Les premiers jours

It's 6pm on August 28 here in Paris. I have officially been here for one week now and I swear it may have been the busiest, most exhausting, most unique, and funnest week of my life. Last Sunday I left my boyfriend, Dane in Holland and arrived at Paris Gare du Nord at 18h30 sharp by the Thalys (which will be my lifeline for the year as it's only a 3 hr ride between Paris and Rotterdam/Amsterdam and 60 euros r/t).

It was scorching hot in Paris and sunny. I immediately took the taxi straight to my place and I kid you not, it was the scariest the drive of my life. That cab driver was weaving in and out all over the place crossing between traffic and the bus lane and constantly flooring it and slamming the brakes. My mother would have been sobbing. It really scared me at first but when I realized after a few minutes we weren't dead yet and how inexpensive the drive was going to be at that pace, I relaxed and just enjoyed the thrill ;) Only a 10 euro fare too!

So my place...it's beautiful. Jocelyne, the woman that owns the apartment welcomed me and she even made dinner for the two of us in the evening since it was Sunday and no where's open in France on Sunday and I obviously had no food. I wasn't even hungry or worried but yes very nice of her. Then the next morning she took me with her to run errands to show me the neighborhood and particularly the marketplaces and best places for grocery shopping. Really entirely too sweet I lucked out beyond belief! Psh just now I ran outside to one of the few markets open on Sunday to get some stuff to cook for dinner tonight and as I entered the door she came shuffling out of her room with a box of classy chocolates saying "tiens, tiens!" and a huge smile. My landlady welcomes me home with chocolate it's fantastic.

That's how it all began and since then well...I have learned a lot, met so many people, and drank way too much. I don't want to make this entry 10 years long so I will end here and talk about my school and the Welcome Programme in the next post. But anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this and it keeps me close to home ;) I will also be posting pictures into a Picasa album! So voila! Going to prepare dinner now and relax before another long week begins. Bisous a tous!