I'm in Paris!
On the plane, I sat next to a very nice Parisian named Michel, so I was able to practice my French and ask him for advice. I slept for maybe one hour total. Malhereusement, I still haven't mastered sleeping on the trans-atlantic flights, even with Tylenol PM. We landed safely in Paris on time, the customs line took about 1 minute (maybe), and my suitcase was just coming off the baggage claim when I arrived. I found the ISA group within 5 minutes. Everything was seamless. I haven't even lost anything yet. Rachael, unfortunately, was not so lucky. Her plane awaited take-off on the Newark tarmac for 4 hours, on account of a maintenance problem. On the bright side, this meant she arrived shortly after I did, and we rode to our dorm together. ISA provided a shuttle service to our residences. So upon arrival, all ISA students were presented with all sorts of maps, guides, tickets, and instructions, and dropped at our respective doorsteps.
Rachael and I are living in the Cité Universitaire which is divided up into "houses" of different countries, each with their own style of architecture. But all the Maisons share a common university center.
We're staying in the Maison des Etudiants Canadiens. Apparently you don't have to be Canadian to live here.
Our room is in the corner of the 3rd floor. It's a funny little room. About 98% of our ceiling is slanted. We might be walking sideways by the end of our stay here, but it hasn't been too bothersome thus far.
We also have a fan, which Rachael is very excited about.
On entering our room, we immediately cast down our luggage, and left in search of food. We were ravenous. So, we set out west down the Rue Jordan in desperate search of sustenance. We ate outdoors at a little café two blocks down from the dorm called Le Chalet du Parc.
Rachael and I both had Croques Monsieurs (the French version of the grilled cheese) and cokes. It was delicious and affordable. We're situated on the southern border of the Paris city center, in a very non-touristy area of town. Which, obviously, has it's positive and negative aspects. On the negative side, most exciting Paris cites are a metro ride away. However, on the positive side, everything around here is more reasonably priced and there aren't swarms of tourists, mainly locals and university students.
After lunch we looked around the neighborhood for a supermarché. We found almost everything we needed, and then some. Also, right next door, we found a beautiful boulangerie/ patisserie that was calling our names. We bought a perfect baguette for .70 euro. Incroyable.
On our way back from l'épicerie, a frenchman tried to ask Rachael out from his maintenance truck. We couldn't understand if he wanted her to tutor him in English or get coffee with him. His franglais was difficult to decipher. Regardless, she declined.
Now, we're relaxing, starting to unpack, and savoring a fresh baguette with nutella, jam, and cheese, as the music of the opera concert down below and the gentle breeze of this lovely May day drift through our open window.
Paris is a dream.
However, the jet lag I'm experiencing is not.
Sleep is a wonderful thing...
So glad everything went well. It sounds wonderful so far, enjoy every second. God Bless.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Makatura