Adjustments

I know, I'm bad at updating, but you people know this so whatever. The past few days have been really crazy trying to adjust to everything. I've had meetings and tours and tests since Monday, while trying get used to my new urban surroundings. And it's definitely not the easiest thing to do, for me at least. But I'm trying to go with the flow as best I can.

Monday consisted of meetings for most of the day with ISA. They were nothing particularly new, but necessary, I guess. Tuesday consisted of an academic meeting and a tour of the Catho. I hope I remember how to get there everyday since the back entrance is practically hidden from the street. Wednesday, I had an oral placement test...womp womp. It was actually the most ridiculous thing ever. A professor looked at my schedule, asked me 4 simple questions (Why are you learning French? Why art? Why history? What are your problems with the language?), then said "You're fine." Apparently my answers that only consisted of a few simple sentences were enough for her to deem me "fine." So I travelled all that way (I take two metros and a tram to get to school in 35 minutes) for a 2 minute Q & A. Ok.

I haven't seen too much of the city yet or done a whole lot. I'm still trying to settle in and it's kinda tough not having a roommate or someone else from the program with you when you want to do something or go out. I'm lucky to have someone live within a few blocks of me, but still.

Tuesday, I walked around the area of St. Germain de Pres with Grace and Joscelyn. We ended up sitting down for a glass of wine at Les Deux Magots, which was where many of the literary and artistic greats (like Hemingway, Picasso, and Breton) used to congregate, so that was kinda neat. And Tuesday night, a bunch of us met up and ended up at some bar near St. Michel. It was the most bizarre place- the waitresses wore silver face masks, we were given sparklers, and Kung-Fu Panda was on the TV. Don’t ask- we didn’t. From there we tried to get into a club, but were denied for reasons we’re still not sure of? Which probably wasn’t the worst thing to happen since we were able to get home on the last metro. We were also able to see Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe all lit up that night, which was really neat.

Yesterday found me at the Louvre in the early afternoon. That place is huge. And I mean HUGE. It’ll take me forever to get through it; thank you ISA for giving me a handy-dandy Carte Jeune, which gives me free admission whenever I want. Score. Then last night, the entire program went on the Bateux Mouches, the river boats that give tours up and down the Seine. They definitely give you a different view of the city. And I was finally able to catch up on some much needed sleep- close to 10 hours, which I’m pretty sure is more than I’ve had the entire time I’ve been here. Hopefully I can use the next few days to fully regulate myself, since classes start on Monday.

Today I was able to wake up at noon which was WONDERFUL (to be said in a sing-songy voice). Then I hiked it over to the Musee d’Orsay. I absolutely LOVE that place, and I’m pretty sure I could spend all day there. We had a guided tour, which I guess would have been neat had I not seen and learned everything (and more) in my Modernism seminar and general knowledge of art history. (Side note: fellow MOD students: HE COMPLETELY IGNORED MANET’S “DEJEUNER SUR L’HERBE.” I’m literally thinking to myself, “How in the hell do you do that?)

And now I’m getting ready to head out for the night…I promise to post more (including pictures) tomorrow!