Settling in the 15th

Bonjour, or since its 18:00 here, bonsoir! (I am attempting to adjust to army time). The last few days have been such a whirlwind that I am not even sure what to tell you all...I apologize in advance for how long this post will be - we have a lot to catch up on!

Upon landing, I took a cab to the FIAP (hostel). My cab driver was a lovely Portuguese man who told me all about the different mentalities among the immigrating Arabs and native Parisians. He was very interested in talking politics as well – most cab drivers are. The night before, he also bought his 17-year-old daughter a moped as a congratulatory gift for starting her last year of high school! How nice!

The hostel was nice, clean, friendly, had free bad food, and lacked hot water. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to move out. You all know how I like to nest! Lucky for me, we had "Landlord Coaching 101" (I kid you not) the following day at the NYU site, and when we met with my landlady (Barbara) that evening, she was nice enough to let us move in immediately! Most landlords immediately wanted a full payment of security deposit and first month’s rent, but mine just wanted us to have hot showers.

I am living in the 15^th arrondissement with three other girls in an enormous and luminous quintessential Parisian apartment - no amenity left behind! We each have our own spacious rooms - we converted the "salon" (breakfast room) into a large bedroom - a full, modern, kitchen, living room, 2 showers, and 2 bathrooms! We also are lucky enough to have a washer and dryer and wifi, all of which are rare to have in a home in France. Did I mention every room has floor to ceiling windows that open onto small terraces with flower baskets? To top it all, I have a fireplace in my room! It is truly a dream come true – visitors at any time (ahem, ahem Amanda!) I will post pictures in the days to come. Up until today, I have been trying to get my bearings in this very dangerously great shopping neighborhood, food shopping, and unpacking. Finally it’s starting to look just like home!

Each day has been filled with meetings, orientation sessions, placement tests, administrative issues, and very forward older men. Apparently, its totally appropriate here for men to stop you on the street, tell you you’re pretty, and invite you for “zee drinks latayer zat eevuhning” (drinks later that evening). I have also learned that my name is nearly impossible to pronounce. It sounds something like “eeeee-lah-reeee.” Talk about culture differences! This is the norm.

I can’t wait for classes and a routine day to start. Until then, all orientation has taken place in Passy, the neighborhood in the 16^th arrondissment where NYU is located. It’s a very peaceful, wealthier area; many retirees make it quaint, classy, and very safe. The NYU site is also wonderful (I feel like I’m over using that word but everything really is wonderful!) It resembles a building from the story Madeline! The windows on the ground floor have colored glass and flowers and green and trees are everywhere. Again, I’ll have pictures to try and do this justice shortly.

Today I woke up early and went for breakfast with two friends, both of whom lived on my floor last year. There is nothing quite like a “pain au chocolat” fresh and warm in the morning – sheer bliss, so much so that anything on your mind instantly disappears. We then took the metro over to their apartment (also great) and walked a very long way along the Seine until voilà! Straight ahead there it was... La Tour Eiffel. It’s been exciting to pass on my way to school everyday, but it is truly magical to sit underneath and picnic. We walked to a cute boulangerie nearby and bought cheese,  baguettes, and a box of Le Petit Écolier cookies, and sat among flowers to enjoy and take lots of pictures.

Later in the afternoon, we took a very long walk along the Seine and passed notable monuments of the city. I’m not sure you know the scale of the city (I didn’t), but its expansive and not as easy to walk as New York. The weather was too wonderful to pass up, you see, so we walked from the Eiffel Tower all the way to Notre Dame to meet up with another friend. I assure you, this was a very long walk. It was beautiful and we needed to walk off the huge baguette anyways. Our final destination made it entirely worth it. Across from Notre Dame is the café known for serving Paris’ best ice cream: Berthillon. The dark chocolate ice cream was TO DIE FOR - and I’m a very picky ice cream eater! I suppose this is the equivalent to New York’s Grimauldis – wait on a long line, so worth it. Anyone who comes: I promise you will taste this delight! The dark chocolate ice cream tasted like pure chocolate and even the cone tasted fresher!

Tonight is one of my friends’ birthdays so we are all going for a fondue dinner and a night out on the town. Now that we’re all settled, time to get to know the Latin Quarter! Tomorrow is Sunday so everything is closed except museums. Since the weather won’t be nice for much longer, I think we are going to the outdoor Rodin Museum. I’ll let you know.

Gros Bisous to one and all!