to an awesome start.
hey jenelle! you are so lucky that you get french bread with every meal! that would be my #1 reason to go! :) Sounds like your having fun, good luck on your oral interview!
mmmm sounds lovely. and your host family sounds hilarious... haha, i love the croc story.
i'm headed over to your old room to visit sean and adam. there's a hurricane making landfall here tomorrow, and it's already raining like mad, so we're buckling down for an exciting friday night of movies and/or ninja turtles. :P AU misses you!
my french bread was never free. they would put it on the table like it was free but then if you ate some they charged you for it. very sad :-(
but i'm glad that france is treating you well with free bread and interesting host families!
e
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