Oh, That Smell

Bonjour, tout le monde. So tomorrow is the last day of February/Fevrier, thus marking the end of my first whole month in Paris. Honestly, I've got mixed feeling about this. While one side of me is excited to see the spring days become longer with more appearances from the stranger known as sunlight, the other side can't believe that time seems to be passing by at an alarming rate, leaving me with only 3 more months to finish my European bucket list. Luckily, this past week was devoted to mainly 2 things: class and testing my skills as a travel agent by booking my spring break voyage. Because we won't be taking many weekend trips this semester, my friends and I decided to take advantage of the 17 day long vacation that the Sorbonne has granted us by traveling during the entirety of the break. However, determining where we wanted to go and how long we wanted to stay was much easier said than done, and after much discussion we finally came to mutual itinerary. Week one will consist of a tour of Italy beginning with 3 nights in Venice, followed by 3 nights in Florence, and ending with 4 nights in Rome where I'll be drawing inspiration from "Eat, Pray, Love", especially the part of the story that involves eating everything in sight. Next, the following week will begin with 3 nights in Prague and end with the last 3 nights in Amsterdam. Needless to say we are riddled with excitement and cannot wait for the break to get here, however we still need to start looking into travel accommodations since they currently only consist of cheap hostels and the goodwill of individuals listed of Couchsurfing.com...I definitely sense some good stories resulting from this trip already. 

Other than the travel plans, nothing too exciting has come from this past week. Classes continue to go well, even though I'm still waiting to one day wake up with the ability to speak impeccable French so I can begin making my way into the high-class Parisian social circles...but alas, it's still a work in progress. Also, my friends and I have been finding some VERY entertaining places to go out in several different arrondissements (neighborhoods) of the city, one of which includes one of my new favorites, "Le Pantalon". This tiny bar is located in the 5th arrondissement, also known as the Latin Quarter, and boasts an inside that looks like everyone's crazy grandmother was hired as the interior decorator. Although strange and bizarre, Le Pantalon (literally meaning "the pant") has proven to be a very popular spot among local students who live within the area and almost always exclusively speak French, making a visit to be good practice for us Americans. Another fun and populated area that we've discovered is The Bastille area (here's some wiki info if you want to know more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_de_la_Bastille) which is filled with bars, clubs, cafes, and of course creperies which provide the absolute best late night snacks. Just last night even, we discovered a sort of "indy" bar with a really cool atmosphere that reminded me of AC's back home, only with a much more "hole in the wall" appearance with a bathroom that vaguely reminded me of a movie set from Saw...but again, that's Paris for you.

Unfortunately the weather here has been less than impressive with many cloudy/rainy days, making it difficult to lug a camera around everywhere to take pictures. BUT, here are some random snapshots of some fun places around the city that will have to suffice until the weather makes a comeback. They even include a picture from a visit to a perfume museum we found one day while walking around. Yes, it's strange and random, but it was also FREE, something I can't pass up anymore since Paris has been literally eating through my wallet lately. Regardless, it turned out to be a very interesting visit, and I can now say that I am much less in the dark when understanding the process through which perfumes are produced. Not to mention that being able to smell scents of almost every flower and fruit imaginable provided a nice break to my nose that has been filled with the usual odors of cigarette smoke, dog poop (Parisians absolutely love their dogs, just not enough to always pick up after them), and whatever else the streets of Paris have to offer one's sense of smell. Thinking back, it's probably a blessing in disguise that I had gotten used to living in Charleston before I came to France since nothing here has quite come close to the smell of carriage tours or King St. on Sunday morning.

Until next time, À bientôt and a safe and fun spring break to everyone back at the College of Charleston and elsewhere. 

My favorite metro stop that I have encountered, located near the neighborhood known as the Marais.

Inside the perfume museum. Our guide said this was called the perfume organ because perfumes are composed from those oils like music. Questionable.

Another night trying to figure out the complicated system that is the Paris nightbus.

Fellow API'ers at The Hideout in Chatelet, naturally.

Le Patalon's menu. If you've ever get the chance to drink Delirium beer, do it. Delicious.

You never know what you'll find on the streets of Chinatown.

Get Into the Groove

Let's start this off with a little fact of reality that took me by surprise this past week: you have to take classes while studying abroad. After about a week and a half in Paris with a complete lack of academic responsibility, the time finally came for the vacation to end and for the studies to begin. However, I have to say that not only I am excited to begin the classes that will hopefully greatly improve my French, but I am also ecstatic to be forced to develop some sort of routine, or groove if you will, for my days here in Paris. Vacations are great, but sooner or later they must come to an end.

This past Friday was the first day of classes for our program with the Sorbonne, and I think all of us would agree with the fact that it went pretty well. I share a class with a couple other API students taught by Monsieur Antoni-Gautier, a very small, old, and quintessentially French man. At first I was skeptical of how I would like him as a teacher, but after only a few minutes, he eased all our nerves with his surprisingly good senses of humor, enthusiasm, and organization. He even gave us syllabi (something that French professors are NEVER known to do), and then told us to be happy because we would be getting our daily exercise by climbing the 10 long flights of stairs that lead to our classroom...at least we get a view of the Eiffel Tower he says. Though his class is everyday of the week for 2 hours each day, I'm pretty confident that we'll all enjoy his class, and that it won't be too difficult (hopefully). Other than the grammar class, I've also registered for a phonetics lab and two conference classes (History of French Art and the Cultural Geography of France) that will begin next week, so it looks like I now have to become a legitimate student again after my nearly 3 month hiatus from school.

Other than classes, this past week and a half has also been full of my continued explorations of the city. Needless to say, Paris is absolutely beautiful, but it's a different kind of beauty that I am used to for sure. Back home, especially in Charleston, I marvel at the natural beauty of my surroundings. Just thinking about it now, I definitely miss the golden marshes, sand dune-lined beaches, and the humid southern weather that characterizes my lowcountry home back in the US. Here in Paris, my appreciation stems more from the all too amazing architecture, art, and even fashion that can be seen at every street corner and metro stop. Speaking of fashion, it never ceases to amaze me to see how everyone dresses here! Every single day I see men, women, and even children that are dressed so well I feel like I need to spend an obscene amount of money to update my wardrobe to meet Paris' "chic" standards. I guess it just goes to show that while Parisians don't really care about exercise or hygiene (yes, the stereotype is true; it smells like no one showers here) they will go the extra mile to make sure that what they're wearing makes up for it...or so they might think.

Regardless of the differences however, I am finally starting to feel at home here. I won't pretend like these first two weeks weren't pretty difficult in terms of trying to adjust to everything, but now with both the daily schedule provided by the start of classes and the familiarity of the city provided by the non-stop walking around, things are becoming more second nature. Also, I'm getting very excited to start the process of traveling to other places. So far I've only booked a weekend getaway to Barcelona to meet Shannon in March, but I plan to make some serious progress this weekend by booking some more weekend trips and finalizing my two and a half week spring break ...needless to say I'll be booking a lot flight with RyanAir to accommodate my college budget!

Until next time, here are some pictures from around the city including a walk through the catacombs...creepy, no?

Jardins de Luxembourg on beautiful sunny day, something you must take advantage of while in Paris

Le Sorbonne, where I take classes...or at least where I wish I took classes

Thousand year old bones on the Catacombs. I'll admit it, I was scared.

At least it's sort of religious display, right?

Found these at the exit above ground. Maybe some got caught trying to take a souvenir. 

The bridge seen in Inception. One of the coolest I've seen thus far.

Can't ever get sick of Eiffel Tower

Possibly obsessed

Imma get me one of these house boats one day.

Days Go By

Hello everyone from Paris...FINALLY. Since getting here on Tuesday, Feb. 2nd, I haven't had internet so I apologize for the delay of entries into "Da Blog". Anyway, here we go:

It's hard to believe I've already been here for a week, but what an eventful and interesting week it has been thus far. For the first two nights here, all of the API students in my certain program (The language and Culture Studies Program through the Sorbonne) were housed in the Hotel Citadines right in the middle of the city, the 1st arrondissement. The area was absolutely amazing, being located only a few blocks from Notre Dame, La Seine, and tons of other landmarks. Naturally, we immediately started sightseeing for a bit, however it was a pretty busy first two days with various orientation activities scheduled by API that ranged anywhere from housing information sessions to welcome dinners, all the while running on very VERY few hours of sleep thanks to my intense case of jet-lag, which seems to finally be coming to a halt.

Other than all the meetings that had been scheduled, the first few days were also spent socializing with and getting to know the other students within the program by performing the greatest of all ice-breakers: going out. Needless to say it's been a great bonding experience to be able to explore this new and amazing place with people from all over the country. Though I won't go into too much detail, it seems that my friends and I have already established some stomping grounds in the area near our program center in the 1st Arrondissement, especially at two bars known as "The Hideout" (1st floor = Bar. Basement = underground dungeon mini dance club complete with strobe lights) and "BeHo" (small karaoke café with a great happy hour) that have kept us out until ALL hours of the night, forcing me to ride the Paris métro home at 5:30 AM while many adults are just now commuting to work..c'est la vie, n'est pas?

The beloved Hideout

Lastly, this past week has also been full of various excursions throughout the city put on by our program providers. While most of them involve tours of different sites and areas such as the Louvre, Montmartre, and the Latin Quarter, one excursion in particular has definitely stood out among the rest: Le Cirque D'Hiver. Why would we go to a circus you may ask? Good question. I personally have no idea why the circus was chosen, however it did in fact provide a few good laughs as we watched some of the most bizarre talents I've ever seen. If you've seen my photo album on facebook, you might have noticed the numerous acts of the night that ranged from lion-taming, to some cirque du soleil action, to the ever so erotic striptease performed by a woman being suspended in the air by a giant hula hoop. All in all, the show was definitely a "spectacle" of some sorts so here's a video for you to have some idea of the talents Parisians have to offer...

You say Goodbye, and I say Hello

DISCLAIMER: I pre-wrote this in the ATL Airport as I was about to board my plane to Paris, however I am just now posting it because I haven't had internet at my current apartment...so here you go!

Well everyone, the day has finally arrived! As we speak, or I guess type, I am sitting right outside gate E11 of the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport of Atlanta, GA, waiting to board my 6:05PM flight to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Even though I’ve been counting down to this very moment for what seems like a lifetime, it’s still hard to believe that this voyage has actually begun. I feel like it was only yesterday when my roommate Shannon and I were sitting on the couch of our apartment back in Charleston trying to decide where we wanted to study abroad, a process that you could say way a struggle at best. Maybe it’s because I’ve become such a pro at doing absolutely NOTHING these past two months by living back home in GA with no job, no school work, and absolutely no motivation to do anything other than get ready for this trip or take a weekend visit back to Charleston...Regardless, it’s been quite an interesting past few days as I prepared for today with my embarrassing attempts to pack my belongings, and the various “farewell dinners” I had with my family and friends, especially since my father has been trying to serve me very generous amounts of alcohol every night. Needless to say he was successful.

Anyway, I just wanted to give a quick and last minute goodbye to all you in the States, and say a big ‘ole hello to France! I’ll try to give an update as soon as possible, however I’m very unsure to whether or not I’ll have access to internet so fingers crossed. Right now I’m going to go try to find some Tylenol PM to take on the plane in hopes of getting some sleep since I’ll be arriving in France at around 8:25 AM and barely got any sleep last night...definitely not surprised that my nerves kept me up.

See you soon, Europe. 

Horrible last minute packing

The one item I made sure not to forget