Bonjour from Paris!

Here's my first blog attempt. I have taken tons of photos but I need to figure out how to upload them.

The flight to Paris was unusually easy. The constantly packed Atlanta airport security line was empty and I sped right through to my gate. No delays, no cancelations, no lost luggage all the way to Paris.

On the plane from Chicago, I met a girl in my program, Sarah, from Bryn Mawr College. It was such a relief that we she was on the flight because we got along fine and she's much better with directions than myself. When we landed, I'm sure I would have wandered around Charles de Gaulle with my 500 pounds of luggage. She managed to find our meeting place with no trouble, with time to buy coffee.

The plane the Paris was pretty eventless except for the guy beside me. I smelled his cologne before I even saw him and with one look I knew he was very French. In fact, he was, and he spoke very little English. It was kind of funny at dinner because he didn't know either "beef" or "pasta", so he guessed and got the nasty-looking beef.

Right now, we are staying at the Foyer FIAP at rue Cabanis in the 14th arrondissement. It is a hostel/hotel for international students with a cafeteria and rooms for meetings. There are 6 girls in my room, about 25 in my program. 4 of them boys, the rest girls. 6 of us are year-long students.

Yesterday, I had a very nice dinner with my friends Sarah and Caitlyn (from the program) at a place across from the Luxembourg Gardens. I had a Croque Madame (ham and cheese sandwich with an egg on top) and french fries (frites fraiches). So far, I have discovered that I'm really gonna miss take-out boxes and ice.

At about 7pm, I "took a quick nap" and woke up 14 hours later, fully clothed. I realized I still have blue jeans on at about 6 this morning, and rolled over and went back to sleep.

This morning, we got breakfast at a little patisserie, where I ordered a croissant and a coffee. The croissant was excellent, but the coffee was like half a dixie cup of the strongest coffee I have ever tasted. I drank it fast for the caffeine.

Afterward, we went in search of the gothic acid trip that is the catacombs of Paris. After half an hour, we finally found it in a very random steel entrance adjacent to a park. Rows and rows and dark caverns filled with bones on both sides of you, and markers placed to indicate where they came from. Many are from the Revolution, killed by the guillotine. Others from cemetaries that needed space. Some were moved from graveyards for the innocent. Before renovations at the beginning of the century, tourists used candels to light their way through the catacombs (creepy), so there is a smoky black line all the way above our heads marking which way to turn.
The bones are also arranged in patterns and designs (circles, crosses, and Xs) which made us wonder who it is that sat around and thought about the best way to do that. I am also glad I am not a security guard there.

Today, we had orientation meetings. At 7:30 (or 19h - French time is killing me) we are going to a nice dinner at "le Bouillon Racine", in the 6th arrondissement. I think tonight, we're going to try to get our first taste of Paris nightlife.

Tomorrow, is a long day of orientation meetings and we meet our families. There is a "mixer" sort of thing and we leave with them tmrw night. I am not looking forward to carrying my luggage everywhere again! I have strange strains and bruises from yesterday.

My French cell phone isn't working yet and I just paid my left arm for this hour of internet connection, but I will try to write again as soon as I can.