School is in session!

I am officially a student in France! Class started on Monday, I am taking four classes this semester.

Monday and Wednesday morning I have conversation followed by grammar. My conversation teacher is actually a little freaky looking. He has these really blue eyes and almost translucent skin with dark hair. Today we read an article about how the French are as tourists, he was bopping around the room asking us if we thought this article was true or false. My grammar teacher has the craziest hair, it sticks out from everywhere! She is soo French! Her favorite color is purple, and without fail, everyday she wears something purple. The grammar class is actually really helpful, we are going over things we learned in high school but in new ways. Just like we have little tricks to remember things in English (i before e except after c...etc) the French have the same thing. I really like learning this way.

Tuesday afternoons I have an education seminar. It is three hours, which is so incredibly long. The first class was so hard, the professor speaks so fast and when she slurs her words together it is almost impossible to figure out what she is saying. The class will be great because for six weeks we are teaching English in the Parisian suburbs to teenagers who want to get into the tourism industry. I will be working with a teacher, creating lesson plans, then teaching by myself four lessons over five weeks. I will keep everyone posted on the progress.

Thursday afternoons I have a French culture class, I have not had this class yet, so I don't know anything about it, but I will let everyone know how it goes tomorrow. All of my classes are in French, as a result I have to sign a contract that says I will only speak French at the center, most of the students aren't taking all of their classes in French so they don't have to sign this contract. Most of my friends are able to speak English so they have been teasing me that they will be able to speak English to me and I will have to respond in French. Things are going well, I am excited to have things more in order now. Love from Paris...

Life in the 15th

I moved in with Madame Levy today...I think this has topped all scary days. As my luck, it was quite the adventure! There is another girl in the program named Sara Cook, they of course mixed up our cabs. So I got a call from the cab company telling me I was in the wrong cab and that I did it all wrong. I told the dispatcher that I was already in the cab and on my way, so he called the cab driver and I guess what happened was that the man who had my information and the cab driver who ended up actually taking me just switched. The cab ride wasn't that long, but we were barricaded in by everyone else's taxis; and he of course had the meter running which I didn't know until we left the hotel. What really made me mad about this driver was that the meter made the fare was 27 Euros...he charged me 30! Needless to say...that was his tip! He took my bags out of the car, put them in the road and left. So there I was trying to get my two heavy suitcases, a carry-on bag, backpack, laundry bag, and purse up to my apartment. By the time I got everything in I was exhausted! It took me a little bit to figure out the security system in my apartment building, but eventually I figured it out.

Madame Levy (Michelle) lives on the fourth floor. Little known fact, in France that is actually the fifth floor, all buildings start with zero instead of one. She seems very nice, she showed me right to my room so that I could put all my things down. Her apartment is very hard to describe...I told my friend Margaret that it is a cross between eclectic, Victorian, and the 70s. My room has a fire place which is neat (even though it doesn't work). I have my own 1/2 bath with a sink, and I share the shower room with Michelle. I think many of you will appreciate my "closet" and I use the term loosely. There is a small cabinet in the bathroom for towels, that is my closet! Not exactly what I am used to, but at least everything fits! Michelle made me lunch and we chatted for a bit, she seems very nice. She is retired, she was a mathematician and now she teaches philosophy once a week on Mondays. She enjoys reading and is in a book club. The good news is that she has hosted American students for the past 7 years, but I am her first student with the program I am studying with. She said something about getting another student from another program...so I will see what happens with that. I wonder if I will have to share my "closet?"

In terms of internet, I think I am getting wifi! I am not positive but we were talking about it today. I will let everyone know if I do, at any rate it wouldn't be until next week. McDonald's in Paris all have free wireless internet, so I am sitting in this huge McDonald's drinking Evian water and using their internet! I miss you all so much! Love from Paris...

Homestay avec Mme Levy

So the scariest part of the trip so far was receiving our homestay information. They put us all in this small room and made us wait for at least a half an hour, when someone finally came in everyone was so nervous. At first when I got my information I was a little disappointed. I am living in the 15th, it is a pretty long metro ride to school (around 45min). I really didn't know anything about the neighborhood, so I did a little research. The 15th is the largest arondissement in all of Paris and the least touristy. Yesterday, I ventured out to check out my neighborhood. IT IS SO CUTE! I was so relieved and happy! There are tons of cute little shops, cafes, a big movie theatre, and so much more. The apartment building is beautiful, it is traditional ornate french architecture (picture to come later) with a big black wrought iron front door. I have not seen the actual apartment yet, but I am sure it will be nice since the building is so nice.

My french host is Michelle Levy, she is in her early 60s and just retired. She was a mathematician and philosophy professor. She has one grown son and two grandchildren who live in Russia. She loves to cook, which is great because I guess she told the housing director that she is really excited to cook for me! The only thing is that she doesn't speak english. It will be great for my french, but I am a little nervous in the beginning. I know we will have some cultural differences but I think we will be able to understand each other. I am uncertain of the internet situation in the apartment, so I will try to update everyone over the weekend if I have internet...if not, you will have to wait until Monday!

Hope all is well in the States. Love from Paris...

My first "Ah-ha" moment!

For those of you who aren't Oprah watchers, she has this theory where something becomes clear to you and she calls it her ah-ha moment. Well, I am excited to report that I had my first (of I hope many) ah-ha moments today! I said goodbye to my friends at the Grands Boulevard metro stop outside our school (they were going shopping, I needed to do a few things in a different neighborhood) I walked to my train, got on and started listening to my iPod. Now, I know this doesn't sound like a big deal, but I had to transfer trains, so I got off the first train and I was walking to my second when I realized that I was (a) listening to my favorite song (b) walking fast to make the train like the Parisians do and (c) walking around people, so they were getting out of my way! It was in that moment, going to my second train that I had the ah-ha moment. I am really here! I am living for the next year in one of the most amazing cities in the world. I can't express to all of you how happy I am to be here. I have made some great friends, last night some of us were sitting in our room and we made a list of all the places we want to go to together.

Anyways, I started the Intensive Language Program today, it really wasn't very intense, just long. I also didn't think that my level was very hard, so I am interested to see if they move me up a level. My instructor's name is Lucie, and she actually did her PhD at the University of Delaware. Real classes start next Monday, so until then I only have class until 12:30p everyday! We are going to be spending our afternoons exploring different parts of the city, today we are going to the Galleries Lafayette, a huge department store not too far from school. Okay, I am off to explore. Love from Paris...

Vaux le Vicomte et Les Rendez-vous des Amis

Yesterday our program organized a trip to a castle right outside Paris, Vaux le Vicomte (VleV). The castle is about an hour East of Paris by bus. It was beautiful, the story goes that Louis XIV thought that VleV was more beautiful then his beloved Versailles; as a result he stole all the original furniture from the castle and put the creator in an iron mask and locked him in the basement of VleV. This is where the story of the Man in the Iron mask comes from! Although it was so hot, we enjoyed the afternoon roaming through the castle and beautiful gardens. Some of us explored the back paths leading around the castle, we found a little alcove made of flagstones. Since this was partially built into the ground, it was cool inside...a much appreciated break from the heat! We took some pictures then headed back to the entrance to meet our bus; but not before stopping in the gift shop to look at the wall that Eva Longoria and the cast of Desperate Housewives signed when they visited (Tony Parker and Eva Longoria were married at Vaux le Vicomte).

Some of the girls and I stopped at a little cafe after we returned to Paris for margaritas. We laughed about drinking margaritas in Paris, but the cold drink was very refreshing. I went back to the hotel, took a nap, showered, made myself some dinner, and then navigated the nightlife of Paris with some friends. We looked through a guidebook and found a great little bar right in our own neighborhood. In the tagline it said great drinks at student prices, we were sold! Hillary (my roommate) and I went with a few other girls to check out this bar, it was packed with locals! We were excited to practice our french! We got a drink and went out on the terrace. It was a beautiful night, so we sat and enjoyed our drinks then headed home early. Today we are planning on visiting the Centre Pompidou, a famous modern art museum here in Paris. With our student ID card it is free, so it should be an enjoyable afternoon! Love from Paris...

Le Refuge des Fondues

Last night my new friends and I went to this great fondue restaurant I read about before I left. It is called Le Refuge des Fondues and it was actually right down "la rue" from our hotel. Inside there are two long tables where everyone is squished together, to get to the seats near the wall the owners pull out the tables and help you step over the table. Next to us there was a French couple and on the other side a couple from the UK. For 17 Euros the six of us had appetizers, cheese fondue, meat fondue, fruit, and (what they are famous for...) red wine from baby bottles. In France, the government puts a tax on wine glasses, so they out-smarted the French government by putting the wine in baby bottles. We had a wonderful meal and a great conversation getting to know each other.

School is in the 2nd arrondissment (neighborhood) on this quiet little street just off the main boulevard. The school is small, but in a beautiful old building with a courtyard in the middle. We have free wireless internet at the center (which is great because most places you have to pay). I am unsure what the internet will be like with my host family, so it may be hard to contact me on the weekends when the center is closed. In just a little while the program director is going to go over final class information so I am excited to see where I will be placed and what classes I will be taking. I also hope I will be able to figure out a schedule, right now since everything is so new, we are going places when they tell us to then just roaming during free time. I know I am looking forward to knowing my way around!

Some people have been asking for my address here in France, here it is:

Sarah Coban
CPEC: Centre Parisien d'Etudes Critiques
37, rue du Sentier
75002 Paris
France


Hope all is well with everyone in the states! Love from Paris...

I have arrived!

Hi everyone!

I have arrived safely in Paris! The trip was an interesting one! My flight from Appleton to Chicago was un-airconditioned and way longer then they said it would be. The flight from Chicago to Paris went by pretty fast, I didn't think I would sleep but I took some benedryl and slept for most of the flight. I am sure everyone will get a good laugh out of me getting all my bags onto the tram WITHOUT a cart! Just so you know...one bag was 52lbs the other 61lbs, not to mention my backpack and carry-on bag! There were a couple of times where I didn't think I was going to make it, my arms were so sore.

There are 50 people in the program from all over the country, there are for sure some groups forming, but I really like the people I have met so far. Thats all for now, I have to get to orientation!