Arrivée à Paris!!

Bonjour tous!!


Je suis arrivée aujourd'hui après un vol de 8 heures, un trajet en train de 45 minutes, et une promenade de 10 minutes! Tout s'est bien passé!


I had to get a picture with my puppy dog before I left:

Goodbye, Mom and Dad :(

Complimentary pillow and blanket on Air France.

And, my own personal television. See, Zach? I told you :P 

A plus tard, Chicago!!

Sunset. I almost missed it, I was so tired!! But, luckily, the smell of dinner kept me up :)

Result: Pastrami is not so bad. Rice pudding, well, let's just say it's not for me. Chicken, not bad for airport food! Chocolate raspberry cake: that's what I'm talking about!

After what seemed like merely a half hour nap, sunrise! And--entrance into France! Gorgeous :)

Bonjour, France. Ça fait longtemps qu'on ne s'est pas vues!

I got my baggage relatively easily--the airport wasn't too difficult to navigate after all. Even for one as directionally-challenged as I ;) The line for train tickets was bizarrely long--I think I stood there for at least half an hour. But, at last, on the RER B au Cité International Universitaire de Paris! One thing: it's MUCH nicer than CTA! :) 

I arrived just fine, and after a minor scuffle between the turnstile and my baggage (merci, monsieur, pour m'aider!) and a ten minute walk, I arrived at my residence. I was too tired to take pictures, but I assure you, they will be coming. All you need to know is it's gorgeous!


I met with Mariama, the Student Coordinator, and received my Pass Navigo (transit card) and room key, and went upstairs to take a nap! I was so incredibly exhausted!


But, I couldn't rest for long, because we had a mandatory meeting to load our Navigo cards at 3pm (15h00 from here one out: I need to get used to this 24 hour time system!) --only three hours away! After a much too short nap, we went out to load our cards, then were able to split up and do our own thing. 


Myself and four others from my program went out in search of food. Man, I didn't realize I hadn't eaten since about 6h00 Paris time--a small snack on the plane, which I neglected to photograph :/  (On a side note, I'm pretty sure the French man next to me was quite intrigued at my food photography, hahaha). On our search, we happened upon this sort of festival that was going on down a small side street. I'm not sure exactly what they were doing, but it was some sort of old-fashioned dance. Too cute!!

After passing a Subway, KFC (really!?), and a much too expensive restaurant, we settled upon a little café/bar.

I ordered the chicken salad (9,90 EUR). The cheapest thing on the menu, but when I realized I had just spent almost $14 on a salad, it hurt a little bit. I guess I'll just need to get used to that :( Anyway, it was very delicious (potato slices in it--hmm, interesting, but tasty!), and our waiter was very funny and nice. Our water came in this funny wine bottle :)

My salad:

 We stopped at the grocery store to pick up some supplies for the weekend, then headed back home. After putting away our stuff, Ariana and I decided to go exploring a little bit. Our goal was to find the Cité Restaurant, Laundry, and Kitchen. Well, we were two for three (couldn't find the laundry!), but explored the campus quite a bit. A few of the sites: 


La Maison Internationale:

Courtyard for the restaurant:

We met some people and spoke French with them. Man, I forgot how much I LOOOVE to speak French. Though I know my vocabulary is still seriously lacking, there's nothing that makes me feel so natural as speaking French. I had to get over my initial terror at speaking a language I know I haven't mastered, but everyone was more than gracious and seemed to completely understand me. What's more, they spoke as though I could understand them. Yay :) We got inviited to a few parties, since tonight is Nuit Blanche (all the museums and whatnot are free tonight only), but we were just much to exhausted to do anything. Regardless, it's nice to know everyone is so friendly!


Here are some pictures of my room, and like I said, I'll post pictures of the outside soon. It's nice enough, though there are still a few kinks I need to work out. 


Entrance:

Mon bureau et frigo:

La toilette!

Well, that's all for tonight--I've a full day tomorrow! I'm glad that I arrived safely, without major incident. I'm so happy to be here, and I'm excited for more adventures. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to study in such a wonderful, culturally rich city. I hope I learn more than human and primate evolution, and I know that either way, this will be the experience of a lifetime.


I miss everyone back home, and though I do love France, being here reminds me of how much I love Chicago, too. I'm so fortunate to be able to attend such a wonderful school with such wonderful people ( :)  ). 


Jusqu'à la prochaine fois,
Ashley
23h12, 1 octobre, 2011