That Kind of Day

Bonjour from Paris!

I have not fully adjusted to the time difference (its 315 am here) but I have made some progress in a lot of areas.

These past few days have been much more challenging than I had anticipated, mostly because I hadnt anticipated any trouble at all. I cant get money from my cash card, cant get an international plan on my phone without a french credit card (which takes 10 days to get), cant exchange money for euros at any bank, haven't gotten any orientation materials because of my late arrival, and i dont have housing.

well, that was the case this morning, anyway.

Today I successfully rented an apartment in France, from which I am writing this right now. The windows open all the way, and I can see the whole eiffel tower when I stick my head out (my reaction was very Carrie Bradshaw circa season 6). I also navigated my way through the metro to the other side of Paris to exchange my American money for Euros- another success. Despite the fact that they charged me 45 dollars to do so. I also picked up my orientation materials at the school office. As far as the phone and ATM card are concerned…I'm working on it, slowly but surely. I guess when you travel, these things take awhile.

Not speaking the language is difficult, but I'm expanding the little french I do know very quickly. Yesterday, I skipped orientation activities and went for wine at a cafe with a group of people. Then we got to see the Eiffel Tower (which has a carousel next to it, by the way…i obviously convinced everyone i was with to ride it) Because I am…correction- was- uncultured, I was the only one of us who hadnt seen it before. I decided to laugh off the condescending "really? you've NEVER been?"s and enjoy it fully- which was not difficult. Paris is a beautiful city, but the differences from America are endless- and it is hard knowing that home is so far away.

I have never lived alone before...

I got to this apartment in the heat of the day's stress, and my phone stopped working mid phone conversation with my dad. There was no internet and I don't yet know the other people in the building. Really, I was truly alone for the first time in a very long while, in a completely foreign place. It was a strange feeling, but there was nothing to do except get settled. When packing to come out here, I thought it would be a good idea to leave a lot of things behind- certain pictures, trinkets, and various little things, based on the common consensus that "things" have no value. At the last minute, though, I gave in and brought a good amount of photos, my posters, and a few other things I keep with me. Anyway…back to Paris…I put music on my computer and started unpacking- photos of the best moments of the past few years, shot glasses purchased at various tourist locations, my posters, my orange box, and of course- Russ Guss. Really, it's amazing how much this calmed me down.

I've never had a big bed- until I was 10, my brother and I slept in bunk beds (remember when they were cool?) and after that I had a twin sized bed- and then of course college, which was one grueling twin sized bed after another. I don't really move in my sleep, so its never been an issue or something I complained about. But tonight I realized that subconsciously, I've grown to associate big beds with being around other people (no…i don't mean it like that )- even in elementary school, Ellie had a big bed, and when we had sleepovers, we always shared it. When I was at Maggies weeks ago, it was the same thing. Tonight I subconsciously moved over to the left side of the bed…but there was SO much room to spare. Honestly, Russ Guss just isn't that big of a bear.

What I was most excited about, though, in living alone, was the actual going to sleep part. Back in DC, Maggie always pulled up a desk chair in between our beds and turned on an old episode of a random tv show right before we went to sleep. I didn't mind listening to it, but in my head, I always figured it was just keeping me up later. Finally, in Paris- I was ready to go to sleep in silence. And so tonight I went through my routine of things…brushing my teeth, putting on gators shorts and shirt from a Greek organization I am not a part of, filling a cup with water, and hopping into the left side of the bed. It was strange not having someone to talk to. After twenty minutes of trying to sleep, the silence became pretty daunting…I turned on my computer, pulled up a chair next to my bed, and put on an old episode of South Park.

Finding familiarity in the otherwise unfamiliar is a good feeling.

Today, I accomplished a lot.