la 2em semaine

Hmmm...week in review

-- I finally started my French class (level two, woooooop!) this past Monday and I'm really enjoying it. It goes from 9am to 12pm then in the afternoons we have excursions. So far my class has gone to Villette/Cite de la Musique, Sacre Coeur, the Latin Quarter, and Jeu de Paume (which does not mean apple juice, btw) next to the Louvre where they had this really cool photography exhibit on Richard Avedon. Tomorrow I think we're going to see the Opera building and then Wednesday is Belleville/Pere Lachaise cemetery.

-- Thursday night I went out to the "Paris Social Club," I can't remember which arrondisement it's in at the moment but we went because 1) there was no cover charge (!!!) and 2) one of the girls was a huge fan of the dj's that we're playing there. It seems like all the clubs here only play techno, it'll take some getting used to but for now I'm convinced that everyone looks a little silly as they attempt to bounce around and find the beat. =]

-- Saturday my day got off to a late start but I met up with my friend Marie to hunt for some thrift stores that the people at ACCENT had made a list of. We found one of them right away, but sadly it was closed on Saturdays and then the other one we ended up in the Jewish/Algerian area of Paris and well that was the end of that. Still insistent on redeeming our efforts we met up with some other girls who we're headed to H&M. Along the way past the Bastille, there was some sort of immigrant protest going on (I was handed a leaflet, but I have yet to decipher it completely). There were so many police cars out to make sure the protesters didn't go too crazy.

After H&M, I split off with another two girls because the three of us hadn't made it to the Arc de Triomphe yet. I've made it to the Champs Elysees, of course, but the Champs is just incredibly long. So we metro-ed it to the Arc just in time for really good sunset lighting. We took some very touristy jumping pictures and then decided to wander around the area and eat at an actual restaurant (kind of a luxury since all of us are on a student budget, haha) and we found a nice cafe on a side street. I had poulet roti with frites and a side salad. Not bad for 12 euros, but I still bite my nails thinking of the conversions.

Our stomachs content, we realized that it was almost 10pm, right when they start the light show at the Tour Eiffel. A few more stops on the Metro and we hopped off at Ecole Militaire, right near the long grassy area before the Tour Eiffel and made it just in time. I think I could watch the light show every night and still be hypnotized. I realized that in California, we don't really have local parks where people actually go to picnic, drink wine, and relax. (Or if we do, I've never been to any.)

-- Today I've had a pretty lazy day. Went to the local boulangerie and bought pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant!), came back and did laundry, finished a composition/french hw, and said goodbye to my friends who are moving to their homestays. It's not really goodbye, I know, but it's still weird that they won't be just a floor or a hallway away...now it'll be a metro line or something like that. I like my room here though, my view is pretty impressive.

-- I'm turning 20 this Wednesday!! I sort of wish I was home to spend it with friends, but Paris is a present in itself. I think, if nothing else, I'll try to round up a group to go out for desserts/drinks. This weekend we're trying to plan a day trip to Reims, where all the champagne houses are...but it's a little more complicated than we thought it would be, what with buying train tickets and making reservations. I'm crossing my fingers that we'll get to go, because it would be nice to get out of the city for a day.

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For some reason, this site won't let me add pictures right now. But try following (maybe copy and paste it?) this link, to see some photos from the past week: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2274237&l=af711&id=3624618
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une semaine a paris

I can't believe it's been a week already!

Last sunday I touched down at CDG with a few people from SB and we moved into our dorm rooms. The rooms are very small but when you get to live in a city like this you can't complain. The dorms are in a really nice location in the 12th arrondisement. We have a really cute boulangerie/patisserie as well as the marche d'aligre (open-air market) which runs from tuesay through sunday.

So far this week:

SUNDAY: plane ride. 14 hours. lovely airplane food. haha. LAX->Philadelphia->CDG

MONDAY: day of hailing taxis, hauling suitcases, learning how to shower in a 2X2 box. ate first croissant at cafe bastille. went with some friends to the eiffel tower.

TUESDAY: orientation at the UC accent center. afternoon was housing orientation//walk through the rue du faubourg/ledru rollin/daumesnil neighborhood.

WEDNESDAY: i found out that once the actual semester starts up (Sept 8) I will be taking French Art, Paris in Literature, French 2, and European Integration. It totals to 28 units (if you count the ILP, intensive language program that i'm in now) So I'll probably end up droping Euro Intergration.
At night a few of us went out to this restaurant called le refuge de fondue. The fondue was great but the best part was that they served wine in baby bottles...yes, actual baby bottles. It was in the Montmartre section of Paris where they filmed Amelie too. Later on we went to the Champs-Elysees to a club called Queen. Definitely a good experience, they played a lot of re-mixed american songs there as well.

THURSDAY: I went to the local pharmacy. Ever since I got of the plane, actually before too...I've been coughing/runny nose/sore throat...you know the deal. So it's been kind of hard adjusting to meeting all these new people, exploring the town when you feel under the weather. The pharmacist gave me cough drops (pastilles) and cough syrup. We went to Luxembourg Gardens for most of the day.

FRIDAY: First day of the language practicum. I think this is going to be a fun class. In the afternoon all 18 of us in the class metro-ed to Cite de la Musique//Villete (it used to be where all the slaughterhouses were, but now there are just museums and concert venues). There are excursions for the class three days a week. I made some other friends from SB and SD.

SATURDAY: Woke up and went to the boulangerie. I bought a croissant beurre and a muffin cassis. I think by the end of the four months I will definitely be a regular there. =] We wandered over to the marche d'aligre after. It sort of reminded me of a scene from Aladdin because there are rows and rows of fresh fruit and vegetable stands with vendors calling out all their prices. At night I went out for dessert (creme brulee!)

I think that's pretty much it for now. I'll try to update weekly and keep everyone posted.

I miss you ALL!!! (though I'm not really sure who reads this, haha)
Much <3