first couple of weeks...

so i've been in paris since september 10th and decided to create a blog instead of try to keep up with all the emails i've gotten. if you want to know how it's going or what i'm up to, you can just check here. and i'm really bad at keeping in touch so this makes my life a little easier...which is the real motivation behind this whole project.

anyway, i left home on a wednesday night and arrived in paris (with all of my junk - including a 90lb suitcase) on thursday afternoon. i checked into a hotel in the 17th arrondissement and stayed there for 4 nights. breakfast eachmorning consisted of baguette, croissant and individually wrapped mini slices of toast. aka - more gluten than i've eaten in a year. my body has since recovered but i refuse to stay gluten free in the city of bread and wine.

the guys at the front desk were mostly students my age and practiced their english on me while i practiced my french. they tried to help me find apartments and some even tried to get dinner with me. sadly for them, i am deeply committed to my wonderful boyfriend and i refuse to date anyone skinnier than me which all parisian men seem to be.

on those first days i played around on the metro and walked through my favorite neighborhoods to get back into the swing of life in paris. it is truly bizarre to be back in this city after four years away. it's as if i never left but at the same time it seems so new all over again. i will admit to being a little homesick at times but i'm really trying to push through it. it nearly ruined my last experience and i owe it to myself to fully enjoy this opportunity.

after the first weekend, 2 girls i met through the program and email but never in real life arrived in paris. they are betsy and sarah who i'm sure i will mention a lot in the next seven months. they are both very sweet and very smart and we all get along well. the two of them are living together in the 14th beginning october 1st while caitlin and i (another girl from the program) are still looking for a place to live. i will explain that disaster in a minute.

for now i am staying rent free in fourqueux (a town just outside of st germain-en-laye) with sarah's family friends from the us. they've been here for 20 years (betsy and ted) and raised their family here. i am so lucky to have made these friends so far because i think i might have imploded from all the overwhelming paperwork and logistics of a long stay visa in french. there are bank accounts and leases and cartes de sejour and social security and cell phones. oh, and did i mention that i came to france with no money because i have a target problem (i can't go into one without buying something from every department...including the doggy section and i have cats)? it is not conducive to saving money. that was dumb. anyway, betsy (i will call her mama betsy because that's what she is) has helped me out with all of this craziness and made me feel much better about life. no more anxiety attacks about deportation.

in terms of fellow language assistants, i have really liked every single person i've met. i'm sure i will narrow my group of friends because i couldn't possibly keep up with the 50+ people i've met so far and i believe there are hundreds of english language assistants from all english speaking countries. i have met people from the us, from canada, from ireland, scotland and england. it's all very exciting.

so for now i am continuing to adjust and get all of the important errands in order. i have been searching feverishly for an apartment and that is a constant disappointment. i am trying not to get discouraged and keep my hopes up. it is worse than looking for an apartment in nyc.

i'm sure i've forgotten things and promise to include them in my next post. i start work in my lycée on october first and will let you know all about that. i hope everyone is doing well and is totally jealous of my awesome parisian life. à bientôt mes chéries!