Bienvenue à mon blog!

Welcome, hello, bonjour, salut, holler, what's up, quoi de neuf?

I'm sure it's obvious why I'm starting a blog; it's ridiculously time-consuming to update each person individually and I'm sure you want to know what happens every minute of every day that I am in Paris. In case you aren't aware, I am doing the Boston University Paris Internship Program. I have classes starting Monday until October 25, a break until November 4, and then an internship (I don't know where yet) until December 22.

I'm living with a family of four in the 16th arrondissement on avenue de la Grand Armée, which is (for those at all familiar with Paris) is just west of the Champs-Elysées on the other side of l'Arc de Triomphe. Christine and Antoine LeDeuff have two kids: Elisabeth is 4 and Stanislaus is 2. I have my own room with a comfy bed, a bedside table with a lamp, a tv that gets 5 channels, a fairly big desk that also has a lamp, some shelf space, a large closet with more shelf space, a couple of small plastic drawers, and a connecting bathroom that has a sink and half-shower but no toilet. It's certainly more than I was expecting.

So far, I've eaten out a lot, but I do plan to cook for myself often. The Rugby World Cup begins tonight with a match between France and Argentina, so there are French flags hanging up all over the place, especially in bars. It'd be fun to attend a match, but the tickets are basically sold out. Most people in public have been happy to speak French with me, even when it's clear that I am American. I am so much more confident than when I was here the summer of 2004. It's very overwhelming, but I am adjusting and adapting well.

The school is a five minute walk from la tour Eiffel, so we've eaten lunch on le Champ de Mars a couple of times. We always have to watch our bags and purses carefully and deny that we speak English when the gypsies are around asking for money. We are going to visit Versailles on Saturday and there is a trip to the Loire Valley in a couple weeks through an international club for students in Paris. I'm going to join in the hopes of meeting some French friends that I can spend time with; this will be the best way to improve my French. I did meet Alex, a Parisian guy, in the airport in New York. The line to go through security was impossibly long and he asked me to hold his place right in front of me while he went to the bathroom. When he came back we started talking and he gave me his phone number and said I could call him about anything and hang out with him (and his girlfriend and friends). You may think this is sketchy and/or dangerous, but even when I told him I had no phone and offered him my email address, he said I could just call him. One of the program directors also has a 21-year-old Parisian intern who is happy to give us advice about life in Paris, especially when it comes to popular weekend activities.

My classes start on Monday. I am taking an Art and Architecture class, a Parisian culture class (in which we study Paris through the performing arts), and a French language class. I have class from 3:00-5:30 and 6-8:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 3-5:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm usually partial to morning classes, but I didn't have much choice and it will be nice not to have to set an alarm.

One quick story and then I'll leave you until next time. I went grocery shopping for the first time at a big store called Monoprix (kind of like a mix between Target and Schnucks or Shaws). It was difficult because I was totally unfamiliar with the layout of the store and the brands are mostly different so I don't really recognize much. I managed to pick up some things to make a pasta and chicken dinner plus some other stuff and went to check out. He scanned a few things and then got to the fruits and veggies that I had put in separate plastic bags and told me I had to weigh them myself. I had completely missed the scale in that section, so I had to rush back over there and weigh everything. The machine printed out stickers for each product. Then I came back and he finished checking me out (there were people in line behind me). I was completely embarrassed and the guy could have been extremely annoyed with me, but he was really nice about it.

Until next time.....

Bisous!