Moni's Blog

:-D

So i'm here! I arrived in Paris at about 10am yesterday, after only a moderately hellish flight, and got here to the Fondation des Etats-Unis around 1, after taking a bus and a taxi through the city. I really like where we're living. The Cite Universitaire is a HUGE campus of dorms and student buildings for students from all sorts of countries. So there are lots of young people all over the place, and it really seems like there's a lot going on. I like my room, too. It's probably in floor space somehere inbetween the size of a small single and a large single in Pierce, but it's high-ceilinged, so it seems much bigger. And it has a sink! I'll try to put up pictures soon.
After i got all checked in and took a shower and did some unpacking, i found Annie Sanders and we went and got food at the "restaurant universitaire" and then walked around. We've dubbed the restaurant universitaire "Pierce en Paris," and pretty much decided never to eat there again. But the walk was nice.
Later on that evening i went for a more extended walk with a large group of Chicago people, and then for dinner we went to a creperie recommended by Paula, who's here in the Civ program with us, but also did the summer language program in Paris, and so knows the area. After dinner we were all too tired and jet-lagged to go out, so we sat around talking.
Today Adelle, Malkah, Eric, Elliot and I decided to be touristy. We took the Metro to Notre Dame, and then walked to the Centre Pompidou (the museum of contemporary art), down through Les Halles (a park), through the courtyards of the Louvre, and through the Tuileries, down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe.
It's all very incredible. I love just walking down the street and seeing the boulangeries and the parcs and knowing that i'm in Paris. And the monuments we walked to today, of course, were awe-inspiring. I particularly loved that the priests at Notre Dame are multi-lingual, and do confessions in different languages, and the bronze plaque of Charles de Gaulle's speech after the fall of Paris under the Arc de Triomphe. I took a bunch of pictures, i'll try to post them tomorrow morning.
For now though, it's almost nine pm, and since all i've had to eat today is a brioche, and that was at 1 o'clock or so, i'm gonna go try to round people up to go to dinner. Afterwards, all of Paris will be celebrating Nuit Blanche, an annual even where museums stay open all night and there are concerts and exhibitions. I'll try to tell y'all all about it.

Love y'all!

posted by Monica @ 11:19 AM