Today was the first day of orientation! It's going to last 10 days, and I learned today that not only is it for us to become more acquainted with the City and the sights, but also for us to better prepare for our classes and internship. Eek the internship! I'm a little nervous for that, but I have until September 21st to freak out about it. Yesterday we, by chance, got together with Natalia and Kat! Ah, the final missing puzzle pieces :) So we all met up together this morning before walking over to where IFE, the program, is housed. Luckily it's walking distance from our foyer. We'll be there for two classes this semester, one being a 3-hour class on just Paris every Friday morning. The walks are much more pleasant in the mornings when the streets are quiet, I think.
We were bombarded with information about the program and our classes and daily life and WOW everything! It was a lot to take in, but I love this kind of welcome/orientation stuff. Even more exciting that I could understand the French that was being spoken :) Gilbert, the son of one of the co-directors of IFE, will be our guide and go-to guy during orientation, and Severine is a woman who works for IFE. They both orientated (?) us, haha. And both are so nice! Gilbert's dad Tim joined too. It's a little more difficult for me to understand him since he is American and speaks French (albeit fluently and well) with an American accent. They took us all out to lunch (mmmm! didn't have to pay for it WAHOO!) and then we tried to buy cell phones and failed because in France you need to have your passport as identification. They want to make sure you don't use the phone for illegal activities and can look it up easily with that ID. Interesting, right? Of course none of us had our passport on us, so we have to come back another day and try again. Luckily, we were still able to buy metro passes.!
We took the bus to the 5th arr. which is where some of the buildings of the Sorbonne are, and other prestigious schools like Sciences Po. We joined up with the other IFE students and were lectured for almost an hour on the school. I wish I could relay some insightful information about the school, but the truth is, I was so tired I was trying not to fall asleep. Most people were the same way. It's hard to try to be attentive when you're being talked at for such a long time. In another language. We were also in the 6th and 7th arrondissements which are pretty rich and have a lot of really expensive stores. Of course I only window-shopped, save for the gelato that I couldn't resist buying. :)
The best part of the day was having the whole Goucher group together. I think we all mesh really well and have fun. We had to sign an honor code this morning that promised we would ONLY speak French. Period. In classes, At IFE, and with each other. I'm glad we did, and so we only spoke to one another in French all day and I think it will really help all of us. Speaking English isn't natural to me anymore! Weird, right? But kind of cool, too. I took TONS of pictures because I am the resident Paparazzo in the group. People may laugh and mock me, but I want to record every delicious, incredible moment of this experience. We happened upon the Louvre ("Ce batiment-la, qu'est ce que c'est?" "Je sais pas....Oh, C'est LE LOUVRE!") Gorgeous. Stunning. Awe-inspiring. And so much larger than life. It was sunset so we sat by the fountains and took pictures before walking to the Tuilerie Gardens, where Emily and I had run the other day.
I still can't believe I'm here. In Paris. I live here. This is my city. I know, for a fact, 100% absolutely that I will live in Paris when I'm older. You know when you feel something so strongly, like you just belong there? I'm in love with it, all of it. This is not to say that I don't miss parts of being home, too. School is about to start and a lot of my friends are either at Goucher already or are on their way. I miss all my friends at home so much. I miss my family of course, and I miss my wonderful boyfriend. I think it's ok to be simultaneously happy in one place and still yearn for another. Today was definitely one of the best days here so far (I know, out of what, 6? Each day is The Best Day). I have high hopes for tomorrow, too! :)
A demain, mes amis.
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