La première semaine

Now that I am post- jet lag in Paris a few updates:

Apartment:
My apartment is in a wonderful part of the 17e arrondissement. I am on the 3rd floor next to a wonderful bistro. I was told that my street was rated one of the best streets for restaurants in Paris. I counted over 5 sushi/asian restaurants.

First Weekend:
I was still mentally in two different time zones. My friend Lisa came up from Montpellier for the weekend to celebrate one of her friends birthdays, so naturally I tagged along. All day saturday I helped prepare for the party. I make a hummus which was the hit of the party and received compliments from all the Parisiens. It was great to see Lisa and to make some connections in Paris with some of her friends.

School:
I have not started my actual courses yet, but for the last week I have had an orientation at the Middlebury center. The first couple days we spend filling out paper work for our housing and our carte de séjours (residence card). This past week we have been taking a quick french grammar course and a french "méthodologie" course to teach us how to write formal french university style essays. (Not super interesting...) On Saturday I take the TCF to test my level of french at the start of the semester to measure my improvement. On Monday I begin my courses in sociology at L'Université de Paris 7- Diderot.

Paris is truly a captivating city. I love getting lots in its streets and finding beauty on every corner. (Oui c'est cliché). This city has so much life at all hours of the day. It is like no other city that I have been to. New York might always be bustling with high strong energy, but I find something almost calming to taking the métro and walking. No one is in a rush.

à bientôt.