Bonjour! My name is Amanda First, I’m a junior English major, and I’m abroad for the semester in Paris. I’ve been here since January, and so far it’s been the craziest–and most exciting–two months of my life. I’ve done the main tourist attractions: seen the Eiffel Tower, been to the Louvre–three times–and sat inside Notre Dame cathedral, but I’ve also done so much more than that. I’ve walked to the top of Montmartre, a beautiful neighborhood in the north of paris on top of a huge hill (that’s where the Moulin Rouge is!). I’ve walked hundreds of feet underground to Paris’s catacombs to see the tombs of revolutionary soldiers. I’ve walked over the Seine, under the Seine, I’ve even been on a boat tour of the Seine (twice!). But mostly I just walk wherever my feet take me, because there’s always something new to explore in this amazing city. Everywhere I turn there’s a new restaurant, beautiful historical building, park, or adorable vintage boutique to explore.
I’m studying literature, history, and art history this semester at the University of Paris, also known as the Sorbonne. It’s kind of hard to miss Friday 9 AM classes in rusty Uris Hall when your school looks like this:
I take all my classes in French, with French third-year university students. Its definitely a challenge, and sometimes I have absolutely no idea what the professors are talking about, but I’m glad I decided to go all-out while I’m here–I can already tell my French is starting to get better, and I get to learn about much more interesting things in the French University system than if I were just taking French classes at my program center or in an American school.
I live in an apartment with a French woman, my “mère d’acceuil” (host mother), and we eat dinner together on weeknights. She’s opened my eyes to SO MANY French foods–one time I even tried foie gras (a totally new experience for me, but not bad!), and on Sundays her kids and baby grandkids (so cute!) come and we all have an enormous brunch together. Who knew that in France, “brunch” means a five-course meal with wine and champagne? I love living in a French apartment because it’s an amazing way to get to know the culture here firsthand, and practice my French at the same time. My neighborhood is really cool, too–it’s a lot like the Lower East Side of New York. There are a lot of “bobos” who live around me–borgeois bohèmes, or the French equivalent of hipsters. So yes, when I go out here I’m still awash in a sea of plaid shirts and horn-rimmed glasses. The only difference is that everyone is speaking French (and chain-smoking constantly, of course–this is Paris, after all).
My classes all meet once a week for three hours, and I have no classes on Fridays, so I have tons of free time. I’ve gotten to travel a little–I’ve been to Amsterdam, next weekend I’m going to London, and for Spring Break I’m taking a ten-day trip to Madrid and Barcelona–but mostly I just spend my time exploring Paris. The gym is CRAZY expensive here (140 Euro a month, which is about 200 dollars!!), so my main form of exercise is choosing a different neighborhood and exploring it by foot each day, either with my friends or by myself. Even if there are no tourist attractions, there’s no better place than Paris to sit outside a café with a cup of coffee and a book and people-watch.
Last weekend, some of my friends from Cornell came to visit me, so I showed them all around Paris. We went to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Musée D’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie (two gorgeous Impressionist museums), as well as Galeries Lafayette (an enormous department store). I was happy for an excuse to go back to some of my favorite places! On Sunday, when a lot of Paris was closed, we went to the Jewish quarter in Le Marais (French for “swamp”), a trendy area near me with lots of stores and restaurants. We ate at this really famous felafel stand called L’As du Felafel–the line was out the door but it was worth every delicious bite! I’ve never found a city more full of delicious food at every turn than Paris.
It’s only March, and I have three more amazing months to come. Paris will only get more beautiful as the weather gets warmer! Next time, I’ll blog about my trip to London this weekend!