Bonjour mes amis américains! I’ve now been in Paris for almost a month and I’ve loved every second of it. The pastries are still just as delicious, the baguettes just as heavenly, and the cultural scene just as lively. Being in an amazing city like Paris makes it easy for me to forget that the actual reason I’m here is to study. Classes started about two weeks ago and course registration was an absolute disaster. One thing I’ve discovered since arriving here is the absolute inefficiency of the French school system. We were interested in taking cinema, literature, and history courses and we had to go to each separate department and sign up BY HAND for the classes. Of course, the departments weren’t anywhere near each other and we even had to take the Metro to get to the history department. To top it all off, most of the faculty we met with were grouchy and completely unwilling to help us poor, little “étudiantes étrangères” (study abroad students).
Not only are the departments in different locations, but their hours are completely opposite as well. We would make the trek all the way to the cinema offices only to find that they were closed on Tuesdays. Like, seriously Parisian faculty? At BC, if you’re a professor and aren’t in the office answering e-mails by 9 a.m. each morning, you can almost guarantee that unhappy students will soon be banging on your door. The entire process was painful to say the least, and we ended up wasting around 12 hours of our time either trying to sign up for classes or sitting through three hour lectures only to realize the particular course was way too challenging and/or boring. Now our schedules are pretty much figured out. We were lucky enough to find the French as a Foreign Language department (from an American girl we met at a bar one night!) that offers classes targeted to study abroad students. We couldn’t believe that none of the Diderot faculty had even mentioned this to us, but of course that would make things too easy and be so uncharacteristic of the French school system.
Unless we’re in class, our days are pretty much free for
us to do what we want, and so we’ve tried our hardest to take full advantage of the city. Each morning we get up early, do something touristy (see Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, etc) and explore a new area. We’re hoping if we get all the big tourist stuff out of the way now we’ll be able to spend the next few months finding “our Paris” and being completely Parisian. After our morning adventure, we’ll grab lunch and then find a pâtisserie so we can indulge in the amazing French pastries. By that point it’s time for class, so we head over to school.
The weekends are reserved for going out and resting. We’ve now been here for long enough that we’re starting to get into a routine that makes us feel like we really live here (which, of course, we do!). On Sundays, for example, my two friends and I go jogging in the Luxembourg Gardens, then hit up the nearby organic, open-air market to stock up on things like cheese, vegetables, and fruit. The market also sells this unbelievable hot chocolate that we always treat ourselves to after the morning workout. This past weekend was our second time at the market and already we’ve made friends with the market vendors! The woman at the cheese stand recognized us and brought us straight to the front of the line so we could sample some cheeses and buy our usual items.
In other food news, we went to a famous café called Angelina’s the other day for their renowned hot chocolate (although we decided that we actually prefer the hot chocolate from the market because it has a more bitter flavor, kind of like dark chocolate). As soon as we got there we could see just how popular it was. We waited in line for about 10 minutes before being seated but the time went by quickly as we ogled the stunning and colorful array of pastries and macaroons in the display case. When we finally sat down we immediately ordered their most popular menu item: the hot chocolate. Angelina’s hot chocolate is made from African chocolate and it’s served in a pitcher with a pot of whipped cream on the side. It legitimately looks just like melted chocolate and is the thickest, creamiest, richest hot chocolate I have ever tasted. After one small cup, your sweet tooth is satisfied and you need a nap.
We decided to take a trip to Sacré Coeur in Montmartre the other day. Before going, I read in one of my Paris tour books that the boulangerie that won the 2010 award for “Best Baguette in Paris” was right near where we were going. Of course we had to try one for ourselves so we bought a demi-baguette (half a baguette) and stood in the freezing cold to eat it. Parisian bread is delicious, but this baguette was in a league of its own. The outside was perfectly crunchy, the inside was light and fluffy. It had just come out of the oven and we could see the bread steaming as we ripped off chunks to devour. The entire thing was gone in less than five minutes. I think it’s safe to say I won’t ever get sick of the bread here. Now the only thing we want is to find the committee that chooses the boulangerie with the best baguette and become members!
One part of French culture that I could do without is the music.
We went to a club called Showcase the other night and, although the venue was unbelievable (under a bridge next to the Eiffel Tower), the music was not. Apparently two famous D.Js were doing the music that night, so the place was absolutely packed. Personally, I didn’t get what the big deal was. The music was this intense techno and each song sounded exactly the same. Don’t get me wrong – it was a blast and we danced all night, but I think by the end of the night we were all ready for some good old American hip-hop and rap. Fortunately, the next best thing was waiting for us when we walked outside the club: a crepe and sandwich stand! It’s almost impossible to find anything resembling “Late Night” when you’re starving after a night out, so this stand was the answer to our prayers. We ended up paying way too much for greasy fries and hot sandwiches, but it hit the spot and was totally worth it.
That’s all for now but check the blog again soon to hear more about my adventures abroad!