Bonjour de Paris!

I guess it's a good time to write a blog. I feel like I can never say enough to justify my experience so far, but alas I will do my best.

I arrived on Monday morning and got lost in Charles de Gaulle airport. SUCKS. That airport is sooo big and scary and nothing is in English! It's like stepping into the unknown.. I felt really sad and scared and out of place. Luckily a French woman was nice enough to give me some tips about being in this airport and also guide me to my exit.

Anyhow, I arrived at the center Monday morning knowing NO ONE. Seriously, no one. A lot of people on this program are girls, and most of them are actually pre-existing friends from UCSB. Made it a little harder for me to make friends (haha), but fortunately I did. Funnily enough, I've been hanging out mostly with another Christine (yes, two Christine's!), two Cindy's, and an Alex (and some other people sometimes). They've been fun to be around especially because they're down to explore the city and take advantage of what little time we have in Paris.

The lifestyle here is SOOO different from what I'm used to, and I realized that it's just something I have to get used to. I'm STILL not completely over my jet lag.. It's almost 8am here right now and I'm awake (definitely not typical). But I've been learning to adjust to the food here (they eat bread with everything!!), even though I've found that I'm CONSTANTLY still hungry. Parisians are a lot more conservative in dress than I thought, making it a little bit difficult for me to figure out to wear on the daily, but also making it so necessary for me to go shopping! I've found that the sun NEVER sleeps on Paris, literally! Makes it a bit harder for my jet lag, but making it easier for me to explore the beauty of the city without it being creepily dark. It's up when I wake up at 6am, and it doesn't set till about 11pm. I've been riding the Metro a lot, which is similar to the Bart system in the Bay Area (although so much more confusing in Paris!). It's so fast that it's impossible to be late anywhere. I have also discovered the creepiness of Parisian men (gross).. Getting hit on like a billion times a day is not the business. But it's all in the experience.

I've been having a lot of fun and I don't really know how else to explain. I guess I'll keep you all posted as time passes (hopefully it doesn't take me a billion years to update again haha).

Some key places I been to..

I went to the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday. It is soooooooo beautiful. SERIOUSLY. I never realized the grandeur of it all until I actually went. There are so many gypsies there trying to rob you of money though, actually quite annoying! But other than that, it's just amazing. And seeing it along the Seine River was just BREATHTAKING. Luckily the weather was perfect on that day. I plan to go back and picnic there just because it seriously is a beautiful and calming place to be.

I also went to the Louvre, although I didn't go in the museum yet. It was more of a field trip with my history/culture class, and we learned about the facades of the Louvre. I didn't really know the history of the Louvre coming to Paris.. I didn't even know that it used to be the kings' residence prior to Versailles. But learning about the different symbols on the building is just amazing.. And how the different kings left their marks on the city through this building. SERIOUSLY. I was in awe! I am definitely planning to go back, and especially planning to go into the museum (the center gave us a free pass to most of the museums in Paris! SWEET).

Yesterday we went to the Chateau de Chantilly, one of the castles here in Paris. It was soooo beautiful. And although the families that lived there weren't actual royalty, their castle is AMAZING. It has a stable that's seriously another castle in itself, because apparently the prince wanted to be reincarnated into a horse and needed a grand stable to live in. What the heck, right?! HAHA. But seriously... AMAZING. And the museum inside the castle was soo rich. I loved it.

I have yet to go to other museums and castles.. But so far I've just been awestruck at the wonders of this city. I absolutely LOVE Paris! It's so rich in history and culture, and just plain beautiful. More updates to come later!

Au revoir.. (: