One week down

It's already been a week! In some ways I feel like I'm not nearly as adjusted as I should be--for example, I still cant fall asleep until at least 4 am without a benadryl, and outside of minimal French conversation I'm a jumbled slurring mess. But in other areas--for example, the metro--I'm set.

The CEA staff is great and they've really tried their best to get us all settled into the timezone, culture, etc. With the exception of Friday (which was my placement exam at the Sorbonne) our schedules have been roughly the same everyday.  Catch the metro by 9, by 9:30 we're in the CEA building (which is in an adorable little courtyard with huge doors on a side street and I feel like Madeline every time I walk in), we go through a few hours of workshops, break for lunch, come back for more workshops or tours and whatnot, and then we're free by 4 pm. Or should I say by 16h.
There were 2 main problems with this system:
1) By Wednesday I felt like I hadn't slept in weeks
2) It's dark by 5, so the most sight seeing I've done outside of the CEA-sponsored events has been of restaurants! And store fronts. But I would like to note that I've only spent 14 euros on clothes so far thanks to the holiday sales which are STILL going on (and end everywhere pretty much tomorrow).

Overall though it's been great. I've met some wonderful people and I'm really having fun here. Tomorrow I start classes at CEA, but the Sorbonne doesn't start until February 11, which gives me some nice breather room since this week I will have my days free after 11:30.

Other highlights:
-I received my CEA and Sorbonne ID cards, which allow me to get into all the museums for free. Did you know that if you stood and looked at each item in the Louvre for 10 seconds each, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, it would take 4 months to get through?
-Despite one bad experience with a cab driver, which I will go into detail about later, all the French people I've met have been wonderful! Everyone's actually pretty eager to help out, and as long as you attempt to speak French they usually meet you halfway with English.
-Speaking of speaking: every French person I've met has been far better at English than I am at French.  Two of them had never even taken a formal course, and just learned from the tv and visiting the states.*
-This upcoming weekend I'm going to see Kristen!

*I would like to note here though that my grandparents and mother did the same thing, which is AMAZING to me, especially considering I'm going to be enrolled in 10 hours of French a week and living here and still cant fathom being fluent.

More observations

-Poodles!
-French men are dapper dressers. I feel like dapper is really just the only appropriate word here for some reason.
-I don't think restaurants believe in using heat--not a single one!
-Peanut butter is obscenely expensive. As in, even more so than everything else
-It's so easy to pick out an American person without them even speaking. I'm trying to blend in as much as possible clothes- and mannerism-wise, but it's so damn hard not to smile.  In all seriousness though, it's true that French women don't really show emotion, just walk straight with purpose and just enough of that high-school bitchy look to appear chic.  I'll master it one day.

Oh, and hey mom! I forgot to tell you earlier, but I figure you'd enjoy this little tidbit that I learned at orientation: Paris only has 50 murders/year (about 1/3 of DC's murder rate), with most of them being for "gang related crime." Guns aren't sold or permitted, and it's generally safer inside the city limits than it is in the suburbs surrounding it (with the exception of Versailles and those places). Does that make you feel better? :)

First tourist shot of the trip!

I don't even have anything remotely smart or insightful to say about this....it was just amazing!!!

First observations in Paris*

-The French love Jay-Z
-I overpacked (However, I realized this not while I was carrying 80 pounds of luggage up three flights of stairs, but instead while unpacking around 10 skirts)
-I only packed black shoes
-There are little heaters over the outdoor cafe terraces so people can sit and enjoy their coffee for hours outside without freezing! (You can guess where I'm going next)
-I've already seen an Ikea, KFC, McDonald's, and an Office Depot. Thanks a lot, globalization.
-It's a beautiful city! Even when it's rainy and gross and it's 8 am and still not light out yet.
-I miss everyone already--But in an I-wish-you-were-here type way instead of an I-wish-I-was-there. I think that's healthy, right?

*This information was gathered having only been driving from the airport to my apartment & only being in the country for a few hours. I'm aware that there is a lot more that Paris has to offer besides sidewalk heaters and furniture catalogs.

I'll be boarding a plane in 12 hours

Cue the nervous insanity. I'm not ready for this. How am I prepared for this? Did I pack enough socks? Extra razor heads? Am I even planning on shaving my legs? That's a European stereotype I was kind of looking forward to, to be completely honest. And I'm being completely honest. I feel like that's any first-time-blogger's vow. Does this make me a blogger?

Pre-departure Babble

Four days until I leave for Paris, and between the packing and goodbyes and general happy stress, I've realized I have no New Year's resolutions. Not one. The thought didn't even cross my mind this year--a stark contradiction to my usual "lose ten pounds" promise, knowing full well that after three days at the gym it'll turn into an "okay, fine, just eat less chocolate or something" type deal. But the point is, this year I didn't even try to lie to myself about making changes.

Why is that? Maybe I can't decide what values I want to keep through my trip to Europe (translation: I'm coming back fat). Or maybe I never really knew what my values were to begin with (translation: I'm also coming back one of those narcissists, obsessed with "finding themselves" in a different language and time zone when they can't even manage themselves in this one and insisting on telling everyone--i.e. you!-- about their "journey" in great detail).

In place of a resolution, however, I have something better to think about in preparation for Paris this Monday--What type of travel cliche should I be? Of course, they are cliches for a reason. They happen. They're common! They make people cry, laugh, whatever. And, plus, they're the source of a large chunk of profit-grossing cinema.  Let's run through a few of the options (read entirely in a Mr. Moviefone voice for full effect):

• The Broken Hearted. When her romantic life took a turn for the worst, she left everything she knew behind. But will she find the romantic distraction she's seeking? Seems like what she ends up finding may just be....herself.
• The Compulsive Over-Achiever. Every detail of every trip is planned, but when her heart takes over, will she have what it takes to ditch the guidebooks and let loose?! 
• The College Party Elitist. You know how this story goes already...every shitty decision she's ever made is documented on facebook. But what crazy antics will she do next? Watch her kick it up a notch in Europe, in attempted Carrie Bradshaw style!
• The Obnoxious American.  What do you mean, "no substitutions"? Is this bed adult-sized? All these fucking signs are in French! 

Looks like it's slim pickings. I'll have to break the mold! Step out of my comfort zone! Make this trip one for the record boo--What? The "traveler who tries not to be a cliche, but consequently ends up speaking in them" is already established? Shit.

Quick shout out to JD