La fin

And it is over.....my time abroad has come to an end and I cannot believe it. Where does time go? It seems whenever we are enjoying ourselves the most it slips away so fast. My last days in France were great and my whole time abroad is something I will never forget. My french comprehension and skills have definitely improved, and I feel more confident speaking french out loud.

I met new people and created new friendships that I know will last and will call for reunions. I have gained a new sense of independence, and I can say that I found this on the streets of Paris. I recall walking back to my host mom's house around 1 am, or going out by myself to explore the city on a Thursday evening.  These are things that I could not picture myself doing alone before, and now it is just the ordinary.

My time abroad has also reassured me about what I want to do with my future. I will continue studying International Relations when I go back to campus and I even have an internship this summer with a California assembly member.


Overall I can honestly say that I have changed, I am not the same person that boarded that plane to Paris in January. That girl was scared and weary, really excited to see the place of her dreams, but only knew the "cliché" aspects of Paris. Today, I am confident and unafraid. I took the metro and navigated through the multiple metro lines like I have been living in Paris my whole life. No longer did gypsies and beggars instill fear in me, but rather I knew they could easily be ignored or pass along a couple centimes when their words were heart hitting. Seeing "Javel-Andre-Citröen" from metro line 10 let me know I was only a couple minutes from home after a long day out, and seeing "Gaité" on metro line 13 let me know that my school day was about to start. I wandered the streets and even saw some people on a daily basis, like this cute lady who would always walk her three dogs with jackets on each one of them, and even a man who liked to walk his cat. They were part of my normal life in Paris. From the cafes, the parks, the stores, the metro, the people..Paris has become part of me. I only fell in love with the city even more than before and I am determined to go back one day.

Ernest Hemingway said something in his book "A Moveable Feast" that really resonates with me: "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young [wo]man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

And finally some photos of my last days...

1 month left..

Hi everyone. I am so sorry for my delayed post. It has been hectic lately. About two weeks ago, my mother called me with the heartbreaking news that my beloved grandmother passed away. I was devastated. We were so close, and I had so much love for her, I still do. The last time I got to see her was the day I left to Paris. A family member paid for my roundtrip ticket to pay my final respect and goodbyes to her back in LA. I am back in Paris now, but I have to admit that I am still immensely sad.  With that however, I know my grandma was proud of me for following my dreams and being in Paris. I will continue to make the best of my time here.

In my time here, I have gotten the chance to visit Reims, France. This is the place where all the French Kings were crowned. Also, it is known for its champagne. I had a nice time there.

Another night, a group of my friends got together and made dinner. We made pasta, steak, and coconut curry. We enjoyed french wine and cheese, and looked out the balcony and just let the moment sink in. We were in Paris, making new friends and memories. It was great moment.

I have also gotten to go on many class visits. With my history of Paris professor, we visited "Jeu De Paume" which held an exposition of American photographers work, and also visited Musée d'Orsay. I loved both trips. For Musée d'Orsay, it was magnificent to see with my own eyes work by Van Gogh, Monet, and Degas. It was surreal, and now I can say that I have seen some of their work personally.

The other day I got the chance to visit "Le Grande Epicerie de Paris". It is a supermarket, designed like a shopping mall. It is huge, and has everything that you need and more. It was so fancy! I walked in wide eyed, but had to remember to practice self-control. I walked out after buying a 4€ chocolate bar, and I must say that it was the best chocolate bar I have ever tasted. My grandmother would make a hot chocolate drink from a product called "Abuelita". This chocolate bar tasted exactly like what my grandmother used, only it also included grilled almonds too. It was delicious, and I am definitely going back for more.

This next Tuesday I am going to have a photoshoot with my photography class. Our professor has hired a professional photographer (who also works for the jewelry company Cartier) to take our photos. Our assigned goal is for our portraits to really show our personalities. It will be interesting, but I am excited for it.

Right now it is around midnight, and am not yet tired. I think I will end the night by watching Netflix. Thank you for your time. Have a good day. :)

Photo from one of my class visits. I really liked it.

Champagne testing in Reims, France.

 R

View from outside the "Jeu De Paume" exposition.

A photo I took of Eiffel Tour. I thought the lighting was really nice.

(Left to Right) Katie, me, and Clara on the apartment balcony with some wine.

My

One month in :)

Bonjour tout le monde! I have

 officially been living in Paris for one month and I can say that I depend on public transportation to get me around, I must put on layers of clothing before stepping out of the house, and getting sick on a weekend is horrible because all the stores/pharmacies in the city are closed on Sundays. With that being said, Paris has been all that I've dreamt of and more. I love it! And hooray I haven't been pick pocketed or anything of that sort yet(hopefully never)!

 

Now that more has time has gone by, I can really assess my classes and well, I can say that they are a challenge, but they are very interesting. The professors here are great too, very engaging and friendly. I also am taking a course at the Sorbonne called "Media and Language Techniques". This course is the most intimidating for me because I am amongst genuine Parisian students and faculty, and the professor for this course speaks so fast and does not utilise power points at all! I am always writing down my notes as fast as I can, however, sometimes it is difficult since I am not really sure about everything she is saying. Since the class is held only once a week, I can say that it is manageable, but still very very intimidating for me!

As I briefly mentioned before, I fell sick about a week ago and it was very different experience than I would have had at home. I had a fever, headaches, sore throat, achy limbs and the sniffles. Luckily, I packed Advil with me before I left to Paris and that is what helped me the most because on the day when I fell sick, it was a Sunday, and all pharmacies in Paris were closed. By Monday, I was too sick to get out of bed to buy medicine, so I just stayed in my homestay hoping that rest would make me get better sooner.  Usually in Claremont or at home, I have access to a Target store for any and all my needs, and of course my lovely mom and friends to bring me comfort food like homemade chicken soup. This was my first time being sick away from family and friends and it made me sad. I missed their presence and never realized how much comfort one gets from home, and how much faster one recovers. 

On my free time, I have been able to visit more famous landmarks of Paris, like the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris. It was so beautifully detailed everywhere, I could have spent an hour or so just admiring the façade. In addition, I visited the Louvre museum and got to see the Mona Lisa too! This is the most popular painting in the whole museum, for it is the only one with a crowd of people waiting to get a photo. In terms of food and cafes, I think I found one of the best and richest hot chocolate I have ever tasted at a cafe called "Angelina". Although a cup of this hot chocolate cost about 8 euros, I must say it was definitely worth it! :)

Well next week is my spring break and I have planned a trip with my new friends to Amsterdam, Berlin and Prague. I leave this Friday and I am so excited to explore more of Europe! It all seems so surreal. A while back I was dreaming about visiting Paris, and now I am here and exploring other parts of Europe I never thought I would have the chance to. 

Notre Dame!

Found this neat place while walking around and saw that Hemingway lived in this building! 

The Mona Lisa! Actually much smaller in person. 

My hot chocolate from Angelina. It was amazing!

Thanks so much for taking your time to read my blog post. I hope you are enjoying the splendid California sun that Paris seems to miss right now. :)

Settling in...

So I have completed orientation and at last my first week of classes, which all happen to be in french. My first couple days here were great but also challenging. I never realized how dependent I have become on my car to get me to anywhere I want to go. Here in Paris, I use the metro system to get me to my desired destinations. Of course, I researched the metro system before my arrival only to find that pick pockets often occur and that some people will even snatch your bags right before the doors close and run off. I suppose all of my reading up on the metro system made me terribly nervous about using it, but to my pleasant surprise, I have not encountered such a thing yet. I do know that I have to be alert at all times and that I can never fall asleep no matter how long the ride is. 
I think the metro system was one of the most intimidating things for me, but I am happy to say that it is now behind me. With my time here, I have set some goals for myself for my semester abroad.
Firstly, in order for my french speaking ability to improve, I need to really immerse myself in culture and language. With that being said, one of my goals is to speak french at all times with my new peers, my host family, and in all my classes. I know that there will be days where I will get tired of expressing myself in french, but I believe it is a great way to improve my french. The other day I realized that that I was thinking to myself in french, and after I noticed that, I got extremely excited that in my mind I can process thoughts in not only english but now also french. 
My next goal is to attempt to create a strong bond with my host mom. I know that she is great resource for learning about the French and Parisian culture and lifestyle. There are many times so far where I am just in my room and I am not sure when it is the right time to make conversation, but I know this is also part of my own timid nature. I have to push myself to make conversation and be outspoken. 
Another goal of mine is to join a club or a group, as a way to make new contacts and make friends with the locals. There is one club that has caught my attention "Le Club International des Jeunes à Paris". This club has fun excursions and even has activities where local parisiens come in to improve their english while they help the international people with their french. I want to be more involved and make sure I do not waste my time here while in Paris.
So far I am loving my time abroad and I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to experience this.

 This is the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. It was a great feeling to finally stand by it and admire it from such a close distance.

This was in ally in a shopping district called "Les Marais". It caught my attention because of the english wording but also the neat art. 

Six days until I leave..

So in six days, I will be traveling outside the US on my own for my first time to a city that I have dreamt about my whole life. I am very excited for my time abroad in Paris, France and I hope everything goes well during my time there. Right now for me it is crunch time, I have to get everything ready and start packing for a semester away.
Well, I really can't wait to start this adventure. :) TTYL!