A Somewhat Busy First Week

Well, I have been in Paris for a week and have been busy with administrative like things.  I was able to get a métro pass, open a bank account and go to my school and meet the English teachers as well as the principal.  It still amazes me how much I have accomplished in this short amount of time.  I have also had a lot of free time and so I have been reading a lot (which is wonderful) in the local park near by and just exploring the city and the neighborhood I live in.  The 11th is a nice area in the fact that it isn't quite so touristy and it is mostly true working Parisians that live in this area.

So here are some of the highlights from this past week:

I found a cute little park that is not far from the place I am staying at and it has become one of my favorite spots to just sit and read or just watch the people walk by.

Square M. Gardette, one of my favorite spots in the area.

On Tuesday I went to the young adult group at the American Church in Paris and helped make the pizzas for pizza night.  I had a nice time and met some really nice people there.  On Wednesday, I went over to the Luxembourg gardens and went to the crêpe stand that is near there that has delicious things to eat.  I also went over to the gardens and just sat and enjoyed the park.  It was kind of funny to see all the tourists bustling about.

Enjoying the Luxembourg gardens like everyone else

I met up with Rachel, a girl who studied abroad in Paris on the Central program with me in the spring, on Wednesday evening at a place called Le Pure Café.  I had such a great time getting to talk with her and enjoy a glass of wine.  It was also really nice getting to see a familiar face in the city.  On Thursday, I headed over to Lycée Rabelais in the 18th where I will be an English assistant for the year and met the English teachers (except for one) and the principal.  Everyone seems really nice and willing to help out in any way that they can.  I am really looking forward to getting started and working with the kids.  On Friday I went back to the park I always go to and hung out there I also went to a café near me called Les Cent Kilos and had a café.  It was great just sitting there and watching the people walk by.

Enjoying an espresso (un café) and getting some much needed journaling done

On Saturday I met up with the Kleville family, which is a family I have been in contact with about possibly living with them for the year.  They were in Paris for the Protéstants en Fête, which is like a big conference type thing that only happens every four years in a different city in France for Protestants, and were doing things for that.  I hung out with them and went around to the different stands.  I then went with them back to their house in the south suburbs and hung out and had a lovely dinner.  I had such a great time and am going to be moving in with them later.  Today, I found out that my dear friend, Becky, is coming to Paris for her Christmas break and will be spending Christmas and New Years with me in Paris.  I was super excited when I found out that she is coming over.  I also went to church and afterwards explored around my neighborhood.  I was also able to Facetime with my parents and my grandparents.  It was so great getting to talk with them and I am really looking forward to my grandparents coming to Paris in October, it will be such a wonderful time!

Walking around the streets of the 11th

A very stereotypical looking French bakery that I came across in the 11th

St. Ambroise, a church that is near where I live

Back in Paris

Being back in Paris has been a roller coaster of mixed emotions.  There are moments where I am enjoying life back in the big city and there are moments where I have questioned what I am doing here and if I am capable of jumping through all the hoops to even just get a simple métro pass let alone open up a French bank account.  You see, when I studied abroad in Paris for a year I had a program with a director right here in Paris (and was rather spoiled).  She told us where we would be living, helped us get our phones, open a bank account, get a métro pass, etc., etc.  In the beginning she held our hand through the whole process and at any point during our time here you could go to her for help.  Well, this time around I am rather alone in the whole process of living abroad.  I do have a contact person in the French government but when one is working with the French expect slow responses and not much help in jumping through the hoops of 'becoming a local.'  It can be rather daunting when you have to open a bank account, get a métro pass, find a permanent place to stay, find a place that will translate your birth certificate and that the French government will accept as a valid translation, amongst other things.

So I left on a Wednesday and it was hard saying goodbye to my parents but I did and caught my flight to Stockholm, Sweden.  I tried to sleep on the plane but as per usual it was in vain.  I then had to sit around the Stockholm airport for a few hours and I caught my flight to Paris, they changed the gate on me but thankfully it was just across the hall so I didn't have to go very far.  The flight was packed and I was surrounded by the chattiest people so trying to catch any sleep was no use.  I make it to the airport in Paris and got my suitcases and found a phone to call the shuttle company.  The guy that was picking me up was waiting for me and took me out to the van.  There were two other ladies already in the van and we were going to pick up the last woman.  Traffic was horrible going into Paris so I got to the apartment I'm staying at temporarily a bit late.  I am staying in the 11th arrondissement with an American woman who has lived/worked in Paris for 22 years and has just recently retired and decided to stay in France.  She is very nice for letting me stay with her for a bit before I find somewhere else to stay for the rest of my time here.  I got a tour of the apartment/apartment building and we chatted for a bit.  I was able to contact my family and let them know I made it to Paris.  Nothing else exciting really happened on Thursday because I was tired and went to bed early.

On Friday I did some grocery shopping at 2 of the nearest grocery stores and was not impressed with the one but the other one isn't too bad.  I also took a chance and found out that I can use Maissie's old French cell phone so that was good news (just one less thing I had to worry about).  I walked around the neighborhood for a bit in the afternoon and came across a street that has a lot of nice looking shops that sell cheese, or meat or wine.  I think I'll be stopping back there to check it out more closely.  I also just walked around and happened upon a church and a school that was letting kids out for the day.

Saturday I got up and hung out around the apartment.  I then had to be out of the apartment between noon and 5pm because Carolyn was having some friends over to celebrate her birthday.  So I bought some métro tickets and went over to my old neighborhood in the 8th arrondissement.  It was nice being back in that area but things had changed somewhat since I was living there.  I definitely felt more comfortable walking around there and could kind of go on "auto-pilot mode."  I went over to Parc Monceau and walked around for a bit and found a nice bench and just sat there for hours.  It was really nice and I was able to read and just enjoy one of my favorite spots in the city.  I then walked to the Arc de Triomphe and a gypsy tried to play the "you lost your ring" trick on me but I just said no and walked away.  I then headed down the Champs-Elysées and stopped to sit on a bench in the park across from the American Embassy.  It was also perfect timing because my mom called to see how things were going.  I eventually headed back to the apartment and just hung out before going to bed.

Sitting in Parc Monceau, it always does me well

Checking out the Arc de Triomphe

Today I went to church at the American Church in Paris and really enjoyed being there.  I am hoping to get involved with their young adult group this time around since the last time I wasn't able to because I had service-learning at the same time.  ACP (the American Church in Paris) has a bulletin board with people looking for housing/offering housing options.  The majority of the options were way out of my budget but there were a few that I will contact.

Heading over to ACP for church and this is the view I get to see (not too shabby, right?)

This coming week I will just be trying to get stuff done before I start up at school and have meetings with the program.

The Beginning of a New Adventure

I just couldn't resist, when the opportunity arose for me to possibly move back to France after finishing college, I had to apply.  You see, my advisor/French professor my freshman year had talked about students returning to France to teach English and it was at that moment that she planted the idea in my head.  After that moment I kind of put it on a back burner and didn't even really consider it because I knew for a fact that I would be living/studying in Paris my junior year and I had that to look forward to.    Also, life post college seems like a million years away when you are a freshman.  Well fast-forward to life post Paris, aka senior year, and I was itching to go back so I looked into it and found out I could start the application process via the French government in October.  So what did I do?  I applied.  I took a huge chance and said, "what the heck, why not?  the worst they can say is no."  I sent my online application in the middle of January (before the deadline) before starting my student teaching experience and knew that I would not find out anything until April.  Life was busy with commuting, planning lessons, and teaching.  Low and behold the month of April comes along and I received an email saying I was accepted to teach in the Paris Academy.  I was completely and absolutely surprised that 1. they even accepted me and 2. that I was going to be back in Paris.  When I applied I thought it was a complete long shot and they would never even consider me as a candidate and then I thought even if I do get accepted it surely won't be in Paris because they make it very clear that it is not easy to get a spot to teach in Paris.  But here I am with a teaching assistant position in Paris and I realize how blessed I am to have this opportunity.

When I found out I was returning to France, it was only April and I still had to finish my student teaching and graduate, I also still had the whole summer ahead of me.  Well summer has come and gone and school has started back up.  Now, the fact that I am going back to Paris for a year is becoming more and more real as the days draw closer to my departure.  I don't think it has really hit me yet that I am going back to Paris, it is quite a strange feeling.  I am excited and nervous about the whole thing because I don't know yet where I will be living in the city and I don't really know much yet as to how this whole program works.  It can be daunting to think about in general.  It means another year away from family and friends and the comforts of home.  However, I do know that this is where God wants me to be (it is amazing how clear He can make things by closing doors and opening others) and I know that it will be a wonderfully amazing experience that will help me grow.  I am leaving shortly and am the least bit prepared, I do have a visa even though it is 9 days too short but at least it is something.  I have a feeling that it is going to get rather hectic around here with packing and whatnot and hopefully I will have decided what I am going to do about my living situation in Paris.  But for now I am just going to enjoy the time I have with my family and friends before I start the next chapter of my life with a wonderful adventure.