This morning, I woke up before my alarm. I think this was partially due to the fact that I didn't sleep that well (most likely due to the loud storm we got last night and the street noises below) and because I was really excited to go to orientation and meet everyone in my program. I got out of bed and turned on my computer, looking to check the temperature because it looked like it had cooled down significantly from yesterday's 80 degree F day. I turned on my computer to see the day marked
mardi, Tuesday (I reoriented my laptop to do everything in French). All of a sudden, I realized that orientation is Wednesday and Thursday. How on earth did I screw that up?! It had to be the element of the overnight flight or something, but neither my mom nor my host mom caught my mistake ahead of time. Soooo yes, I felt like an idiot, especially telling my host mom that, "oh, just kidding, no school today." But I mean, can I really complain? An extra day in Paris, oh darn...
So she proceeded to tell/show me all the minor details of the apartment that she didn't want to overwhelm me with on the first day. For example, there is a wonderful solution to the light/noise problem in my room: shutters! Haha, they're folded in 4 or 5 places though, so I didn't even notice them last night. Whew. What a relief. Also, she showed me around the kitchen and gave me my own shelf in the fridge and space in a cabinet to keep food. (I only eat 3 dinners a week here with the family and no lunches.) Then, she showed me a map of Paris and showed me a good place to go exploring for the day.
My adventure from there was quite interesting. It rained on and off all day today, and I'm pretty sure the majority of it was this afternoon while I was out. Luckily, I brought un parapluie (an umbrella), but it was just like in the movies where the wind turned it inside out constantly. The rain and wind made it really difficult to look at my map because I didn't want to get it wet or have it blow away, so everytime I wanted to look at it, I had to stop under an awning, secure my umbrella, and pull out the map. I will admit, at first, I was acting like an American male, too stubborn to ask for directions. Then again, this was out of fear, rather than stubbornness because I was just really intimidated by the language at the time.
In the next 2 hours, I probably got lost about 12 times. This is not an exaggeration. As soon as I thought I knew where I was going, I would stop, pull out the map and realize I was going the wrong way AGAIN. It was so frustrating. Let me just explain that Paris is not a grid system. It's big city, like NYC, but MUCH harder to navigate. So many of the streets go every which way, and there are far less big landmarks to keep yourself oriented. In addition, there are so many small cafes and boutiques, that a lot of it looks really similar.
Finally, I got frustrated and felt semi-defeated, so I decided to get lunch. However, everywhere I saw was either a sit down restaurant (too expensive if I'm just on my own) or a little place to buy a sandwich to eat on the go. Okay, a sandwich sounded great, but everyone who bought them would just eat as they walked down the street. Problem: I was lost, and there was no way I was going to just wander and eat a sandwich. I needed a break and a sit-down meal. So I found a place that served stuff kind of buffet-style, so you pick what you want and then pay. I got some quiche and yogurt, which was overpriced...but I didn't care. I was just happy to have a place to relax for a bit. Of course, when I went to sit down, there was not a single empty table in the place. My solution was to ask to sit by these 2 women that weren't taking up much of their table. I had to awkwardly interrupt their conversation, but I didn't know what else to do. Oh well. I had no choice.
After lunch, I felt recharged and ready to take on my adventure again. (Oh yeah, I didn't mention that my destination was Rue de Rennes, a kind of touristy street my "mom" thought I'd like.) I left the cafe and pulled out my host mom's map again. I finally managed to get my bearings *kind of*...and then proceeded to get lost about 4 times...but not as severely as before. Finally, I found the street! I felt so accomplished...and stubborn for not asking for help. But I found it on my own! And it only took like 2 hours! I walked down Rue de Rennes, only to find that it wasn't really my cup of tea at the moment. It has a lot of shops, but I'm just not up for shopping at the moment (too expensive, and I bought a lot of clothes before I came). Nonetheless, it was nice to explore.
I started heading back the way I came and decided I wanted something from one of the numerous boulangeries (bakeries), so I walked in one, and asked for a croissant au chocolat. The woman could tell I wasn't French, but I didn't care because I didn't break into English, even when she did. Success! Then, I realized I still needed to buy my own plan de Paris (map of Paris). Sadly, I hadn't managed to find the store my host mom recommended, so I had no idea where to buy one. I decided to try my luck at the pharmacy, but when I quickly realized they didn't have them, I asked the woman who worked there. To my delight, she didn't flip into English! She could tell I wasn't French, but she was really nice! She showed me where to go, and I went there, and had another 100% French interaction buying my map. Success again.
On my way back to the apartment, I decided to stop at the grocery store and pick up a few items. It was nice to just meander, taking my time, and exploring the different French brands of everything. Then, I got to the wine aisle. I was so tempted to buy my first cheap French wine (I've heard that a 2E bottle here is equivalent to like a $25 bottle at home!!), but I refrained. First off, I felt uncomfortable bringing it home because my family did not drink wine with dinner last night. Very bizarre for the French. Also, I figured I should buy my first bottle with a group of friends, with the intention of drinking it later that night by the Eiffel Tower or the Pont des Artistes...so I decided to wait on this experience.
When I got back, my host mom took me around the 14e arrondissement (our neighborhood) to pick up a few things and to show me the various places to buy groceries. Then, around 19h (7 pm), I went to the metro to meet up with Scooter, a French professor from Indiana University. He is doing research in Paris this summer and is the professor of two of the girls in my program. Since I had this extra day, I contacted Scooter, and he invited me to come with him to pick up Taylor and Marisa, who had taken the chunnel from London. (They had spent five days there, vacationing.) It was so nice to be with an American (well, a Quebecois...)! It was great to speak English and to digest my experience of the past 2 days with someone who's not a native Parisian and who understands what I've been experiencing.
We successfully retrieved the girls, them and their 3 large rolling duffels ;-), and then proceeded to the far western part of the city to deliver them at their host family's house. Yes, I said "house". This is very rare for Paris. In fact, once we got to their neighborhood, we realized that there's was the only house in the area, meaning it was amusingly sandwiched between two apartment buildings. When we got there, there seemed to be some sort of block party going on. Scooter explained that May 28 has been declared Festival des voisins (festival of neighbors), as an attempt for Parisians to get to know the people they live by, an important concept, I think. (Great idea, whoever decided that!) Right away, I sensed a very different vibe in this area than in the part I live in. The people were incredibly warm and welcoming...and just more down-to-earth than my family. Right away, you could tell how excited Taylor and Marisa's family was to welcome them...and the neighbors too! They were also much more patient and understanding when they got tongue-tied, unlike my family, who gets kind of impatient and annoyed when I struggle. So Scooter and I stuck around, chatted with the family and the neighbors and a little wine. Then, we got a quick tour of the oh soooo adorable house. Taylor and Marisa have themed rooms! One is kind of desert-themed, and the other is more tropical, I think. Haha, I was definitely not expecting that! Also, they have a host brother and sister, both of which are a few years older than us, but SO great. The brother was constantly cracking jokes, and the sister is so sweet. Can you tell I'm just a *little* jealous? Haha. Oh well. There's a tradeoff though: they have a 45-minute metro ride to school. I have a 3-minute walk. Plus, I can possible visit them...we'll see.
Anyway, that was my day! I had an interesting metro experience on the way back because I got confused and thought I was going the wrong way, only to learn I had been right, but the result was basically me turning around like 3 times. Hey, the two stops both started with "P"! Anyway, I made it back safely, only to come home to an impatient host sister who got irritated when I took too long to unlock the door and then impatient when I couldn't figure out how to say "pick up" in French. (As in, Scooter and I went to pick up the girls.) Oh whatever, Marine. Get over yourself. I wanted to stick out my tongue at her, and childishly prance away, but I refrained. I can't act silly around these people after only two...in fact, I'll probably never be able to act silly around them. (That's what the other Americans are for!) Haha, but really, I like it here. A lot. :-)
A bientot!
