Getting situated

So the day after I moved in I did the orientation thing. Nothing too special happened, except that we found out that we would be taking a French placement test the next day (to determine in which class we would be). Oh great. A test on the first day. We met at the American center of Sciences Po (on Rue de l'Universite)


My school doesn't have a "campus". It is comprised of a few buildings that are all in the same area (no more than 15 minutes from each other on foot). It feels a little crazy to be going to school in these old Parisian buildings. For example, one of my classrooms has a fireplace in it.

After class, a few new friends and I decided to try our first Parisian cafe experience. We walked down the Boulevard Saint Germain and found this nice place.

There, I ordered an espresso, which was very tasty.


It had been a good first day.

One of the great things about going to school in Paris is the availability of hot drinks. The next day, between classes, a few of us decided to find a place to get coffee. We sat outside on the sidewalk (pretty awkwardly, since there were six of us) and enjoyed being in Paris. It was a bit chilly that day, so I ordered un chocolat chaud (hot chocolate). It was wonderful.

Try to convince me that you are not jealous of this.

We were pretty near the Seine at this point, so for the rest of the time before classes we walked to take touristy photos.




Paris is very beautiful, but at the same time, it is not very clean. There are more garbage cans than I've ever seen in a city, but people don't seem to use them. Additionally, NO ONE cleans up after their dog. Since most people in Paris have dogs, you see how this can be a problem. Luckily I have not stepped in anything.

Yes, that is all in the Seine. That's why in the Mary-Kate and Ashley movie Passport to Paris they had to stop water pollution!

After class, my friends Sam and Ashley and I walked back to our metro stop. None of us had to be home soon, so we were wondering what to do for an hour or so. The Eglise Saint-Germain was right there by the metro, so we decided to look inside.




When we got out, we noticed how odd it was to have a Louis Vuitton store across the street from such a peaceful place.

Before getting on the Metro, I spotted a crepe stand. Um, yes please! It was delicious.

I went home to prepare for my trip to Normandie!