Settling In

It has been an eventful weekend here in Paris! I've had a few days off of school due to the strike on Thursday and a day off on Friday so I was able to explore and hang out with friends all while settling into my life here in France. It is nice finally feeling at home in the city of lights and each day brings new surprises!

Thursday

Since we did not have school, Madeline and I decided to go to Pere Lachaise. It is the largest cemetery in Paris (over 100,000 graves) and it also happens to be right in our neighborhood! About five minutes after we walked into the cemetery we met a man named Gilbert who offered to show us around. He used to be in charge of famous hotels in Paris and all around France, but he is now retired and considers himself to be an expert on Pere Lachaise. There were people doing the same thing (being guided by older men who knew the cemetery well) so we decided to go for it and it turned out to be a great decision! He told us things that we would have never known and kept us entertained with songs and stories for two hours while touring the area. We saw Jim Morrison's grave, Oscar Wilde's grave, Moliere's grave, Chopin's grave and so much more. For each tombstone Gilbert had a story to tell and we loved every minute of it! The cemetery is also home to graves for Russian princesses, famous authors and writers, and other celebrities. It was really incredible to see Pere Lachaise and learn so much about the people in it. I liked how the cemetery was both beautiful and creepy. It is an odd combination but made for a great afternoon in Paris!

Friday

No school again on Friday (we always have Fridays off of school at IES because they encourage us to go out and do things) so Katy and I explored the Marais area. It is a great area for shopping and she needed/wanted boots, so we found those and went into tons of different Parisian shops. We also stumbled upon the Place de Vosges. It used to be a castle and the buildings were so beautiful. There was a big park in the middle of the square of buildings and we sat and talked for awhile. It was a nice day so it was fun to just relax on a park bench and watch the people. That night Katy, Madeline, and I went to Brittany's host family's house. She lives in the suburbs of Paris right outside of the city in an awesome three story townhouse. We made dinner and ate with her host sister Lucie. Then we spent the night talking with Lucie about random things. She is only 17 but seemed much older. It was nice to hear a young French person's perspective on things. Later that night Katy and I met some friends at a pub near my house. It was cool because there is a really fun street right in my neighborhood where young people go to hang out on the weekends. I met new people and had a great time.

Saturday

There is a website specifically made for students in Paris. It lists events going on in the city such as concerts, art exhibits, museum tours, plays, movies and anything else that would cater to a younger crowd. Thanks to the website, we knew that there was a free art gallery show about Barack Obama on Saturday. The art gallery was right in my neighborhood (literally two streets away from where I live) so Katy, Brittany, and I decided to check it out. The owner of the art gallery, Dorothy, was an American woman who lives and works here so she was happy to see us and to be able to speak English to us (her French was horrible). She explained that she had the idea to do something about Obama and called up some artists that she had worked with and asked them to do something related to the topic. The result was pretty amazing and the response of people and artists was so strong that the exhibit was extended past its original end date and it grew to consume the entire gallery. There were paintings, photographs, sculptures, and all other sorts of artistic mediums used and it was interesting to see French artists' view of Obama. Even if you were not an Obama supporter, it would be cool to see. It was weird to find such pro-American art and sentiments in the middle of a Parisian neighborhood. It made us happy to be from the U.S.

After the art gallery we wanted to see the Catacombs so we went down the the area where it is but unfortunately it was closed. Not a problem for us, however, because we didn't mind looking around the area. We found the Montparnasse Cemetery where other famous people are buried and walked around for awhile just looking at everything. Then I went with Brittany to her house to make dinner and get ready to go out. Katy's friend invited us to a free concert so after dinner we met up with friends and saw a Battle of the Bands type concert. It was fun because there was a casual atmosphere, good music, and a lot of young people. We danced and listened to music for the rest of the night and then eventually parted ways and went home. The girl that invited us goes to IES and another one of our friends from IES came, which was good because we're meeting other people from school and actually hanging out with them outside of class.

Sunday

This morning Madeline and I went to a farmers market in our neighborhood. It was the biggest open air market I've ever seen! They had literally EVERYTHING- fruits and vegetables, meat, cheese, bread, desserts, lotions and soaps, clothes, jewelry, cookware. Literally anything you could ever want. I bought a necklace with an orange pendant (I'm in love with it) for 2 euros and Madeline got tons of fruits and veggies to make food. There were so many people there and all of the people at the stands were so nice and willing to help. Apparently it happens every Sunday morning, so since it is right by our house we plan on going there all the time. I think it was one of my favorite things that I have done here so far.

Overall it was an eventful weekend walking around the city and seeing new things. I'm beginning to settle in here and it is a great feeling! I feel like I am getting to know the city, but more specifically my neighborhood. I love the area where I live because it has so much to offer- cafes, cute stores, historic monuments, the farmers market, and fun places to go at night. I truly lucked out with the housing situation and I'm really looking forward to learning everything about the Bastille arrondissement.