New Accommodations

I moved to my homestay today! I'm living in a 5th floor walk up apartment in the Latin Quarter, in the 6th arrondissement. I recently read a Wall Street Journal article that said the 6th is the most desirable area to live in, and so far, so good. I have a very nice host mom and my own room, which is great. She has had a lot of visiting students in the past, so I think it will work out well. Also with all the stairs and all the walking I do, I'm sure to get some kind of workout.

When I arrived my host mom was very kind but it was the first time I deeply missed my family. Not that I haven't been missing them before this, but moving to a new apartment with a woman I don't know is quite different from living in an apartment with American students. I'm excited for how my French will improve through this experience. She speaks English, but she only speaks to me in French, which is preferable for actually learning the language!

After I settled in we left the apartment to get lunch. We stumbled upon a woman who was holding a map, and my host mom asked if she needed help. Jane, the woman is Australian (from Adelaide) and we ended up taking her to four different places to find a SIM card and then she came with us to the pizza restaurant for lunch. It was very fancy! And very delicious. My host mom is quite dramatic (she used to be an actress and you can certainly tell) and she doesn't seem to know a stranger. She kept joking with all the people in the restaurant. I have a feeling everything is going to be fine.

After that I ended up going with Jane to see some of Paris. She had just arrived this morning. We went into Notre Dame, and oh my goodness, so beautiful. A Venezuelan orchestra was playing and the cathedral is gorgeous and it was fantastic. Then we went into the Palais de Justice, which I think is a courthouse, just because we could, and then tried to see Saint Chapelle but it was closed today. We checked out the Pompidou too. Unfortunately I left my camera and phone in the apartment so I couldn't take any photos. Never did I think I would've spent the afternoon with a woman from Australia but it was definitely fun.

I was near CEA at this point (my school here) and decided to head over there for the 5 pm "gouter" which was a welcome snack of crepes and cider for the new students! There are now over 100 American students instead of just the 15 there were two days ago. It'll be great to meet all the new people. Unfortunately on the way to CEA my phone fell out of a hole in the pocket of my rain jacket and hit the ground, and now it seems to be potentially broken. So I'll need to figure that out tomorrow.

Tonight my host mom cooked dinner for me and it was quite delicious. Chicken with mustard and cream sauce, peas, and carrots. There also were some other vegetables in the sauce but I wasn't sure what. Also there was champagne, salad, bread, and cheese. Then we had creme caramel and two little biscuits for dessert. She'll cook for me two nights a week, Monday and Wednesday. I will eat breakfast here each morning as well, and she already laid out all my food for breakfast because I have to be at orientation at 8:30 AM tomorrow. So I am being very well taken care of! I'm missing everyone at home but loving the Parisian life!

First "authentic" French meal!