Le Commencement

Being in Paris is truly a dream come true! I still can't believe I'm here and will stay here for a long time. It has only been four days and yet I feel myself getting accustomed to Parisian life. The metro is no longer scary, conversations with my host mom are no longer awkward, and I now refer to the apartment as "home".

The first couple of days were a little strange. The combination of two plane rides, a six hour time difference, and an hour fearing for my life in the cab made the first day a little jolting. However, after a good meal (courtesy of Colette) and a relaxed night out with friends I felt better.

Yesterday we took a bus tour (for free thanks to IES) around the city and saw all the major sites- Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, le Seine, Champs Elysees, and so much more. Then we had a true French lunch of hot sandwiches, fruit tart, and coffee. After lunch we walked around and found Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) and walked to the top of the hill for an amazing view of the city. It was truly breathtaking. We also saw the restaurant from the movie Amelie, the Moulin Rouge and its street full of.... interesting stores, and street artists painting beautiful art.


Last night we experienced Parisian nightlife and to my surprise every place we went into was playing American music. It was fun to hear the French people singing along to motown songs.

Today we explored the Latin Quarter, which was fun because we found Jardins de Lafayette (a big park) with a giant sculpture of a head. We also saw a peace monument and several boys playing soccer (even though it was pretty cold outside and raining sometimes).

It has been a tiring first few days and an emotional roller coaster, but I am so excited to be in Paris and can't wait to see what comes next!