The One Week Mark

It officially has been a week since I have left good old Minnesota for fancy pancy Paris! A lot of things have happened since I've been here in Paris. I've had some great adventures here while in Paris and some normal day-to-day activities as well. I feel like I’ve officially started to get into the grind of things here in Paris. I have a set schedule, started walking to school, and even have managed to put on more black clothing than I have thought was possible. Yes, the more black clothing the better. I’m going to live by this mantra to the maximum. Our grammer classes have begun at the center, and with that comes the dreaded homework assignments. Fortunately the homework assignments have been minimal (crossing my fingers that this trend will continue throughout the semester) but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t learned a lot in my classes. The classes have really helped me learn about the particular rules that I have forgot, or put in the back of my mind several years ago. Outside of classes, the adventure for seeing Paris has begun. Though I haven’t seen many tourist sites as I would have expected by now, I have begun my adventure of finding some Parisians friends. Fortunately, it wasn’t too hard because one of my good friends lives here in Paris. So we took the streets of Paris this weekend. I decided to invite some of my friends from IES so that they could profit from talking to a native Parisian. To say that our franglais was on point that night is an understatement. It was great to see some of my friends, who were generally hesitant in the classroom, practicing their French skills outside in Paris with natives that were our age. Here is a great expression we learned that night. “J’ai la dalle” which means in enlgish, hangry (someone who is angry because they are hungry). Being a college student in Paris, this sentence is a must to know because there are times that I go a tad hungrier than I would like to admit. I’m excited to meet more native French people in the future. Especially for those who are college students my age. It’s great to hear what the differences and similarities are between students are age, and it creates some great (and hilarious) conversations that will last you a lifetime of memories. On that note here are a few notes about going out to eat and weekend activities while in Paris. 1) Formules: Know them, and use them. They’ll have some great deals in there that will allow you to eat three courses while staying on a budget. 2) Know when happy hour is: Generally all bars and restaurants will have the same happy hour in each arrondissement (from my one-week experience). Know what the deals are and plan accordingly so that you can benefit from what each place has to offer on a budget 3) Club Indiana: If you want a taste of America while in the US this is the place for you. It’s cheap and has a pretty great atmosphere 4) Know your time limit. It’s important to remember that going out to dinner is considered a luxury here. This means that if you go to a sit down restaurant (regardless of price) you are expected to sit there for more than ten minutes if you are ordering food. It can be tricky at first to understand when to order and when to ask for the check. Waving is highly suggested or asking for the bill when the food is served if you’re on a time crunch. Be willing to speak up, because it could take a while for the server to come to you. The restaurant service is completely different in France than the US. 5) If you have a friend who lives in Paris contact them! They can be your gateway to Paris like my friend was. Invite others so that they can create memories too with your new group of friends both from America and Paris. 6) Don’t go in large groups out. On Friday and Saturday night about 15 of us from the program decided to go out to dinner without reservations or really a clue what to do. Have a general plan of what you want to do, and know that on a weekend restaurants and bars will be crowded. It’s Paris after all, and personal space can be at a minimum. Though it can be fun to go around in large groups, one-on-one time with your classmates will be hard to do seeing that it’s loud and crowded in most places. If you want to invite a large group out, I suggest going on a weekday rather than a weekend so that you can find a place that can accommodate your needs.