Write Me!

During my semester in Paris my address is:
CIEE
37 bis rue du Sentier
Paris 75002 France

I'd love to hear from you and send you a post card or letter back!


Au revoir!

Sumol anyone?

I have finally arrived in Paris - to stay, at least. Wednesday afternoon Jean-Claude and Claudie dropped me off at the FIAP Jean-Monnet (a student hotel / center type place) in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. I was greeted by one of my best friends, Erica, and was given information and meal cards from my study abroad directors. It felt a little like the first day of school but with all the excitement.

It hasn't even been a week and our group has already done and seen so much. There are 18 of us and so we've been able to do a lot of things together as well as separately. Here's a quick list of what I've tasted so far in Paris:

Wednesday: arrival, visiting and dining in the Latin Quarter

Thursday: CIEE Study Center, 2nd arrondissement exploration, bateaux mouches, hanging out on a bridge overlooking the Seine to end the night

Friday: CIEE, exploring Boboland and surrounding districts, exploring Parisien nightlife

Saturday: Chez Jean coffee shop in the 11th arrondissement (definitely returning), a biiiit of shopping near the FIAP, free outdoor movie "La vie du chateau"

Sunday: American Church in Paris visit, then wandering around the church only to see le Grand Palais, le Petit Palais, and of course the Eiffel Tower. By chance found a Franco-Portuguese restaurant, which of course I loved.

Today, Sunday, was by far my favorite day. Erica and I took the metro to the American Church in Paris for the 11:00 service. I expected a place that was more modern...not modern as in a stylish modern. "Modern" as in wood paneling and and ugly brown felt on the pews. The exact opposite. It looked like a refurbished cathedral, full of stained glass windows and a gorgeous organ. The sermon was great, and I was able to heard the pastor's testimony. I was so happy to see diversity. People from all over - United States, Australia, Senegal, UK, Canada - filled the church. I loved it. 

After service, Erica and I  walked around to see some sites around the Church. The Seine was across the street from the church so we started there a went to a few more places. Gardens. Three museums. Les Invalides. Oh, right, and the Eiffel Tower. After we had our share of walking we met up with two girls from our program for lunch. We didn’t really know where to go around the Eiffel Tower so we just kept our eyes open for a nice restaurant without a huge snobby price tag. First thing we find? Le Bistro de Longchamps, a Franco-Portuguese restaurant. Of course that would happen. And, of course, it would be family-owned (you could tell by the father daughter, very passionate convo going on). Sumol Ananas. Chicken. And um garato. Yum. I’ve been craving my dad’s coffee ever since I’ve been here, and after explaining what I wanted, he spoke to me in Portuguese and brought me an excellent coffee. Will I be returning? Of course. Obrigado.

Well, that is a quick update of my time so far. Placement test tomorrow for French, better get the desire to speak more Portuguese out of my head soon. Maybe some crepes will help!

play the game

Sitting in "ma chambre" in Moreuil and thinking about tomorrow. I will finally be going to Paris to stay... for a while at least. I'm packed, know what I'm wearing tomorrow and I have the address of where I need to be by 2 P.M., but I am I ready?

Moreuil, Amiens, Fort-Mahon are all cities I've visited multiple times. I've returned, slept in the same beds, looked out the same windows, and talked to the same people. They've all become, in some way or another, second homes for me. Jean-Claude and Claudie have been like grandparents to me, as even my friend Leah noticed, and I couldn't have asked better circumstances to start off my study-abroad experience.

However, tomorrow is another place. More people, more views, and probably more work for me to communicate. I've grown so accustomed to Claudie's strong Picard accent (She's my favorite) that it will be weird to listen to Parisians all the time. Will I love it like I've always dreamed? Will I consider it a second home, or rather third?

Today, Claudie gave me some advice. She said, "Tatiana, I don't say this to make you angry, but you're too serious.. you need to smile more... your face doesn't always reflect joy". This made me laugh. Oh, the French. I understood what she was saying, but to me it didn't make much sense. She was telling me what she saw, but to me, it wasn't the same as what I know. What do I know? That I love to laugh and smile and joke, but sure, sometimes I am serious. I told her to ask my family and friends, the people that see me all the time.
So what do you do when foreigners tell you how you are? Do you change for them or just flat out get angry? Neither. You, as my mom would say, "play the game".

I don't want to compartmentalize the French, but from my experience I have noticed they are less open than Americans with a lot of things. Notably, their private problems and their feelings. They probably would never blog about things like this ;) . Oh well, je m'en fiche. When someone reveals more than happiness on their face, even if they're not sad, there could be a problem. They tell you what they think, and it's weird if you're upset about it. You kind of just have to take it. It's a weird and new thing I haven't quite understood, but I'm learning how to more and more each time I come here. Does that mean I want to be like that? No, but nobody's perfect, including me, and it's hard to change some things.

Rules of The Game:
1. Know who you are and what you want.
2. Listen to the opinions and advice of others, and take what you need to accomplish and improve your goal(s).
3. Need to vent? Go to someone who cares (Seriously, I'm not trying to be sarcastic).
4. Last, but not least... Smile.

So to answer my first question, I don't know if I'm "ready" for Paris, but who really is ever ready for the unexpected? I have my things packed, but as for everything else, I'll figure it out. Classes. Apartment. Professors. And so much more. I'll take some of Claudie's advice and smile, but for the most part I'll focus on what I want out of this trip and make it happen. Take the good, leave the bad, and move forward.

Bon voyage!

I'm writing you from Aristo Cafe in Boston. I have an all-day layover here before I fly out to Paris, so I decided to see the city a bit and grab some breakfast.

I had to say goodbye to my family last night. That was probably (prolly) the best definition of "bittersweet" I could come up with. I enjoyed spending time with them this summer so I think it will just take a moment for me to miss them a little less ;)

I wanted to write you all from Boston because I am not sure how much internet access I will have when I first arrive in France. I do not have to be at my study abroad orientation until August 18th so I will spend my last couple of weeks of summer with some friends of the family, Jean-Claude and Claudie. They are basically like grandparents, and I have stayed with them before so it doesn't seems too foreign yet. I arrive tomorrow morning and that afternoon one of my good friends Leah will come and visit for a few days. She's in London, but is making that train trip so we can hang out. So excited!

Some other things on the list before orientation: World War I exposition with Jean-Claude (be jealous), visiting the city of Amiens, and spending some time in Fort-Mahon (where Jean-Claude and Claudie have their beach house).

Well, I'm going to finish my iced caramel latte... It's humid here in Boston but hopefully I can enjoy my last day in the States :)