today was our final meeting with ISA (thank you baby jesus). i understand why they do it, but it's so hard to keep my eyes open during the powerpoint presentations. needless to say im SO happy i don't have to sit through any more slides.
today's meeting was about housing. unfortunately i'm still in a bit of a pickle with housing. so if any of you reading this know of anyone in paris looking for a roommate or a sub letter feel free to let me know :). paris is extremely beautiful, but there's a discomfort i feel in the neighborhood i was placed in. i dont feel safe walking alone, and as a first timer in paris, the more security i feel the better. shout out to my dad for being awesome and helping me talk to ISA about changing my assignment. you rock my socks off dad.
here's a picture of the street i live on (for the moment). for whoever's seen Taken, does this not look like the red door? just sayin...
after the housing meeting, betsy, andie, and i went to exchange our american money into euros and then went into a store betsy had been raving about. the clothes were fabulous. so chic and fun, but even on sale, some of the things were 500 euros. i suppose i will have to wait for a wealthy french prince charming to sweep me off my feet before i buy anything from maje...or any other high end store in paris.we were hungry and freezing so we went into a restaurant to grab lunch. it's so nice to sit down and have waiters speak to you in french-it means you're doing something right. we sat down and ordered completely in french. i order a glass of the house red, a bowl of onion soup, and a sandwich with ham, tomatoes, and goat cheese. it was delicieux! i was so full afterwards.
we finished our meal, and made our way to the metro. i had a meeting with a potential internship, and the girls wanted to do some shopping. we made it to the palais royal (our stop for both excursions) and went our separate ways. i put on my big girl panties, and walked the streets of paris for the first time all on my own. i was definitely a bit on edge. i clutched my bag very close to my body and probably checked to see if someone was following me every 20 seconds, but i know i will feel more at ease and at home as time passes. i found the office fairly easy and went inside. i wore all black (all french women do) and wore my studded boots and metallic leggings. i had to be as fashion forward as possible while still keeping warm in the freezing weather. the company is called dice kayek and it is a pair of fashion designers from istanbul who are stationed both there and here in paris. (shout out to Jack Portman for helping me get this incredible opportunity to meet with them). i walked into the office and was greeted by secretaries and seamstresses, all with friendly smiles. i then followed an assistant to meet with one of the fashion designers to talk about what i could help with. the room was surrounded by racks of beautiful dresses and other clothing items, all of which these two women have designed. i'm not sure what all i will be doing just yet, but i was hired and i start next week. it isn't a paid gig, but the opportunity in itself is pay enough, and if i get to attend even ONE party during fashion week, i will have died and gone to Heaven. fingers are crossed.
after i left the office i had about 30 minutes to kill before meeting up with my roommate to head back home, so i went into a small cafe and wrote in my planner/read cosmo.when i'm in clemson, i try really hard to avoid eating alone-makes me look like a loner. but here, i felt so at peace. i was sitting in a parisien cafe, sipping tea, people watching, and basking in the excitement of my new fashion internship. i felt on top of the world. and to top all that off, i feel as though i have conquered the metro system (knock on wood, because now i feel like im going to hop on a train and end up in the red light district on accident..) the metro system makes getting around in paris so simple, and although i sometimes have to hold my breath and plug my nose as not to breathe in the sometimes putrid smells, i enjoy being thrown into the mix of the well dressed, straight faced, frenchies.
i came home and crashed for two hours and ruined plans of going out tonight due to an awful headache. i ate dinner and then had the privilege of skyping my favorite little clemson freshman:my kathy baby! the homesickness is subsiding, but i miss my friends every single day. i wish i could just move everyone to paris with me.
tomorrow we head to versailles to tour the castle and then i will take a bus to amsterdam to visit old friends and audition for disneyland paris. exciting weekend ahead, hopefully ill have good stories to tell on monday when i return!
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