I can't really believe it's been a month already. On one hand, it has gone by so quickly - already a third of the way through the semester - but on the other hand it seems like I've been here so much longer. A lot of the little things are finally starting to fall into place : French bank account, year-long metro pass, telephone, etc. The work load is picking up, the rain is starting to fall, and my brain continues to switch between English and French.
Pictures!
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend last weekend in London with the lovely Maggie Day. It's incredible how much less stressful it is to not be constantly surrounded by a foreign language - being away from Paris really allowed me to take some time and get some much needed perspective. I realized that you don't always notice how stress out you are until you disengage and distance yourself from the situation. We also stopped by and saw the LSE campus, which was super helpful for my motivation. As I told Maggie, it's a bit hard to stay motivated when you've been working towards something for so long and then you reach that point. It's almost like "Okay, this is awesome. But why put myself through all this torturous work? Why am I doing this to myself?" Seeing LSE made my goals more tangible - seeing the campus, walking around the neighborhood I could live in, going through the beautiful library I would work in - it made me remember what I'm still working for. Not to say I can't enjoy Paris and Sciences Po for the experience is, quite the contrary. Having a goal and motivation will only allow me to make better use of my time here and get the most out of the education I can receive.
In other news, I've managed to make a few French acquaintances; my social life has been somewhat subdued by the amount of work I have, how tiring always thinking in French is, and the difficulty that getting home late at night poses, but when I do make it out, it is nice to have young French students to go out with. For example, last night I spent most of the evening with one of the other marraines, Sarah, her copain and their friends. Though it wasn't an action packed night, it was still really fun and it seemed more realistic, more French, than just going to a bar with a bunch of international students (not that I have a problem with that, they both have perks). I spent time in the 19th arrondissement, where I probably wouldn't wander without knowing people there, I learned slang and how to roll a cigarette, and listened to French techno. It's a bit funny, because in the US we think that everyone in Paris must just go out to bars and clubs all the time, but in fact they have appartement parties and pre-games just like we do in the US.
This Wednesday, we also got to go on a tour of all the welcoming "salons" in the Hotel de Ville - it's onlyyyy 130 years old, but super modern given the time it was built. It replaced the old Hotel de Ville that was burned to the ground during the revolution, and it's incredibly designed, luxurious and rich. The wood floors are the original flooring, which is remarkable considering it seemed in great condition still. Here are just a few pictures :)
Finally, our French professor has requested that we start blogging in French - since I don't really feel like switching this blog into French, I have created a Tumblr account instead. It's a bit easier to upkeep, so I post on there a bit more; if you want to follow it, here is the link :) http://lovelylittlelivi.tumblr.com/
Pictures!
In other news, I've managed to make a few French acquaintances; my social life has been somewhat subdued by the amount of work I have, how tiring always thinking in French is, and the difficulty that getting home late at night poses, but when I do make it out, it is nice to have young French students to go out with. For example, last night I spent most of the evening with one of the other marraines, Sarah, her copain and their friends. Though it wasn't an action packed night, it was still really fun and it seemed more realistic, more French, than just going to a bar with a bunch of international students (not that I have a problem with that, they both have perks). I spent time in the 19th arrondissement, where I probably wouldn't wander without knowing people there, I learned slang and how to roll a cigarette, and listened to French techno. It's a bit funny, because in the US we think that everyone in Paris must just go out to bars and clubs all the time, but in fact they have appartement parties and pre-games just like we do in the US.
This Wednesday, we also got to go on a tour of all the welcoming "salons" in the Hotel de Ville - it's onlyyyy 130 years old, but super modern given the time it was built. It replaced the old Hotel de Ville that was burned to the ground during the revolution, and it's incredibly designed, luxurious and rich. The wood floors are the original flooring, which is remarkable considering it seemed in great condition still. Here are just a few pictures :)
Finally, our French professor has requested that we start blogging in French - since I don't really feel like switching this blog into French, I have created a Tumblr account instead. It's a bit easier to upkeep, so I post on there a bit more; if you want to follow it, here is the link :) http://lovelylittlelivi.tumblr.com/
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