In Which I Get Down to Business....Sort Of

This week marked my first "real week" in Paris.  I moved into my dorm and got started with my BU program.  My room is decent, a little dingy but big.  I definitely think that it is about the same size as my freshman year double room.  My favorite thing is that I have my own sink in the room.  At least, it was my favorite thing until I discovered I have one because the bathrooms in the dorm only have toilets and I have to go back to my room to wash my hands.  And....some people have their own bathrooms in the rooms!  As a 21 year old female with long hair and an extensive beauty routine, I feel I should have been given priority for one of these pieces of prime real estate.  What does a GUY who is only going to be here for 2 months need his own shower for???  In other news, I have gotten my internet to work approximately two thirds of the time.  Notice that I did not say it doesn't work one third of the time, I'm really trying to look on the bright side here people.  The walls are a little thin.  The person above is apparently on the losing side of an ongoing battle of where to place their chair.  Why under the desk is not sufficient I may never know.

Orientation was...long.  A lot of it seemed like it could have been much more efficiently transmitted via email.  Like the syllabi for all the courses, I don't need you to schedule an hour to literally read a powerpoint to me.  I can do that all on my own, scout's honor.  My favorite part of it was trying some different french foods. We tried wines, cheeses, and desserts from four regions around France.  I'm not a huge red wine person, but I discovered an unknown love for apple tarts from Normandy.

I had my first French class on Thursday.  I am in the more advanced group of the more advanced track, but I still feel like I am miles ahead of everyone.  Not trying to brag or anything, I just think I'm not at the same level.  We were going over pronunciation points that I remember covering in the third grade.  This is going to be a long month and a half.

Today was really fun.  After our class on post-colonialism, my friend Jacqui and I grabbed lunch and walked over to our talk at the US Embassy together.  The walk was beautiful!  We passed the Eiffel Tower and then walked down the Champs-Élysées, oohing and ahhing at the stores we will never be able to afford.  It was still fun to pretend.  The Embassy talk was not so fun.  I am now convinced that all my belongings are going to be stolen and I am going to be kidnapped if I even set foot outside after dark.  My hypochondriac tendencies are creeping into my social life.

The view down the famous street

The actual sign!

Something out of my dreams

This too...sigh.

This is the president's residence, a French White House if you will

On the internship front, I got some good news!  I have an interview on January 25th with INSEP.  It is the French National Institute for Sports and Physical Education.  Basically, they give young athletes with high potential the chance to train at an elite facility while they finish school.  My duties, as I understand it, would be to help organize for when foreign delegations stop by, assist with translating and day to day work.  It sounds perfect for me.  Maybe I'll even meet some Olympians, since meeting celebrities is my only real passion in life.  Honestly though, this sounds like a great stepping stone for my dream of working for the US Olympic Committee.

This weekend I am exploring the "Défense" neighborhood for a class assignment, and hopefully doing some shopping.  Sales only happen twice a year in France, so the discounts are enormous.  Hopefully I can find something that will make my friends jealous (duh, my only goal) and still allow me to eat.