It’s been an interesting first few days in Paris! I arrived safely in Charles de Gaulle airport on Wednesday after many delays due to the weather. I was lucky enough to come across a whole group of IES students at the Chicago airport, though only one of them was doing the Paris program (the others were going to Nantes… a few hours from Paris).
I arrived incredibly tired, but was amused with myself trying to explain where I was going to the taxi driver, and eventually just showing him the address on paper. My host mother greeted me and we shoved my luggage into the incredibly tiny elevator (that looks to be about 150 years old), and she showed me her family’s flat on the 6th floor, and my “chambre de bonne” on the 7th floor (with my own entrance and a second tiny elevator). My room requires some very complicated keys for the locks, one of which is very old and must be an original key for the building. The room itself is tiny and triangular but very cozy; my bed is right up against the shower, which is right up against the sink, which is right up against the door…etc. Interestingly, in France, “les toilettes” are usually separate from the “salle de bain” (bathroom). So, I have to walk down the hall and unlock the door to the semi-public toilet, and bring my own TP.
My family is very nice, and the oldest girl, Serena, was kind enough to speak slowly so I could understand what was going on around the dinner table. Despite serving six people, the kitchen table is also very small, though somehow, it doesn’t seem to be cramped. Victor, who is nine, enjoys playing Mario Galaxy on his Wii, and is constantly getting “t’est toi” (shut up) from his mom for being incredibly chatty (I am highly amused by all of this).
I tested my city survival skills on the first day of orientation, discovering that the metro stop closest to me was closed (there were so many angry Parisians stomping furiously away from the station), so I casually followed people to the next station (but not really, because “casual walking” doesn’t exist here), and made my way to my destination, which I had to stop and ask directions for twice (phew). The second day took me half as much time, one, because the “Pont de Neuilly” station was open, and two, because I didn’t walk along the same block four times before finding the IES meeting place.
My first two days of orientation were long and informative. I made some friends from the mid-west and west coast and am enjoying getting to know them. We ate dinner on the Seine last night, which was good, though the boat was late and it was raining. All in all, a good first few days. Today I’ll explore Neuilly-sur-Seine and maybe gawk along the Champs Élysées.
À Bientôt!
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