Cut all my hair off!

And I love it! Although it is a bit of a change that will take some getting used to. Haircuts are super cheap over here. - Katherine

A Busy Week!

Hello all!

A busy week this week with the end of orientation and the start of the language practicum (three hours a day of French grammar - whew!). It's finally Friday though - I finally have the time and energy to recount some of my adventures of the past week!

I took my first trip with the Velib last saturday! Alex recommended that I bicycle while I'm here - what a great suggestion! The Velib is a bicycle sharing program in Paris where you pay 30 euros/a year and then you can take a bike out for 45 minutes for free, with it being 1euro/half-hour after that. They designed it so it encourages commuters, rather than all-day trippers. It was so much fun! I had a great time cruising from my house to meet up with some reid hall friends. Unfortunately, I went 8 minutes over my time and have to pay 1 euro, which I can only do with a bank card. My bank card won't work until monday, so I am a velib-free until then :( At least it gives me time to buy a bike helmet!

My new purse!

My velib trip took me to meet up with some friends in Le Marais, just on the right bank above the cite island (where notre dame is). We went vintage/consignment shopping and I got some great stuff super on sale! 

My new cape!

Sunday was another exciting day, with a trip  to the bird market, notre dame, and an english language bookstore. It was fun to see all the things - although my Michael Connely novel at the bookstore was ridiculously expensive - 11 euro! I figured they knew that had Americans/English people who wanted  books in their home language pretty well suckered in. 

Yellow birds for sale!

Ducks for sale - not for eating!

45 euro for a pigeon? We decided it must be a homing pigeon!

Staute next to Notre Dame!

Notre Dame!

The advertisment I described - I said it was different
from American ads because the cake was to simple,
the ad was to chic, and no one in America advertises
for real sugar, only fake!

Monday marked the first day of the language practicum! I really like my professor, and its been VERY useful to re-learn all of the grammar I have forgotten over the past 6 years. It's been a lot of week, this week I had two oral presentations (one in which I had to interview a person who moved to Paris from another part of France/the world, and one in which I had to explain an advertisment) a written redaction (describing an important person in my life) and a quiz! the rest of the weeks look similarly busy. 

Otherwise things have been pretty quiet, things are going well with my host family and American friends. I went to a French/English language event "Franglish" Wednesday night, which is like speed friend-dating sortof. 7 minutes in French 7 minutes in English and then you switch partners. I met a cool French guy and girl who I am hoping to introduce to my American friends. 

This weekend I am looking forward to a lot of rest and relaxation. All of my other classes (in addition to the practicum) start next week, so I am going to be ridiculously busy! I'm sure I can handle it - but it is going to be very difficult. Wish me luck!

Katherine

A couple of days.

Hello all!

I have quite a bit to relate - it all might run together a bit, I couldn't post yesterday because of internet connectivity issues. They are all fixed now though, so hopefully I will be able to keep this regular thing going!

The Entire fountain

I woke up and waited for everyone to leave the house (it happens around 9 - except for Fabien who leaves later but he is usually in his room in the back so it doesn't matter so much) before settling in to listen to some French radio and check my morning e-mail. Imagine my surprise when, around 945, Stephane came home and went into his bedroom to take a nap! These French people have things down! I think he actually does a lot of work from home, because he often comes back in the afternoon around when I do, but it was still odd to see him come back after having left. I had some extra time, so I walked to Reid Hall the long way - around the luxembourg gardens. It was very pretty and nice to see people jogging in the morning. I also saw a super cool fountain in the "garden of the grand explorers". (Photo left and right/below)

I love these horses!

The morning at Reid Hall started with more presentations of classes, we had contemporary literature, the myth of paris, cultural politics in paris (as related through the study of the content and placement of museums and their content), French/African relations, and French/US relations. As in Tuesday, all of the professors were notable for their enthusiasm for their subjects and clear knowledge. We (my orientation group) also realized that they are all professors at other french universities, so we think they are all so excited because at Reid Hall they have an opportunity to design and teach a course about the subject they are most passionate about. We also think they are excited to teach at Reid Hall because the American style seminar is much more involved and personal than that of the french. I have my final schedule, which is as follows:

Academic Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences (@ RH)

Tuesday 1:30pm – 3:30pm

Friday 10am – 12pm

Introduction to the History of Contemporary Economics (French Lecture @ SP)

AHIS 1480

Lecture: Thursday 10:15am – 12:15pm (Michel Margairaz)

Section: Thursday 8:00am – 10:00am  (Béatrice Touchelay)

French/African Relations (Joint Honors Seminar @ RH/SP)

Monday 12:30pm – 2:30pm (Starts 01-23 ends 04-16)

Thursday 2:00pm – 3:30pm  (Starts 02-09 ends 04-19)

The Sociology of Arab States (French Elective @ SP) – 63257

CAFF 1515 – Monday 7:15pm – 9:15pm

Rafé Jabari 

The sociology of Arab states will be difficult because it meets so late on Monday, but I am excited about the class and I have plenty of time in the afternoon for a nap. On Monday, we start the three week language practicum, which counts for three credits and 1/5 of the courses we are required to take. It meets three hours a day (GAHHH) at alternate times throughout the week. Although I am not really looking forward to that many hours of french grammar, it will be nice to begin to settle into a routine and start to get to know some of my fellow program-mates better. 

After eating the sandwiches offered by the program for lunch, a few friends from Columbia and I went out to a cafe for a coffe and to explore the first day of the "soldes". In France, there aren't sales like there are in the US. Instead, twice a year (January and June, I think) all store are required by law to have huge sales that last six weeks. I am a little fuzzy on the specifics of the thing, but basically all clothing stores, and many speciality boutiques (sunglasses, purses, shoes, luggage, et cetera) have the majority of their merchandise marked SUPER down. It was a little bit crazy, but fun to see all of the stores going all it with their "soldes" designs. There has been quite a bit of debate among Reid Hall students as to whether it is better to go at the beginning of the soldes, when things are (relatively) more expensive but there is more selection, or at the end, when things are cheaper but they are out of many styles and sizes. I haven't been shopping yet, but am thinking about going tomorrow (Friday) or (Saturday) to see if I can snag some sunglasses or possibly a new neutral purse. There was also a long maxi dress I had my eye on in the window at Zara so I might have to walk the 150 feet there from my apartment to see if its still around! 

ANYWAYS, the important part of the story about my friends and I going to the cafe, was that we sat down and waited for a waiter, who eventually came. He took our orders and asked us if we were going to eat or just drink coffee. We said just drink and he said, oh, then you have to go downstairs. We went downstairs, where there was an entire huge room completely empty. We were pretty sure we had been banished on account of being American, and our suspicions were confirmed when we finished our coffees and returned upstairs to see people just drinking at the table we had been forced to vacate. OOPS! Even if this Anglo-discrimination was not the case, I decided to assume it was for the sake of the story. Either way, we all had good attitudes and thoroughly enjoyed our banishment to the table in the dungeon. 

After coffee, we returned to Reid Hall to meet up for our afternoon tour. I was in the group going to "La Maison Rouge" a contemporary art museum. I really liked the museum, the exposition was centered on death, and they did a very good job arranging the contemporary pieces next to art from the middle ages that expressed the same themes. I am looking at the brochure now, and I think that the exposition we saw is touring around all of France, which is cool. One of the more impressive (from a technical) standpoint was a giant (think grandma - or ben! - sized christmas tree laid down flat on the floor). It had ornaments on it and looked incredibly (I mean 100%) realistic, except for the fact that two parrots were sitting on the trunk. The artist had individually cast each pine needle and then soldered them onto thebranches. It was quite a feat and I really cannot imagine how long it must have taken.  I think I am quite enchanted with French modern art, it has a dark and morbid twist to it that I think makes it pretty awesome! 

After the museum, the entire group was taken out to coffee (again!) by our group leader. A few friends and I had a fun time talking with her about nightlife in Paris and things to do/places to see. My favorite part of this conversation was when she proclaimed (in her halting english) that "I went to New York. Nightlife there is dead, everyone is from New Jersey. Paris is much better". French superiority at its best, non? 

King of Pop boutique!

After this coffee I went out for another coffee (gah.) with my buddy at Sciences-Po. This is sortof an oldgirl/newgirl program in which one first year at Sciences Po is given an international student to befriend and help show the ropes. My buddy is AWESOME!!! She is so nice, and after our conversation (in french!) over coffee, in which she explained the entire french university/high school system (SO helpful - and pretty interesting for a kid form the US) she took me on a tour of her neighborhood and then back to her apartment for a dinner party of sorts with her core group of friends. Before I get to the dinner party I would like to point out the photo at the right, which is an entire store on a main boulevard in Paris dedicated to the king of pop himself- Michael Jackson. It was even crowded! Who woulda-thunk it?

The dinner party with Amelie and her friends was very nice and a great introduction to French people my age. They were all super nice to me and I enjoyed trying to understand what the heck they were talking about. They helped me participate in the conversation by explaining major topics slowly and teaching me a bunch of new slang! Two of her friends are french canadian (and Amelie is super good at english - it is comparatively much better than my french) so it was pretty easy to understand one another. I answered a few of their questions about America, but mostly I just listened to their stories. I was surprised by how welcoming this group was, and especially by how well they responded to my token American joking familiarity! In total, I spent 7 hours with Amelie and 5 with her friends before taking the metro back with her friend Pierre to the sixieme. Pierre knew less about America than all the others, so it was fun talking to him - he told me he was thinking about coming to New York for an internship and asked me about American greetings, so I taught him the handshake, the pound, and the high five! I think it confused him (especially in my sub-par French) - but it was fun for me!

I passed out when I got home, and woke up in the morning to by a subway pass and then go for another outing with Reid Hall. The subway pass was notable because I made a pretty embarassing rookie mistake. I got the pass (see right) and then went to refill it. I bought a week, thinking that would be a good amount of time to see how much I would actually use it. What I didn't realize was that the week is fixed, when you buy a week it is from the 9th-15th. So, I paid a week price for three days! Ohwell :( at least the weekend is coming up! 

A Brochure for the Exhibit

My outing this morning, was to le conciergerie - the prison where people (notably marie antionette) were kept during the French revolution. The exposition space in front of the museum had a VERY cool exhibit - "betes off" which explored "The animal as other" I liked it very much - especially two pieces. One was an owl suspended in mid-air in a vortex-of-sorts created by grids of wires, and the other one was a horse created by draping some sortof fabric/animal skin over a sawhorse.

Photos from the brochure of my two favorite exhibits

The prison itself was pretty cool, if a bit unremarkable because 1. we didn't get to see the whole thing and 2. a lot of it was changed post-revolution in an effort to do something-or-other. Still pretty cool to have the history though! I would like to read more about it, if anyone (dad) has a good book to recommend! After the museum, we went back to Reid Hall for more sandwiches (I am desperately tired of sandwiches). I skipped the afternoon tour in favor of a nap at home. 

After my nap, I summoned up the courage to ask Stephane to help me fix my internet - which he did very graciously! I do love my host family, although sometimes it can be difficult because you feel like an interloper (and one who doesn't speak at that). We had sauerkraut for dinner though, so that was pretty cool. I am a big sauerkraut fan. 

Veronique and Stephane are leaving for the weekend for Normandie (where they have a second home) so it'll just be Fabien, me and Cedric in the house. Hopefully it will be a fun weekend! More exploring tomorrow - look forward to updates! Also, send me good luck wishes for when I go to the post office tomorrow! Please send them in French so I can practice my speaking! Before I sign off, a few random notes that didn't fit anywhere else: 

This is a random poster that is literally all over the city. Did the apple even originate in France? Why does anyone care? Questions to ponder on a rainy day. 

This is a poster I got super excited about because I thought it was about riding. Then one of my friends pointed out that it was clearly about french ladies and their man-ensnaring (and possibly killing) ways. Oops. I probably won't go see it. 

Kitty looking mad and wanting to be petted

And last, but certainly not least - THE KITTY!!! I don't know its name, and I forgot whether its a boy or a girl, so I call it alternatively monsieur chat or madame chat. Sometimes it swats at me when it is lying on my bed, which I do NOT appreciate. But, realistically, its really more the cats bed than my bed. Ohwell! It is nice to have a kitty around, especially one who generally enjoys being petted. Also, French people give their cats milk to drink, its so cute, (s)he has his/her own saucer!!

 

 

Kitty looking mad and wanting to be petted part 2

Kitty asleep on my lap and happy to be petted

Orientation #2 and the Catacombs!

Bonjour tous!

Today was our second day of orientation, with the morning devoted to fifteen-minute presentations by the teachers of half of the courses at Reid Hall. Unlike how this would have been done in the US (in a giant group lecture), we were broken up into smaller groups of 15 students and the teachers rotated between our rooms, each giving us their fifteen minute-spiel and then moving on. I (as well as the other students I spoke with) was very impressed by the teachers enthusiasm for their subjects as well as their level of knowledge and their wit. We heard from the professors of urban history of paris, arts in paris, community in paris, political life in france, and a joint honors seminar about the theory behind diversity. I don't plan to take any of the courses, but it was still nice to meet some professors and see the clear quality of those that Reid Hall/Columbia has recruited. 

We had a sandwich break for lunch that lasted an hour and forty-five minutes (I love the French!) so a few friends and I went to the Catacombs, a ten to fifteen (if you don't get lost) minute walk from Reid Hall. For anyone interested in background, read the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris

Basically, Paris had six million sets of human bones that needed to be moved because they were a contamination issue so they moved them all to line tunnels underground. For four euros, you can check out this testament to something. IT WAS SO COOL! It also made me want to vomit kindof a lot. Six million people is really a big number. They had the packing of bones down - it all appeared very efficient! Here are some photos:

The tunnel down to the catacombs was super dungeon-y and creepy/awesome

Statue built underground (don't quite know why)

BONES! Dr. Temperance Brenan would love this stuff! I wish bones would film an episode here!

I totally did! Just one though. shhh

More bones!

Looking appropriately somber (I hope)

After lunch, we returned to Reid Hall, where my group stayed while the other three went on different  walking tours around Paris (we'll have our walking tours the other days). Instead, we learned about all of the different activities in and around Paris that Reid Hall offers us (for free!). It was super exciting, the ones I am going to try and sign up for are: a class learning how to make crepes, an potluck dinner with an international group of students from the Sorbonne, a series of classes and lunches with the political club of Paris #2 (a university) and their faculty leader about the upcoming French presidential election, French cooking classes (we are each allowed to take two), a baking class to learn how to make macarons (!), a wine tasting course, and a performance of Swan Lake by the Moscow ballet. I am very excited about what the semester has to offer!

After all of this learning and exploring, I headed home for a long nap! Now I am sitting on the couch talking (or trying to talk) to Fabien (23) and watching Stephane trying to fix the TV. I think I might know which buttons to push but I am not getting in between a man and his toys! He has been trying to fix it for over an hour now and I have yet to hear him swear and he hasn't gotten frustrated and stormed away in fury! Much different than my home ;) It should be interesting to see how this turns out - he has now started to unplug the TV. 

I have postcards for many of you, but until I figure out how to buy stamps they aren't going anywhere. Please be patient and know that I haven't forgetten about any of you!

Katherine

Update: Veronique is giving Stephane a despairing look. The TV is plugged back in but it is not working any better. Stephane has given up. C'est la vie! 

Orientation

Hello all!

After a restful 11 hours of sleep (7pm-6am) I woke up with a mind to do some research on the internet and then run some errands. My internet, however, (freebox - you plug it into an outlet and then you put the ethernet cord into the computer - good thing mom and I bought the ethernet adapter!) wasn't working. I spent an hour or so trying to figure it out, to no avail. I went out to get breakfast around 730am, its difficult because my family sleeps in and I didn't want to wake anyone up!

I resigned myself to the prospect of no internet and set out for reid hall early to see if I could use the wifi there. I finally figured out where it was, and got lots of valuable research done about where to buy a hairdryer and how to buy stamps. Blogs of expats in Paris are invaluably helpful - from them I learned about Monoprix, which I would equate to a smaller version of a supertarget or a walmart (a store with everything + a grocery store). I left RH to go find monoprix, where I bought some breakfast food, shampoo, a water bottle, post-its, pens, and peanut butter.

A few reflections on le Monoprix:
1. Even mid-price range level grocery stores here have better meat/cheese/wine/alcohol/dairy/everything except vegetables than the expensive groceries in the US

2. French people hate peanut butter. Also, peanut butter (beurre de cacahuete) can sound alot like poop butter if you overprounounce the "caca" and the front instead of prounouncing it "ca-shewett". OOPS. I got quite a look from the grocery store man before he realized what I was talking about, corrected me, and then led me (after a bit of searching) to the tiny section of the tiny shelf where the tiny jar of peanut butter was housed. Guess how much aforementioned tiny jar of peanut butter cost - 6 euros! It will be my first and last jar in Paris, but during my first weeks here I think it will be a good reminder of home!

3. "En bas" means the hairdryers are downstairs, not in the back. Knowing that one could have saved me quite a bit of searching!

4. French people don't eat a lot of cottage cheese :(

5. Salespeople move SLOW here! I waited in line to checkout while the clerk took her sweet time doing everything except helping people. She totally would have gotten fired in new york. I went back later to pick up something else and the second clerk took just as long! Ohwell, c'est la vie.

After monoprix, I went back to reid hall for orientation where I learned a lot of relevant stuff (and got a french bank account with Credit Lyonnais), but nothing that is terribly relevant for anyone reading this!

Afterwards, I came back home and watched a movie (in French!) while I waited for my host family to arrive. We ate dinner around 745 (quite late for me - as my parents and friends will attest). It was my first dinner with my family, and it was not what I expected (or what i have been told is the traditional french way). We ate at the counter, three on one side and one on the other, and Cedric (age 16) ate quite quickly and then ran back to his room for homework (or something)! I didn't mind it at all, I spent some time talking with my host mom (Veronique) before and after we ate. She even complimented my French!

I have been watching the news and/or soccer games in the evening when Stephane (host dad) and Fabien (23) do. I think I can already understand a little bit more - quite exciting! We are watching "Camelot" now, then its off for a bath in my tub (!!) and bed in my wonderful, cozy room.

A Bientot!

PS
I apologize for any grammatical errors - my written english has been suffering as I spend more time learning French. 

Some Explorations!

Hello all!

Yesterday I walked from my apartment to the eiffel tower (past l'hotel des invalides, which is not exactly (or at all) what it sounds like it would be in english). I took the bus back, I'm already quite fond of public transport in Paris!

Today, a couple of friends from Columbia and I went to  a dog show in Vincennes, just outside of paris. It was so much fun! It was in "parc floral" so we had a nice walk there (we walked through an exhibition of christmas tree people - see below!) and then enjoyed seeing all of the dogs! There were probably over 1000, the space was huge! After that we passed through an old-car show that was touring through paris! Right next to the park was le "chateau de vincennes" a chateau for french royalty that dates from the 14th century. It was pretty cool (and free!) to walk through, photos below. A very successful day so far, later on this afternoon I am going to be meeting the daughter of my host family, who is coming over with her wedding dress!

Some photos of my day:





The christmas tree people! Alice in Wonderland and some sexy santas!


                                                                                                Xmas tree Shrek!




Chows at the dog show reminded me of Kaikai :(



Super cool old tow truck! The back is made of wood!

An old ford and the  sign for the car "traversee"

                                                                                                                        

The entrance to the chateau de vincennes - the moat is now grassy but the drawbridge is still there!

  The newer (c. 1600) part of the chateau

I have arrived!

Hello all!

After a 24-hour layover spent in the winter dark at a hotel in Reykjavik I arrived in Paris and settled into my hotel room in St. Germain de-Pres (there's an accent or two in there somewhere but I haven't figured out how to make them when I'm typing on the internet yet. Hopefully soon!) The most exciting part of my flights to Paris was when I landed at Roissy and had a question about customs (la duane)...I had an entire conversation with a airport official (in French!). 

After arriving at my hotel I went on a walk around the neighborhood to run errands and check out my homestay apartment (more on this later). I got my french phone (#07.86.79.93.28 - don't forget to dial the country code (33) if you need to call), wandered around, ate a sandwich (delicious and definitely one of the top 10 sandwiches I have ever eaten, this city is great!), and bought a map some books written in French for preteens (so I can understand them) at a librarie (bookstore). After that I napped and then went to dinner at a creperie with some other Columbia students studying at Reid hall this semester. 

Today I woke up, wandered around a bit, and then went to meet my host family. Veronique, Stephane, Fabien (23) and Cedric (16) are WONDERFUL!!! They welcomed me with open arms into their (HUGE) apartment. I am staying in their daughter's old room (who has now moved out) and it is beautiful! Below are photos of:

Nini, bear, my gingerbread parents and a polar bear I commandered from their daughter's drawer on my new bed!

A larger view of my cheerful blue bed!

My desk!

The view from the (very tiny) balcony outside my window. I'm not sure if balcony is the right word, its more of a step enclosed by a gate.

My huge, beautiful windows (that open onto the balcony)

I was nervous about coming here but once I walked around a bit I realized that, for all the hype, you can't fill a city with models. All of the shop people I have encountered so far have been very very and willing to help me out in english when my French fails. I am optimistic going into my orientation at Reid Hall (tomorrow) and excited for what the next months have in store! I am not, however, looking forward to the depressing part of culture shock that I am informed will hit me in a few days or weeks. Ohwell, hopefully I can stave it off!! A Bientot!