Weekend

Friday, September 2

Today we woke up and went to Passy on the metro to find breakfast, but I wasn’t very hungry. I drank Perrier with a straw on my way to the school. I get so thirsty here, it’s so hot, and with all the walking, I need to be hydrated. I need to find cheap water to buy…the calcium in the water is so strong, it has already tarnished my Tiffany necklace, so now I have no jewelry to wear. We had meetings at the school all day. Between them, the girls and I went to a little “sandwich shop” and for 4.85 Euros (a good deal), I got a chicken sandwich on a huge baguette, a bottle of water, and a pastry. We walked to a little park in Muette to eat and lounge around. One thing I have noticed is that the French always seem to be out enjoying the day, shopping and lounging around—no one seems to be working, EVER!

In the afternoon after more meetings, I went looking for a bag in the neighborhood around the school, but I found nothing. We walked to a park near the Trucadero (where I live) that looks at the Eiffel Tower and at a park with fountains and a carousel and a children’s playground. One walks up some stairs to two museums with a platform between to look at the view, this is the view I walk by to class every day. We took my metro station back to the hostel for a free (cafeteria, non-French) dinner and packing. A fairly uneventful evening but relaxing none-the-less because I’m so hot.

It is so hot here right now, riding the metro with 100 people per car is next to suffocating. None of my clothes keep me cool enough and no water satisfies me. The French don’t have air conditioning, so they are used to warmer temperatures I assume. I have heat rash on my arms and legs, that is the only downside to the trip so far.

I received a call from my host family requesting that I move in tomorrow rather than today because they have a party tonight…so, I’ll be moving in tomorrow at 1pm.

Saturday, September 4

I moved in! I think I got the shaft when it comes to rooms though. The other girl’s room is bigger, on the corner, has a refridgerator, and a better view. However, my room will do. The bed is too soft and the room is next to the shower so I can hear it. Speaking of which, while Stephanie and I do have our own shower and sink room, the room is connected to the Robertet’s shower through windows on the ceiling, so air is free flowing. It’s pretty funny. My room has a TV, which would be nice for me if any of the 6 stations were in English—I guess if I get bored enough (not possible in Paris), I’ll watch French TV and learn some more French. The woman host took me to see things in our neighborhood. Luckily there is a Laundromat and a grocery store.

She also told me that the family who owns the apartment building where I live and who live in all of the other units are the Pasteur family (you know, the famous scientist). Tres interessant. I have a little balcony off of my room and I have to leave the window/door open because it is so hot. That means that I can always hear babies screaming and people talking loudly. I also don’t yet know if it’s alright for me to take a shower every day because I know water is expensive…but I hope so because I am sweating buckets. I think that in an hour I will just try to take a shower anyway because I have plans for tonight.

I am able to post because there is a weak wireless connection where I am and so I can intermittently connect. So far my hosts have been very passive when it comes to my paying rent. They haven’t told me in what form they want payment and when, but I feel too uncomfortable and don’t know enough French to ask them. I think they are nice people but the language barrier makes it difficult to tell.

I think that it would be cheaper for me to buy my meals than to cook them. For about 5 euros per meal, I can be satisfied, and it would cost much more than that for me to get the supplies to make my own lunch.

The rest of Saturday included going to the Champs Elysees for dinner (I found a good deal: 10 euros for salmon, potatoes, and a salad), and then to a club/bar with my classmates. It was fun, but nothing great because drinks cost as much as my dinner, and so I don’t plan on buying them often.

Sunday, September 4 – Giverny
On Sunday, I went to Giverny (the home of Monet). It was my first experience traveling by train in Europe but I did it successfully. The ride there was easy, only about an hour non-stop and then a 10 minute taxi ride. The train back made stops every 5 minutes and so it took nearly 2 hours. Have I mentioned that NOTHING in France is air conditioned? My ass stuck to every seat I sat on today. But once I got to Giverny, it was fantastic (I had the nicest cab driver, Gerard, who spoke no English, but he was so nice that I wish he lived in Paris so he could teach me French). At the gardens, the sun was shining, there were bees on the flowers, and it was not too crowded. I took so many pictures of flowers, my Grandma Judy would be proud. The waterlilies are as beautiful as the paintings, and for a painter, his home is gigantic—it is plastered with Japanese Geisha art. Emily, Katie, Catherine, and I went to a creperie after the gardens, and while I know that Europeans take their time doing things, it was ridiculous how long it took to be served water and a crepe with an egg on top. Maybe it is just my impatient American coming out. Gerard the taxi driver came back (in his Mercedes S-Class taxi) to take us back to the train station. By the time we got back to Paris’s Gare St. Lazare train station, we were hot and cranky, but I cheered myself up as soon as I got back to my neighborhood. Robbie Williams was giving a free concert literally one block away from my apartment, so I sat on my balcony and listened to “I’m Loving Angels Instead.” I have had no appetite since I’ve gotten here so I didn’t eat dinner, and now I’m going to bed—tomorrow before class I will pick up a pain au chocolate, refill my water bottle, and get to school early to post this.

I moved my mattress to the floor because the bed is broken and I actually really like it down here, it is really firm. Two funny things just happened to me: I was walking around outside talking to my mom on my cell in my pajamas (it’s bedtime), and a French guy and his girlfriend walked by and the guy moved his hands and said, “whhhhhat,” I think he was taking fun of my clothes! Second, I passed a McDonalds (which is really popular), and they sell the strangest burgers: the McFarmer, the McTimber, and the McSummer along with a couscous salad. Only in France…

Tomorrow I take a placement exam to see what level of French I’ll be in for the next 3 weeks of an intensive language class. I will also attempt to post pictures in the blog, and check the links for a link to an online photo album.