Staying Close to Home

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I arrived in Paris on Thursday, Sept. 22 around 6:30PM. I was late for my supposed arrival at the dorm because a. British Airways is still experiencing the effects of a strike and b. traffic in paris is crazy, regardless of the time of day.

When I decided to make an all-girls dorm my temporary home here, I thought of the dorms at KU. I lived in McCollum, which was not a very pleasant experience. It was an ugly brick building full of dirty college students! The dorm I am in here, however, is nothing like that. In fact, when I first came into the dorm, I was shocked. It is comprised of four old buildings on the Ile Saint-Louis with a gigantic, beautiful courtyard in the middle. The director gave me a tour of the building (there are many rules, like no visitors in the rooms, no visitors after 10PM, and we have to be home before 1:30AM on weekdays). Then she brought me to my room, which is large compared to dorm rooms at KU. I share it with another girl named Laeticia. She comes from the South of France; she is studying English (appropriately enough!).

I am the only American here, so my French has already been radically improving, even after only three days. This is good because I can tell that it isn't what it was two years ago.

Since I have to cook my own meals on the weekends, and since I only brought two suitcases with me, I have spent a lot of time in these last few days shopping for necessities...like pots and pans, utensils, a pillow, etc. Oh, and every day so far I have walked down onto the banks of the Seine and read or ate lunch. One of our buildings looks out on the Seine...this location is one that I could not afford if I were not in a dorm! I am a little scared of the pigeons, because if you are eating a sandwich, they flock up to you looking for crumbs, and I am scared of mass amounts of birds flying up to me.

I've been enjoying the International Herald Tribune (although it is quite pricey), especially when Paul Krugman's editorials are published. Also enjoying coffee with cream and being back on my French diet (for those who don't know, the French diet is when I eat butter and cream and magically lose weight, and yes, the beginning stages are already in effect).

Well...my roommate is going to take me to "le banlieu" today (that means the suburbs, but it has more of a connotation of ghetto than anything else). We are going to shop a bit, since it is Sunday, the only things that are really open are in Chinatown or on the Champs-Elysees. Also this will be my first taste of where I will be teaching soon.

I can't get some of my more recent photos to upload...I'm not sure what the problem is. I should have pictures of my dorm soon. For now, I need espresso. The time change is still killing me.

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Photos

Pont Mairie
Looking out from the side of one of the buildings.

Colonne Julliet
I don't think that is spelled correctly...this is the column in the middle of the Bastille square. (Very close to me).

new opera house
also in the bastille square.

typical french building
with typical french garden.

part of the hotel de ville
within walking distance from me...i haven't even used the metro yet!

Comments

[Barb]

Great pics!
Great pictures! What a life(or few months)!