Bonjour!

I’ve finally made it to Paris! I’m settled in a cute little apartment in the 15th arrondissement, a quick metro ride away from most of Paris’ major landmarks and best restaurants. I’m starting to get the hang of navigating the metro and the busy streets to make it to class every day and to explore what I can of the city.

My trip across the world wasn’t too bad, all things considered.  When I got up on the morning I was supposed to leave, I got a call saying that both of my flights were canceled and I was rescheduled on two new flights. My second flight, out of Dallas, was also delayed twice while all the anxious passengers and I sat and waited.  Once we were in the air, however, I was calm and ready to have an adventure.

So far in France, I’ve done a few little touristy things, but I still have a very long list of things to do. I went to Place de la Concorde, where people used to be beheaded, and I’ve seen the outside of the Louvre castle and the big glass pyramids. We took a boat tour on the Seine River the first day, so I’ve seen the Eiffel Tower, but I haven’t been up to the top yet. I also visited Shakespeare and Company bookstore, which is now one of my favorite places. My program has also sponsored trips to the Loire Valley to look at chateaux and to the old, covered passages that hide in the very heart of the city. I’ve had some really good food, including Moroccan and Japanese cuisine, but nothing too weird yet.

The classes that I’m taking at the Sorbonne are going pretty well. I have a French grammar course, a phonetics course and two different civilization lectures that will start in the next few days.  My grammar class is very different from my one at home, but I really like it so far.

I’ll be sure to keep you updated on my future excursions and adventures!

Talk to you soon,

Sarah

Read about the weeks of preparation leading up to Sarah’s semester abroad in her blog, College Inc.