Hi, yes, do I have to do homework if I study abroad?
Monday, January 1st - Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018
Minneapolis, MN & Paris, France
Do you remember your first day of kindergarten? A parent or loved one probably got you on the bus or dropped you off at the door. Sent you off with a hug and a kiss. You worked really hard on picking out the perfect outfit of hot pink leggings, striped tunic top, and sequin scrunchie. And you're going to try school lunch for the first time! You were a little nervous or maybe just super excited, but if you were being super duper honest, it was a bit of both.
So picture that. Only instead of a loved one dropping you off at elementary school, your mom, Aunt Renée, and Uncle Steven decided to come along to drop you off in the middle of Paris. (It's a working metaphor okay not perfect but... You know, bear with it, it's what I've got. ) And instead of sending you off with a hug and a kiss, it was a hug, a kiss, and a lot of French wine. Instead of picking out one outfit, you have to pick out a bunch... (You think packing would get easier after a while but I have yet to experience any improvement.) And the lunches are better but way more expensive. And you're not in kindergarten at all (thank goodness -- that wine would be awkward) but you're studying abroad for a month.
I'm writing now from the Latin Quarter, after two full, busy days in Paris. Yesterday, mom, Renée, Steven and I walked around, hitting a few churches, some shops and trying our very best to stay awake. I took advantage of all our walking to snap some pictures along the way.
We also chanced our hotel sauna, timing our visit perfectly to avoid naked sauna sitters. (You know, if that's your thing, respect, but also I just don't really care to be there with you... Like, at all. No. Thank. You.)
Today was officially "travel day", and luckily for me, that meant walking down from one hotel with my family to another down the street. I had a brief a turbulent trial, buy my "Pass Navigo". First, I had to find the correct metro station. Starting off easy. I was with one of our chaperones, and we had a map. That neither of us did a great job reading. But we also had a phone and made it there alright if in a bit of a roundabout way. Then we had to buy our pass. Too bad we could hear the ticket seller. Then we had to print off a picture in a photo booth that smelled strongly of urine (I know photo booths and bathrooms LOOK the same, but they're not.) Some random girls pointed it out to us, and then, of course, we had to tip them. Then the pictures were the wrong size. We gave up. An hour later, I return to the aforementioned metro station with a larger group. We got our pictures first (still smelled), and then returned to get our passes, and for 80 euros we got what looks like a kid's craft project, complete with our names written on in ballpoint pen and a bad picture hastily pasted on the front. You'd think for that much money it'd look a little nicer... Guess not. But hey, as long as it works.
We rounded out the evening by buying our class books at Gibert-Joseph, a French bookstore. I wish I had my book lists for the next few years worth of French classes with, because surprise, surprise, French books are actually cheaper in France. And lastly, a nice dinner at Cafe Bonapart. Now if I only I had finished all my homework for class tomorrow... Hmmmm...
Au revoir,
Cristiana
