les premiers jours

the french airport is incredibly confusing, and people move as if in a stampede- no one is afraid to maul you to the ground. after getting off the plane, i somehow found baggage claim and was able to retrieve both bags without any problems (thank you luggage gods!) i put my bags on a cart and began my search for terminal C, porte 8. i must have asked 10 people where this door was and it still took me way too long to find it. once i got there, i saw three other girls who looked just as culture shocked as i was and asked if they were with ISA. they were. phew. i was no longer alone in this.
we wandered the airport for nearly 45 minutes before finding an ISA staff member, but once we did, we got instruction packets, a metro pass, maps, and we were sent off in a shuttle to our new homes.
we dropped off the first student (Evy) in the 15th arrondissement. for those of you who don't know who are reading this blog, paris is divided into 20 different regions, each being called an arrondissement. the apartment building and the location were spectacular. she was right in the middle of beautiful cream colored buildings, each with their own unique design. i was jealous, but excited to see where i would be living. we bid Evy farewell and continued driving.
about 15 minutes later we arrived at my homestay. i will admit i was disappointed from the get go of the outer appearance and the location. it was nothing like what we'd just seen...
my roommate gaelle and i went into the apartment and were greeted by a lovely woman named Lucile Hirel. she is so sweet and so accommodating, but as the day went on and we explored the arrondissement (19th) a bit more, we realized it may not be the place for us for these next four months. im going to defend myself for a minute to those of you who assume that im being dramatic and over the top...this time, im not. i called my dad to express my concerns with the location. some google travel websites said that the 19th arrondissement is "not for the faint of heart.." not very comforting. while the woman who lives here is wonderful, this really wasn't the "parisien experience" my roommate and i were looking for. we don't need buckingham palace...but a place i feel safe walking alone would be appreciated. hopefully the housing will be sorted out soon so i can unpack all of my things.
we had a lovely dinner. salad, pork chop, mashed potatoes, and lots of cheese and bread. it's a good thing im doing so much walking, because the food here is so rich!
after dinner i skyped a few friends and talked to my family. im hoping the homesickness will fizzle out quickly. so far there have been no tears, praise the lord, but im definitely not in my usual spirits. i miss home.
i fell asleep around 11:30 pm and slept all through the night.

this morning i woke up at 7:25 am in order to shower, eat breakfast, dress up cute for my orientaion, and not get lost on the metro before my 10 am meeting with ISA. the office is located directly across from notre dame, so the walk was absolutely gorgeous and i kept oo-ing and ah-ing past every shop we saw.

we got to orientation and i met the other isa students who will be studying at the sorbonne as well. everyone seems really interesting and im excited to make friends with people. im also challenged by how well some of them speak french. ive been a big fish in a small pond, especially in clemson, so its nice having other students my age who are just as fluent in french and even more so than i am- keeps me on my toes.
we ate lunch at a small cafe that served crepes. i ordered a fromage et jambon crepe. (ham and cheese). twas absolutely delicious. but i have to be cautious of money here, as a glass of soda costs nearly 6 euros in most places.
after orientation ended i was able to meet up with my grandparents who are in Paris for meetings. they are the coolest grandparents in the entire world, i kid you not, as they were on their way to the french ambassador's home and were sharing a rendez vous with the president of france the next day. im telling you, theyre the coolest. and most attractive.

after a short visit, i headed back to the metro so i would be back home in time for dinner. i got some photos of the paris opera and another building covered in lights- i think thats one of the things i love most about paris, there are lights everywhere, it brings me a comfort i don't know how to explain. i love it. 

last but not least was my metro ride home. i got on the metro and heard beautiful jazz music coming from a trumpet. it was this guy and he played our whole ride home. i love this city. i love the music, the lights, the culture, the food, the fast paced lifestyle, the trends, the french, i could go on and on. i feel like this city was made for me.