Une Semaine a Paris

It has been almost a week since I have been living in one of the greatest cities in the world! There are so many things I admire about the French people and so many more I am sure I have yet to discover. The metro, for example: I know there are metros in every big city, but there is something so simple and so perfect about the Paris metro. I can get wherever I need to go with only a few connections. (It could also be all the Parisians on the metro that make it so wonderful). Another example? The French are so incredibly polite. It's interesting that Parisians and French people in general get the reputation of being snobs and being rude, because once you figure out their secret, they are truly the most polite people on earth. All it takes is a simple, "Bonjour!" to open the hearts of Parisians across the city. If you walk into a supermarche, or sit down at a cafe and don't say Bonjour do not expect to receive the "politesse" that I have come to know and love. Besides trying to understand and unlock all the secrets of the French in this blog, I also want to recount the day to day events here so I don't forget one single thing from this amazing "sejour" a Paris.

To continue from the last post......we had a great night of eating at a cafe next to Notre Dame to celebrate Michael's birthday. I ate a croque-monsieur and it was delicious! We also went to a creperie after that and I got a nutella and banana crepe--my first crepe in Paris...definitely not my last :) After that, I went back to my apartment to rest up for the next day. I had quite the trouble using the metro that night, though. First I got lost trying to find the correct metro station, and then I got on the metro in the wrong direction. (Wow, I already feel like I have grown a lot from that first night!)

On Thursday we had a pic-nick on the lawn next to Champ de Mars, right by the Eiffel Tower. We had baguette, cheese, and grapes--how much more French can you get?? We then had an orientation to tell us more about life in Paris and how to better understand the French ;) Afterwords, Michael, Katie and I went back to my apartment to hang out for a little bit. We tried some wine that Michael bought, but it wasn't very good. Then, Katie and I walked around the 16th arrondisement, and we also walked around her arrondisement, the 17e.

On Friday we had our orientation to our internships, where we got a better understanding of
business etiquette in France. We also had a mock interview with Ophelie--the internship director at EUSA. While we each waited for our time to interview with Ophelie, we sat in a nearby cafe which had the most beautiful pastries and cookies. I had a DELICIOUS croissant... (Can you see a similar theme throughout each day? hmm...FOOD) That afternoon and into the evening we walked around the Latin Quarter--one of the best places to go out in Paris. The cafes were packed and there were restaurants overflowing with Parisians. It was such a cool sight to see! Later, we went to la Tour Eiffel and hung out for a little bit. It was the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower lit up and sparkling! Now I know I can look out my window starting at 10pm every night to see the tower sparkle. So magical.

Saturday we all got some well needed rest, and finally started to catch up on our jet lag. We went to the Champs-Elysee and walked to the Arc de Triomphe. Beware!! There are already a ton of tourists at all the big monuments in Paris...pretty crazy huh? We of course had to go into Louis Vuitton on the Champs-Elysee, probably the most famous store location in the world. Later, we went to Monmartre and Sacre-Coeur and I led our group on a walking tour around the district. I got the walking tour from the book that Stefanie gave me for graduation--thanks, Stef!! It was wonderful to simply walk and wander through such a dynamic district in Paris. Even later than night, we went to la Nuit des Musees--a night when most musems in Paris and even across Europe open their doors to the public for free. So, even though we had to wait about 45 minutes to get in, and we almost had to tell a creepy Russian man to go away, we went into the Musee D'Orsay for free (you don't hear that often in Paris) and were able to see most all of the impressionist works that we wanted to see. C'etait magnifique!

Sunday was another much needed day of rest, and I did some research on the company that I interviewed with--FASTI (Federation des Associations de Solidarite pour les Travailleurs Immigrees). This is a non-profit/non-governmental organization located in the 20e arrondisement that advocates for immigrants rights. Katie and I met up in the 5e arrondisement (metro Jussieu) and we ate at a small cafe where I had the most amazing croque-fontaine. It was similar to a croque-monsieur (which is similar to a grilled cheese) but the bread was first soaked in a wine, and there was also an egg on it. The melted cheese, and the egg and the bread was absolutely amazing. Encore...mangnifique! Katie and I stayed for a while at this cafe to practice for our interviews. Then, together we went to visit our organization locations for our internships. For me, finding a location after getting off the metro can be a bit confusing, and we both wanted to be sure we knew where we were going before the actual day of our interview. When I went back to my apartment, I was able to meet my two host brothers--Antoine and Maxime--who are absolutely. ADORABLE. Antoine is almost 11 and Maxime is 12. They were both extremely excited to meet me. Antoine has brown hair and Maxime has a very light brown, almost blond colored hair. They both greeted me with huge smiles, a "Bonjour Chelsea!!" and les bises--the traditional French way of saying hello. You kiss your family and your close friends once on both cheeks, always right cheek first. I talked with Anne-Laure, my host mother, about their trip over the weekend. They went to an island in the North of France. They were lucky because they had nothing but sun the entire weekend. In Paris, we weren't that lucky but the sun did peak out behind the clouds once or twice.

Monday we had our french language tests at the organization called France Langue. I was really proud because I got in an elevated level with two other MSU students. Julie--one of the staff at EUSA--took us to what's called a University Restaurant. This is an extremely cheap cafeteria eating style restaurant. Students pay only 3.90 euros which is a complete steal, considering a simple cafe can cost around that same price!!! There are there University Restaurants all around Paris, so we are going to keep going to those. It also might be a good place to meet other French young people because it is filled with university students. After, we went to a big department store in Paris where Katie and I bought some needed hair products: me a blow dryer and Katie a straightener. We then did like the Parisians and sat at a cafe for about two hours and just talked about anything and everything. Walking along the Seine with the sun shining down on us was wonderful. We took our time and just wandered along the river line, taking pictures and laughing at all the crazy things for sale along the Seine. Then, we sat in the sun in the courtyard of the Louvre just taking pictures, speaking French and enjoying life :) We walked through the Jardin des Tuiliers where there were a ton of Parisians sitting on benches, sitting on the grass, sitting in chairs around the fountains. It was such a sight to take in. So beautiful. Later, we met back up at Trocadero and sat on the lawn across from the Eiffel Tower--it was a view of the Eiffel Tower that I have not seen before. Absolutely beautiful! Katie and I practiced for our interviews again and then went back home rather early because we all had to get up early for class the next day.

Tuesday was our first day of class. Our professor is an older French woman named Michelle. She is SO SO SO chic. I absolutely adore her. She makes the class hilarious and completely enjoyable! Which I'm not sure how she does it because it lasts four hours with a break in between. In my classes at MSU I am normally looking at my watch wondering when class will be over, but class is wonderful with Michelle!! She has such personality and such charm. It is strange because she is like the female version of Monsieur Koppisch at MSU. It is actually almost bizarre how similar they are. After class, Katie and I practiced one last time before we both went off to our interviews with our organizations. I had a great interview with Anna Sibley at FASTI. She told me more about the organization, since there is a TON of information on their website. I am very excited because she told me I could have a lot of freedom to do any type of projects I desired. There are so many other organizations that FASTI is associated with that there are many many different paths I can take with this internship. I will wait to her back from her or from my internship director if I got the internship....fingers crossed!!!

I went home after my internship and simply hung out with my family. It has actually been my favorite night so far in Paris. I gave Anne-Laure the two Michigan books for her gift and we were able to talk more about Michigan. It was funny because she said oh its "sauvage." It was hilarious to hear her call Michigan "wild." I guess compared to a huge city like Paris, Michigan can definitely seem wild...haha! I was also able to help Maxime with his English homework. I quizzed him on some vocabulary which was so charming. I sat with Anne-Laure and we both listened to him recite his English words. I love how the French pronounce the English language in their oh-so-French accents. It just makes me smile :) For example: Maxime had to say "The supermarket is next to my house." But, it sounded more like "Zee zoobermarkit iz clews two mya ows." I am smiling even thinking about it now! Anne-Laure invited me to eat dinner with the kids and I was so thrilled that she did. It was hi-lar-i-ous! We talked and laughed and laughed and talked. I told them more about the United States, they told me more about life in Paris. Phillipine kept telling jokes and making all of us laugh harder. It. was. wonderful. I felt so welcome, and so loved by these people who I barely even know. Isn't that amazing?

And today was class again, which is harder and harder to get up for in the morning. I have to wake up at 7am!!!!! I haven't had to do that since high school I think! yuck!! We found a cheap place to eat lunch after class, and just hung out around Paris for the day. We walked to UNESCO and then laid in a park for a while. It was absolutely beautiful today, in the mid 60s with not a cloud in the sky!!! I did not want to go inside! After, we bough a bottle of wine and went to Trocadero to relax and try to fit in as Parisians. After most of the wine was gone, we started playing camp games thanks to Michael--who knew Michael and I had so much in common?? I was laughing so hard it was hard to breathe hahaha! Another amazing day in my summer home :)

So this must be the life, huh? Une joie de vivre.