Day 3

I think it’s safe to say we’re still working out our sleep schedules. Last night I was up until 2 reading because I didn’t feel tired until then. I was also strangely ravenous around one, one-thirty, a hunger that I calmed with some delicious but cheap French chocolate. Unfortunately, due to this late night activity I woke up but did not get up with my alarm, instead deciding to nap until ten, destroying my plans of a productive morning. Between ten and twelve (when I left to meet a friend on the Champs de mars for lunch), I managed to get dressed and have some jam on bread (no toaster) and chocolate. Like I said, not a productive morning. I may have watched pride and prejudice while getting ready. It was another jeans and t-shirt day. Out the door by twelve and took the metro to meet my friend. I had just eaten but she shared her baguette and brie and we chatted about linguistics as we waited for two other group members to arrive. It turns out all four of us are on the linguistics track which I wasn’t aware of previously. At two-fifteen, we started moseying over to the BU center for that day’s orientation and I had enough time to stop into the computer lab to e-mail dad before heading downstairs to learn about my course load for the coming semester. In many ways, I wish I hadn’t. The French class is going to bring up bad memories of the only professor I’ve had at BU and I’m just terrified that this woman will be just like her. For Monday (5 days), we have to either pair up with someone or, alone, walk around one of the 20 arrondissements of Paris and prepare a five-minute presentation with a photo slideshow about the arrondissement. I am definitely not looking forward to THAT but at least we’re allowed to have a partner. At the BU facility, we’re taking an advanced French course and a seminar with the program director, called Penser a la contemporain, about Paris in the contemporary world. Once we started classes in mid-October, we’ll be taking classes both at the BU facility and Paris8 Université but there are certain linguistics classes that I might have to take at the Ècole Normale Superieur which would mean travel to three places. Good thing I got that unlimited métro pass because I’m going to need it. The program director and the french professor both handed out syllabi and reading materials and some magazines to direct us to cultural attractions in the area. We have to produce a journal with critiques of five cultural expositions that we have attended over the semester. At least two or three of them will be arranged by one of the BU-Paris8 agents but for the majority, we’re on our own. The program director also mentioned (in French which is why I’m a little fuzzy on the details) a grand project that we will each complete individually over the course of the semester. I am not very optimistic about this project, or about discussing it with him one-on-one which he said we would be doing in the coming weeks but for now I have more important things to worry about, like printing out photos for the university and my metro pass (called the carte navigo). We’re going to the University on Thursday and we need to bring our own photos that they’ll put on our student ID cards. Since I already needed one for my carte navigo, I put that at the top of my list of things to do.

After the presentation, we were all scared and very hungry so the consensus was to pick up some food on the way and then picnic in the Jardin des Tuilleries. We only made it as far as Les Invalides, however before my housemate had a shoe emergency and had to take the metro home. The remaining group of mixed contemporary studies and internship studies, myself included, made our way across the huge lawn in front of Hotel des Invalides and into the winding Parisian streets to the nearest market to buy supplies for a late lunch picnic. For only spending 2-4€ a piece, we made off with two baguettes, some wine, chocolate, cheese, three kinds of meat, nutella, cookies that looked like elephant ear pastries and apricot jam (for the cheese). It was definitely a win in every sense of the word. We all sat in a circle and ate and talked about everything that came into our minds. Two of the people with us had been to Paris before and were regaling us of their previous adventures (tear-gassed at the World Cup finals because they were next to a bunch of people causing trouble) and gave us some advice on what we should or should not do. Should: get an unlimited metro pass each month (check). We’ll be thanking ourselves when it gets colder and we don’t have to walk but also it’s unlimited so once you pay the 60€ up front, you can go anywhere anytime which really allows you to see more than you would if you were constantly worrying about the metro cost; use your student ID to try to get into all museums. One of the girls got into the Louvre free and she said it’s worth a shot but most museums have a set time when they are free to either students or everyone; try to speak French even with your friends because it's the only way you’re going to really immerse yourself in the culture. Should not: spend too much time on skype or talking to people from home (already disobeying that but it’s not like I’m contacting each one of you individually, that’s WHY I created the blog); try to jump the turnstile in the metro because it’s a fine of 50€ (although one girl had a story about a French person she knew who lived in France for two and a half years and never paid for the metro. He got caught twice and paid $100€ for two and half years of using the metro. It’s impressive but she urged us not to try it. She also warned us the people might try to jump in behind us to get out of paying and that it happens often so not to be alarmed). We stayed there until nearly seven, when another linguistics student and I decided to call it quits and get home before we wasted the entire evening lounging on the grass. One the way back to the metro station (we decided to walk to the nearest line 6 station since it would be a straight shot to my house and she would get off halfway and change to a different line. On the way we talked about Mel Brooks movies and how they are a favorite among fans of Monty Python. Bri tried calling me earlier but I missed her call and since I realized last night that my phone would allow me to neither text nor call her back, I am just going to buy a cheap pay as you go phone here. The phone itself is going to be 30€ or less and comes with 10 minutes (5€) already installed. A text costs 0,13€ so 5€ is about 35 texts which is all right. I really only need it to stay in contact with my friends here and I can use it if I ever come back to France. I thought about getting a sim card for my blackberry but I don’t know exactly how that will work and the last thing I want to do is mess with my blackberry so I’ll keep the blackberry for calling home but until my internet starts working I really need a phone here and I’m willing to pay $37 for it.

When I got back to the house, Bri was already there. She was waiting for me to get home so we could go have our pictures taken for the student ID and the metro card because she had seen a photo booth in the market. She went first and hers came out fine but then I tried and it ate my money so then Bri had to go buy bananas to break my 5 because the machine only takes exact change, which I did not have. It then proceeded to eat the rest of my change and it wouldn’t give it back or let me start over so I gave up and am going to try again tomorrow, armed with more change. The photos look way too big anyway, even if I cut the border off, my face still won’t fit in the allocated box on the metro card. It’s so stupid that we even need a photo on that anyway. The photo booth we found in a different market was more expensive AND it told me not to smile so all in all, I spent about 8€ on photos that suck and that I probably won’t end up using anyway. Thanks Paris. I did find a Phone House on the way to this other market so I’ll be swinging by there tomorrow morning if they’re open. Instead of going immediately back to our house, Bri and I walked the opposite way up the street to an area we hadn’t previously explored and found (gasp!) stores open past nine o’clock!! We found a crêperie/café that we will probably make our own once we have enough homework to justify going there. For now I think I just need to figure out how to use the coffee maker in our kitchen because it’s been REALLY hard to get going in the morning without some caffeine. France isn’t really big on take-out coffee places. They’re mostly of a ‘sit-down breakfast’ mindset but I don’t have time for that sort of tomfoolery so I think tonight I’ll look for some directions on how to make coffee…

<10 minutes later>

Well I certainly won’t be making my own coffee in the mornings. They have a drip pot but allegedly I have to A) buy filters (not a crime) and B) Pour boiling water into the coffee grounds. Why do I even need the coffee machine?! For all that nonsense I could just get a filter and grounds and pour hot water over it into a cup! Why do I even have to plug the coffee machine in?!! This is why I need to find a Starbucks. It’s not because I need American things to feel comfortable, it’s because I need my damn coffee on the go because I have things to do. Already midnight; these days go by so quickly! Going to go to bed now and get up early (hopefully). I have to shower in the morning and then run to that supermarket, buy something to break the bills I have and then try that photo booth again. I’m torn between going to the one near me (where there works a horrible woman who is the quintessential Parisian working class woman. She is constantly aggravated, constantly yawning and constantly just being unnecessarily rude. I’m sure she also constantly hates on Americans but that’s beside the point). I have to be at the BU facility for 11 for a talk about the US Embassy and then lots of food because they’re teaching us how to eat (and drink) like the French, then some other stuff and then a movie and then CREPES FOR DINNER!!! I am very excited because these are the first crepes I will have had in Paris because I am poor and have better things to spend my money on (except not any more because while Bri and I were wandering around we found that late night crepe place advertising crepes for 4,50€ which is equivalent to less than $6 which, as all of you Bostonians know, is pretty good for a decent sized crepe. They also sell gelato shakes on which I can see myself spending a lot of my parents hard earned money. It’s all about the education. By the way mom and dad, some girl in our group said that you could get the $55 I paid for my second bag at the airport refunded on taxes under ‘education’ expenses. I would look into it if I were you; maybe you can get my crepes refunded too!