After what feels like a whole year of preparing for my trip, I have finally made it to Paris.
Yesterday, my mom and I drove from home to JFK around 3 pm to catch my 9 pm flight. To say it was a stressful trip would be the biggest understatement of the century. I can't remember the last time I was so stressed. Despite leaving 6 hours early, I was actually scared at one point that I was going to miss my flight. The roads going to JFK are not marked well at all, and we kept getting lost over and over again and no one could help us. Very frustrating. But, of course, we made it to JFK with much time to spare. I even managed to make my bags under the 50 pound weight limit, a major feat for me.
I had two other people from my program on my flight, so it was fun meeting and catching up with them before we got to Paris. I slept pretty much the whole plane ride, but am still very jet lagged today.
Once we arrived in Paris and celebrated as we saw all of our bags arrive in baggage claim, we had to meet up with two other people from our program that we were sharing a shuttle with. Our shuttle bus to the Foyer (our dorm for the first week) was almost like a tour through the city. Though I have yet to get a good view, we caught a glimpse of the top of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and a few other cool sites.
Once we got to our dorm, we checked in and got our room assignments. Then we went on a walking tour of the Latin Quarter, the neighborhood our classes will be. I definitely got turned around a few times but I think I will know my way around soon enough. The main center point I will remember in our neighborhood is the Jardin du Luxembourg, an amazingly beautiful garden where people were laying out on the grass, running, and playing a lot of sports like bocce and tennis. I look forward to hanging out there in between classes. It apparently was really busy today because it is one of the nicest days they have had in all of August.
Another cool thing we saw on our tour was a huge group of roller bladers riding down a street together. Our instructor told us that they shut down a street once a week so people can roller blade. Might have to add that to the Paris bucket list!
Our tour ended on one of the bridges over the Seine with a view of the Notre Dame. The Notre Dame really blew me away. It didn't look real. I can't wait to get a closer view and go inside. Then our instructor left us and said we could do whatever we wanted to do the rest of the day. Everyone in my group was so hungry and tired so we decided to find somewhere to eat ASAP. It was exciting already being in the city on our own! I didn't feel nervous at all. We decided to go to the Boulangerie Saint-Michel, got some sandwiches (the bread is amazing), and head back to the dorm to rest for awhile. Our dorm and class is on Boulevard Saint-Michel, so I have a feeling I will frequent that boulangerie. They had amazing-looking waffles and crepes with nutella. Yum!
Now it is 5 pm France time, and all I want to do is shower and go to sleep. The stress of yesterday and all the excitement today has completely wiped me out, but I am doing my best to stay awake the rest of the day. Our group was going to try to rally and go hang out at the Jardin du Luxembourg, but right now I think everyone is ready to call it a day.
Quick shout out to Mom and Dad for everything, big and small, that you've done to make this happen for me! Thank you!!!!
Here are some pictures from my day.
Bisous!
Claire
Yesterday, my mom and I drove from home to JFK around 3 pm to catch my 9 pm flight. To say it was a stressful trip would be the biggest understatement of the century. I can't remember the last time I was so stressed. Despite leaving 6 hours early, I was actually scared at one point that I was going to miss my flight. The roads going to JFK are not marked well at all, and we kept getting lost over and over again and no one could help us. Very frustrating. But, of course, we made it to JFK with much time to spare. I even managed to make my bags under the 50 pound weight limit, a major feat for me.
I had two other people from my program on my flight, so it was fun meeting and catching up with them before we got to Paris. I slept pretty much the whole plane ride, but am still very jet lagged today.
Once we arrived in Paris and celebrated as we saw all of our bags arrive in baggage claim, we had to meet up with two other people from our program that we were sharing a shuttle with. Our shuttle bus to the Foyer (our dorm for the first week) was almost like a tour through the city. Though I have yet to get a good view, we caught a glimpse of the top of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and a few other cool sites.
Once we got to our dorm, we checked in and got our room assignments. Then we went on a walking tour of the Latin Quarter, the neighborhood our classes will be. I definitely got turned around a few times but I think I will know my way around soon enough. The main center point I will remember in our neighborhood is the Jardin du Luxembourg, an amazingly beautiful garden where people were laying out on the grass, running, and playing a lot of sports like bocce and tennis. I look forward to hanging out there in between classes. It apparently was really busy today because it is one of the nicest days they have had in all of August.
Another cool thing we saw on our tour was a huge group of roller bladers riding down a street together. Our instructor told us that they shut down a street once a week so people can roller blade. Might have to add that to the Paris bucket list!
Our tour ended on one of the bridges over the Seine with a view of the Notre Dame. The Notre Dame really blew me away. It didn't look real. I can't wait to get a closer view and go inside. Then our instructor left us and said we could do whatever we wanted to do the rest of the day. Everyone in my group was so hungry and tired so we decided to find somewhere to eat ASAP. It was exciting already being in the city on our own! I didn't feel nervous at all. We decided to go to the Boulangerie Saint-Michel, got some sandwiches (the bread is amazing), and head back to the dorm to rest for awhile. Our dorm and class is on Boulevard Saint-Michel, so I have a feeling I will frequent that boulangerie. They had amazing-looking waffles and crepes with nutella. Yum!
Now it is 5 pm France time, and all I want to do is shower and go to sleep. The stress of yesterday and all the excitement today has completely wiped me out, but I am doing my best to stay awake the rest of the day. Our group was going to try to rally and go hang out at the Jardin du Luxembourg, but right now I think everyone is ready to call it a day.
Quick shout out to Mom and Dad for everything, big and small, that you've done to make this happen for me! Thank you!!!!
Here are some pictures from my day.
Bisous!
Claire