Week one continues!

I've been in Paris for five days and it's finally starting to feel a little like home. Being from Atlanta I have NEVER had to deal with a real (aka reliable) system of public transportation. As I stepped off the train from our trip to versailles (more about that later) I actually knew where I was and leaving the station i got the comforting feeling that I was indeed heading home. As many of you know I am severely directionally challenged but I am slooooowly learning the lay of the land and by the time some of you visit I should be able to get around without getting totally lost.

My roommate Bryn and I have already gone on two runs in our neighborhood. Running/jogging/walking quickly is really not a popular recreational activity in France. On our first adventure we saw only one other woman running and decided that we should just follow here. Although she was twice our age she quickly outran us and we were forced to fend for ourselves. We found some hills to run on and our route takes us past the viewing plaza of the eiffel tower. I wore a UGA shirt today in hopes that, by some twist of fate, a tourist would see me and shout "Go Dawgs!" but alas, it didnt happen. I'll be wearing my college shirts often and let you know if that happens...in which case..i'll have to embarrassed myself with a reply of "Woof Woof!"

Another funny thing i've noticed while running is that people wash the sidewalk in front of their homes. Why they feel it necessary to literally wash the place where hundreds of people walk I will never know..but it does make for some interesting roadblocks and maneuvering as we jog along.

Back to versailles. And school. We had our first meeting about our french culture class as well as our actual classes. Because the school itself just moved neighborhoods classes have been pushed back to sometime next week...or the week after that...we think. It seems pretty lax in terms of the class situation which is just fine with me! I am very happy to explore paris without having to study and do work. For our french culture class we are just required to attend 8 events throughout the semester. Two events have happened already so i'm on the right track. We went to the Vogue fashion block party last night and I saw Karl Lagerfeld. Even the french girls were excited so i didnt feel silly taking a picture. And today we went to Versailles to see the castle and garden where the french elite lived until they were carted away and guillotined in the 18th century. Versailles was gorgeous but I think I am going to try to dedicate this blog to the more interesting nuances and quirks of living in France. I'll be posting pictures on Facebook for all to see but I'm not going to focus on totally touristy stuff in here.

I have also discovered the joys of the baguette and we literally eat a whole baguette a day. We've cooked dinner for ourselves these past three nights which is muuuuch cheaper and its so fun to go shopping at the little stores and markets near us! I'll eat tomato mozzarella sandwiches all day long...but as I said before I DO go running so it balances out. Sort of. Oh well!

I hope all is well in America. We had a chat today about "where we were" when the planes hit and it was ridiculous to realize it's been 8 years. I miss you all and the USA on days like today!