Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Wow, I really can't believe how fast the time is going... AND how much money I'm spending! I bought some sandwich meat the other day, and it cost .50 euros a slice! So I got like 2 4 packs for about 4 euros. Everything is such a blur, I barely remember what to say! I had an awesome crepe yesterday with eggs, cheese, and ham... soooo good! we also went to see a film on the history of paris which was really cheesy but cute and got me excited to see more monuments in paris. I walked around with a few kids, they seemed like they were looking for something, but I wasn't really paying attention, more like just checking out the scenery. we passed the opera de bastille, louvre, and tuileries garden. I also had the chance to go for a walk in the Luxembourg gardens on Monday, which was gorgeous!...
Monday we also had someone come in and talk about the possibility of an internship, which during the summer sounded too annoying and difficult, but now I'm starting to rethink it... I talked to the guy after class, and he said he could probably hook me up with an internship where I would translate french websites to english. i would get school credits and possibly a stipend. i would work 20hrs/week and take my classes at night. I'm really excited!
Today I took my placement test and on monday i can find out what classes i can take based on my level of french. i think i did ok... then me and 3 friends got a cafe au lait and walked around for 3 hours! we went food shopping (1 euro for a bottle of wine!) and I got a pastry for 3 euros- it was THE BEST strawberry shortcake i've ever had! tonight im going to eat in with some friends and were going to make quesadillas and other things for dinner :)
xoxo

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Yesterday, Saturday, I had class from 10am-4pm. It was pretty boring, but at the end of class we went to a cafe, and my friend Molly, who is here and had studied with the same program, joined us for coffee and crepes! There were a lot of us... and they messed up my order 3 times :(... but it was still really fun. I got a cell phone, but i still need things like cups, a sponge, dish soap, and possibly a fridge. The fridge thing sucks, since its hard to buy one and you cant rent on. theres a communal fridge in the basement. i think that's what i will do. But its really stuffed, and I worry about spending $ on colecuts, and having someone find it and steal it. Everything here is super expensive- I'm still on the hunt for cheap eats. Even grocery food is pricey.
Anyway, after the crepes, I went back to my dorm and hung out with my friends. then I got ready, and we went out without the aid of a guide. My friend Emily and I went and met 3 or 4 other kids in front of the opera de la bastille. We had dinner, and then bar hopping, trying to find the cheapest drinks. I then called my friend salome, who was celebrating a friends birthday. They were hanging out by the seine, and it was fun trying to speak french with them. One of the girls got upset about something unfortunately, so she wanted to leave. The men here are very rude, I think, because they are so forthcoming. I think that's why she got upset. So we went to some bar near by, and then we went home. Emily and I were very proud that we figured out how to get home even though the train we usually take was closed (i guess that train stops running earlier?).
Today I slept in, and had lunch with some friends. Then I tried to find out about refrigerators and making photocopies. After looking around, I got bored and tired, and decided I wanted to hang with my friends again. But I couldn't find them, which made it worse. So finally, I just jumped on the subway and got off at Notre Dame. I walked along the Seine, looking at the bouquinists. They have little stands that are built in along the river, and they have souvenirs and old books and old paintings and new paintings. So I got 12 postcards for 2 euro (very cheap!) and a book on Medeival French theater for 3 euro (in french :)). Suddenly I hear someone go, "Kristen???" and I turn around and there's my friend Noel and her 2 other friends whom I know! That was very lucky and cool. So I walked around with them in the Latin Quarter and they got food and things. Then we stopped in a bar called Mad Maker that had a cool pirate theme and the inside is like a pirate ship. It was cool, but we were the only people there, so it was cozy this time too. There were couches so we chilled and the other kids spoke in both french and english (they all were fluent in both). They were also great because they encouraged me to speak in french, even though I'm slow and usually they have no idea what im trying to say haha. I seem to be getting along with this girl Noel, shes really cool and is really encouraging when it comes to speaking in french. She gave me tips and we hung out in her room when we got back. She also invited me to breakfast with her tomorrow which made me excited!!
I'll let you know how tomorrow is!!!
xoxo

Friday, September 25, 2009

je suis ici!

i mlade it to france
key boards here are different/weird
flight was cramped but food was really fancy
dorm is decent but growing on me
yesterday a girl on my program whos already been here a month took us out with a french friend and we had a real french dinner. very expensive for most things. so i only got some soup called cannet or something?
camera isnt working
went on boat ride on seine today
gotta go!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Leaving soon!!!

I will be leaving for Paris this Wed. at 7pm and arriving early Thurs. morning!!
I still need to pack though! haha