I survived my first week in France! I have a feeling this summer is going to fly by. I'm exhausted but I'm loving it here. Last weekend, I traveled to Provence with my extended family to meet an entire side of the family I'd never met before. That was a little overwhelming but we had a wonderful time together and I absolutely loved the countryside.
Then I returned to Paris to be greeted by the cold, wind, and rain. Ah, Paris. The best city in the world to be depressed in (I'm not kidding, I read that somewhere). It makes sense now after seeing a week of rainy grey weather. But I've also read that Paris is the most beautiful in the rain. So I guess it's a choice of glass half full or half empty. I'm going with the glass half full on this one. Yesterday, I spent a few hours wandering around the center of the city in the rain. I metro-ed to the Louvre then wandered along the river, over the bridge, and followed the throngs of tourists toward Notre Dame. I took a deep breath in front of its beauty and then fled the scene as I was overwhelmed by English-speakers and crowds. I may have to do all of my sight-seeing early in the morning and at night to avoid this in the future.
I wandered around the back of Notre Dame by the beautiful gardens and then looped back toward the bridge and found a cafe along the river to stop for a snack. Crèpe with ham, cheese and egg. Perfect.
I tried to speak French with the waiter but he immediately switched to English when I forgot a vocabulary word. I've figured out how this works. In the center of the city near tourist attractions, they will speak English to you and scoff at your attempt to butcher their darling language (I don't blame them... it really does hurt your ears to hear some of these accents). However, in my own neighborhood, far from any tourist attraction as far as I know, I've managed to get by as a Parisian. I even had several people ask me for help one day (in French). I must be doing something right.
The other students and I have discovered that if you dress like a Parisian (leather jacket & scarf seems to be the fashion du jour) then people will treat you like one.
Of course, I also don't walk around with a map in front of my face. I still don't understand the people who do this. You might as well put a sign on your back that says "Please, take all of my money. It's in my back left pocket." Luckily, I avoid most of these people on the average day.
Every morning, I metro from the 13th arrondissement to the 6th/7th where Sciences Po is located. This is a very "posh" neighborhood with a few touristy things like the Cafe de Flore and all of the expensive stores you can think of. It's not quite the Champs-Élysées but I certainly can't afford anything there. I stop at a café for un café et un croissant, then I head to French language class from 9h00-13h00. No joke, we have class for four hours. I'm like a pre-schooler by the end of it jumping up & down, doing handstands in the corner so I don't fall asleep.
We get 1.5 hours for lunch (gotta love the French) then back to class. In the afternoon, we have other classes like Theater, Intro to French Politics, Oral or Writing Workshops, etc. (all taught in French) for a couple of hours and then we're done. Yes, it's an extremely long day and I hate it. On the other hand, I'm getting 6-8 hours a day of French immersion so it's worth it.
When do I have time to see Paris? I don't really. I feel bad for those who are only here for the summer. We barely have time to explore except on the weekends. But we have a long weekend this weekend thanks to Bastille Day (le 14 Juillet)! More to come soon. Ciao
Then I returned to Paris to be greeted by the cold, wind, and rain. Ah, Paris. The best city in the world to be depressed in (I'm not kidding, I read that somewhere). It makes sense now after seeing a week of rainy grey weather. But I've also read that Paris is the most beautiful in the rain. So I guess it's a choice of glass half full or half empty. I'm going with the glass half full on this one. Yesterday, I spent a few hours wandering around the center of the city in the rain. I metro-ed to the Louvre then wandered along the river, over the bridge, and followed the throngs of tourists toward Notre Dame. I took a deep breath in front of its beauty and then fled the scene as I was overwhelmed by English-speakers and crowds. I may have to do all of my sight-seeing early in the morning and at night to avoid this in the future.
I wandered around the back of Notre Dame by the beautiful gardens and then looped back toward the bridge and found a cafe along the river to stop for a snack. Crèpe with ham, cheese and egg. Perfect.
I tried to speak French with the waiter but he immediately switched to English when I forgot a vocabulary word. I've figured out how this works. In the center of the city near tourist attractions, they will speak English to you and scoff at your attempt to butcher their darling language (I don't blame them... it really does hurt your ears to hear some of these accents). However, in my own neighborhood, far from any tourist attraction as far as I know, I've managed to get by as a Parisian. I even had several people ask me for help one day (in French). I must be doing something right.
The other students and I have discovered that if you dress like a Parisian (leather jacket & scarf seems to be the fashion du jour) then people will treat you like one.
Of course, I also don't walk around with a map in front of my face. I still don't understand the people who do this. You might as well put a sign on your back that says "Please, take all of my money. It's in my back left pocket." Luckily, I avoid most of these people on the average day.
Every morning, I metro from the 13th arrondissement to the 6th/7th where Sciences Po is located. This is a very "posh" neighborhood with a few touristy things like the Cafe de Flore and all of the expensive stores you can think of. It's not quite the Champs-Élysées but I certainly can't afford anything there. I stop at a café for un café et un croissant, then I head to French language class from 9h00-13h00. No joke, we have class for four hours. I'm like a pre-schooler by the end of it jumping up & down, doing handstands in the corner so I don't fall asleep.
We get 1.5 hours for lunch (gotta love the French) then back to class. In the afternoon, we have other classes like Theater, Intro to French Politics, Oral or Writing Workshops, etc. (all taught in French) for a couple of hours and then we're done. Yes, it's an extremely long day and I hate it. On the other hand, I'm getting 6-8 hours a day of French immersion so it's worth it.
When do I have time to see Paris? I don't really. I feel bad for those who are only here for the summer. We barely have time to explore except on the weekends. But we have a long weekend this weekend thanks to Bastille Day (le 14 Juillet)! More to come soon. Ciao
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