Après dîner

So I did decide to crack into that Brie (and some more wine) and stay up a bit longer. I get to sleep in tomorrow so I thought I might as well enjoy the night! The Brie is amazingly good. The French don't use nearly as many preservatives or hormones, and as I've found from this and all the other meals I've had so far, it makes for an incredibly fresh taste. The wine even tastes a bit sweeter! I have my first go at buying produce tomorrow and I'm so excited! There is a market nearby that has looked very tasty on the way home every trip. So right now I'm curling up to my "second" glass of wine and making a grocery list for the morning. And don't laugh, we don't have wine glasses in the apartment (l'horreur!)


Bon soir!

Le Metro

I have officially conquered the preferred method of transportation of Paris! Well, conquered may be a strong word, but I went from point A to point B successfully today and I must say, it was quite a daunting feat. I have never used public transportation that much, let alone an underground spiderweb city that is this subway system. I was especially nervous because this morning, my room mates and I got lost on our way to our first meeting of the program (great start to the trip right?). We did make it eventually, after a little hysteria and a nice taxi driver. This new skill has me feeling a little more city chic, I may be more willing to venture out more now. 


Today was my first full day of being in Paris, and they made sure it was jam packed! We had a little orientation to get to know all the other students in the program, followed by some small group sessions talking about safety and just general life here. That was followed by a lunch at a cafe where they paraded all 70 or so of us down la rue. As is American fashion, we were very slow and followed in a single file line like sheep. I felt like I was on an elementary school field trip again. We must have been a pretty funny sight to the locals! Lunch was light (salad and french fries), but we moved on to a bus tour of the city. I was so thrilled! The tour took us around the city to the major attraction spots (Le Louvre, Champs Elysees, L'hotel Invalides, etc.) just so we could get a feel for where they were. I took lots of pictures and they will be coming soon. We were able to get off at the Eiffel Tour (eep!) and my heart just started fluttering. The whole tour was incredible actually. I love how the old architecture has been integrated to the modern city, there is beauty everywhere. I can't wait to go back to all of those places spend some real time there! The tour ended in the middle of the city near a metro station where I took a deep breath and easily mastered le train.


In the mean time, life is great :) I love learning more about this city every minute. However I am exhausted and am currently enjoying a glass of white wine and a frozen dinner I picked up from le supermarche. Maybe I'll dig into the Brie I bought also....


As always, there will be more updates and pictures to come! 


A Demain,


Allison

Je suis arrivée!

I made it! I am still pretty amazed how smooth the whole trip was. I had a really nice guy from Pearland who sat next to me on the flight. He went to Paris all the time for work and was able to give me a lot of advice for my time here. This put me much more at ease about deboarding by myself in a foreign country! I found my group easily enough at pickup, and soon we were on our way to a little orientation. And of course, one of the 6 people in our little group is an Aggie c/o 2013, WHOOP! Not only that, one of my new roommates, Christine, was with us too. Everything seemed to work out just great :)

Next we were taken to our apartments. I LOVE IT!! I will do a whole separate post about that, hopefully with a video tour. It way exceeded my expectations, I think I'll really enjoy living her for the next month. After Christine and I dropped off our bags, we went strolling around our neighborhood looking for food. Of course, in very French fashion, everything closes around 1:00 on Sundays. We just barely made it to a little grocery to get a few things, but I just love meandering around! Looking at all the shops, cafés, and restaurants that were so close by made me excited. These will all be things I must try during the week! Maybe the fondue place will be first....

As for now, I just woke up from a much needed nap. Currently I'm trying to soak up the lifestyle by listening to some French music with the window open and birds chirping while I journal...I'm literally just missing a baret and café. Perhaps tomorrow :)

I'll be posting soon, à bientôt!

Pictures: 1)Kitty trying to get some slew on the plane, unsuccessfully like myself. 2)My view in my apartment from where I'm currently blogging

All packed up!

The time is finally here! After last minute packing, a snotty gate attendant, and a teary goodbye, I'm sitting at my gate waiting to board. Nervous doesn't even begin to cover the feeling in my stomach right now, but I think I'll be okay. It was really hard saying good bye to my boyfriend Andrew at security. He is about to move away to start medical school and I'm not sure when the next time will be when I see him. Thank God for Skype though! It was also difficult seeing my parents off. Unfortunately we found out my mom has cancer two days ago. The timing couldn't have been any more imperfect, I was thinking about unpacking my bags. But she is strong and so brave, I know she will be okay until I get back. I know we can get through this, I'm already looking forward to our reunion in a month!

Despite the goodbyes, I really am looking forward to having an incredible trip and learning experience abroad. My mom just wants me to take advantage of this amazing opportunity, and for her sake, I definitely will. This was something I've always wanted to do, and this was my last chance. I'm excited to see what awaits me 12 hours from now. Our plane just landed so hopefully I'll be boarding shortly and can get situated in my spot. As for now, au revoir!

Bonjour, Kitty!

Meet Kitty! She will be joining me on my adventure to Paris and will help me enjoy the sights! I'll be taking lots of pictures around the city with her, so keep a look out for them! 

Pre-departure shopping

Of course, as a girl going to Paris, my biggest concern has been from day one "What am I going to wear??" I've been spoiled by college life, wearing oversized t shirts and sport shorts (my fellow sorority girls, you know what I'm talking about!), however, this will not fly in the city of fashion. I think I've spent more time researching the fashions and styles of the young parisiennes more than anything else (culture, food, language surely are not as important). I may have no idea what I'm doing while I'm over there, but I made sure that I will look good while doing it!

Overboard? Maybe. Unless you knew this was just last week's haul...

Euros

Today I got my Euros! I've never seen them before, much less had possession of any. I have to say, I like them! They look cooler than our dollar bills, and they feel a lot different. While I'm upset that we are on the losing side of the exchange rate, I'm happy that they use  simply 5, 10, 20 notes! Hopefully if I keep in mind that things are going to be more expensive in France, I'll be wiser with my spending. Then again, it is Paris, so maybe not...