Arrived in Paris

I’m finally here! The flight went smoothly and the gentleman sitting next to me was a friendly little French guy who was nice but didn’t talk much. I was glad, because I was actually able to sleep on the plane! Although I didn’t get as much sleep as I would have liked to in a normal night, I did enough so that I am not very disoriented or jet-lagged. I also got to watch Vicky Christina Barcelona, the newest Woody Allen film that I have wanted to see…it was fantastic, and really inspiring right before a long trip to Europe!

I arrived at Charles de Gaulle at 11 am this morning, and arrived in Paris by about 1:30. Paris today is moderate...kind of gloomy, kind of rainy, not too cold but certainly not warm...Everyone on my shuttle and in the program seems excited and nervous, but it is nice to know that we're all in the same boat and are nervous about the same things.

Now, after having taken a shower (which was difficult as the shower’s dimensions are approx. 1.5 feet squared), I am going to take a quick nap and then our group is meeting up this evening for a short walk around the neighborhood. The dormitory that we are staying in until we meet our host-families on Sunday is in the 12th Arrondisement, and the ACCENT center where I will be taking some classes is a short walk away, in the 11th. Who knows where I will be living! Hopefully somewhere fairly central, although I know it will be in one of the 20 arrondisements (within the official city limits).

I hope I will have better luck with the technical aspects of the next few days…I had to get help opening my door because there was a problem with the lock... The elevator wasn’t working and I had to carry my suitcases up to the 7th floor (which is the equivalent of the 8th floor in America—in France, the first floor is our second floor)! My triceps will be bulging tomorrow!

But I am happy to have arrived safely and to not be very tired. The next few days will be busy…

More to come!

Some views from my dormitory window: