Chez Moi

ma porte

At last, I have a home (chez moi, en français). It is an apartment with four other students. There is a large kitchen, two showers, one toilet, and a dining room. We each have our own bedroom, and there are plenty of closets. We are waiting for internet, so I am posting this via my cellphone's network. The sunshine pours in through the windows during the day, making this place more and more like a home. The unpacking is going slowly -- my clothes are still in my suitcase. There are so many better things to be doing than putting away clothes!

My roommates speak French; they only speak English to me when we find no way to understand each other in French. They laugh a lot at my mistakes, but they are very patient with me. It takes some time, but once I get into the flow of French, it is much easier for me to listen and respond. Still, it is very hard to keep up with fluent French speakers. The vocabulary that I have is minuscule compared to theirs, and, just like English speakers, they speak rapidly without annunciating. I've also spoken with several neighbors in the elevator. Some of them switch to English without me asking; I guess my accent is that bad!

A week and a half ago, I had my first glimpse of Paris. The students in the intensive French course all shared a bus into the city. First, we drove all over the city to see the major monuments. My biggest shock was l'Arc de Triomphe -- photographs cannot do it justice! It is huge, with impressive inscriptions all over. After driving around for some time, we took a boat ride along the Seine. From here, we could see more of the city, and an audioguide gave us more history of the city. The bridges in Paris are all important, and each one has a name. Below is Pont de la Tournelle. On the left side there is a statue; this statue is of Sainte Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris.

Pont de la Tournelle

The city is beautiful. It is a remarkable feeling to look up at the Notre Dame one moment and the Eifel Tower the next. Our trip this time was a short one. Since we only had a couple hours (not enough for a museum, and I had no camera), we decided to try to catch the last of the Soldes. In France, to hold a sale requires a pile of paperwork... except for three weeks in January-February and three weeks in June-July. Every store was having major markdowns, up to 70% off. Since it was already the last week, the selection was slim. However, I managed to find two tunics and my first French scarf! My favorite part of the trip was taking the metro from where we shopped to the bus; while we watched Paris fly beneath us (it is an elevated train, like in Chicago), we listened to two guys playing accordions. The view was great, and the music was excellent. We will be returning to Paris soon, as the weather gets warmer. There is still so much to see! I saw a lot, but I am ready to reach out and touch the city.

Last week was an orientation week focused on getting us registered as students. We inscribed in the university, then registered for our classes. However, since it is France, it is much easier said than done. Classes start this week; the first week we go only to the lecture sections. By Friday, we will receive our schedules for the remainder of the semester. I am hoping to have class only Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday to allow for travel. 

Tuesday, of course, was Valentine's Day. I found out that while it is celebrated by couples here in France, it is not celebrated widely abroad. If it is, it definitely is not like the United States, where you give Valentines to friends and family. Many of my South American friends hadn't even heard of it. I was planning to pick up chocolates and tell my friends all about Valentine's Day at home, but I was pooped from a long day. Instead, I picked up a little Valentine for myself (in the form of a small chocolate cake from a nearby patisserie) and ventured over to a little wine shop. I spoke in French with the vendor about a good wine to drink with chocolate, and she had a suggestion that wasn't too expensive. That night, I had some chocolate and wine and relaxed with my friends at a restaurant nearby. A wonderful way to celebrate! 

As I've said before, most of my friends come from all over. As we move into our new houses and apartments, we've been going to each place for a big dinner. This weekend, the Argentinians had us over for empanadas. I am very, very excited to make empanadas when I get home :) They are like dumplings; doughy pockets pack with meat and veggies. There were probably twenty people in this tiny kitchen (no living room in that apartment either)- it was miraculous how the empanadas kept coming until we were full. I'm hoping to have them over soon, but I can't decide what to make! 

I have to say, even though the French systems of doing anything are very complicated, the French people are very warm. I've enjoyed meeting people and making small conversations in passing. I've also been enjoying their wonderful patisseries! I've decided that it is a perfectly reasonable thing to go out of my way to a new bakery without having any special occasion. They are much less expensive here, with greater variety and higher quality than home. I want to try every type of pastry there is, so I have a lot of ground to cover. It's not showing yet, but we'll see. 

Until next time!

Love,

Genevieve