J'aime Paris!!!!!

Well at first I disliked Paris at first, but by the end of the day my feelings have made a 180 degree turn! My 4:50pm flight ended up being delayed even further until 8pm. Luckily Kim, Hannah, Pranj, Walton, and I all had the same flight, so the time went by quicker having people to talk to. Our flight was delayed because of maintenance and then the awful storms in Charlotte, which sketched me out. When we finally boarded the plane, I thought all my problems were over, but it was just the start.

Even after the dilemma with the seats on the airplane, we apparently did not fix the problem. My ticket said 22D as planned, but we found out as we boarded the plane that Hannah’s ticket was for row 24 for some reason. We signed up for row 22, though, so I don’t know how it changed. I was mad at first, but it ended up working out pretty well. Hannah ended up sitting with a girl studying abroad in Paris, and they hit it off. They also had an empty middle seat to themselves. Someone took Pranj’s seat twice, and she randomly chose a seat next to mine before I sat down, so I ended up having a friend to sit with the whole time! The plane itself downright sucked. It didn’t have TV screens in front of each seat. I was on an eight hour flight, and I paid bank for this ticket, so I feel entitled to my own TV screen at least haha. The plane was also sketchy because the overhead compartments kept opening throughout the flight, which can be pretty dangerous if you think about it! Also, our flight was delayed for maintenance, so I was happy to get off that plane ASAP.

The flight itself went well overall. I talked to Pranj, read my kindle, and slept as much as possible (maybe three hours). By the time we got off the plane, we were hoping to catch up with the group flight and ride with them to the hotel. We couldn’t find them however, so we had to make our own way to the hotel. We had a guide in our fascicule (booklet) of various ways to reach the hotel from the airport. We decided to take the Roissy Bus to Paris, and then a metro the rest of the way. First we had trouble pre-paying for bus tickets. Half of us couldn’t buy them with cash (because it ran out of change), and the machine was faulty, so we couldn’t use our credit cards. We then learned you could buy the ticket as you boarded the bus, so I was thankful for that. The bus ride over we were all separated because we had our big, awkward bags to deal with, but the ride was very interested seeing the outskirts of Paris and then Paris itself. The bus dropped us off somewhere in Paris after 45 minutes, and we were pretty lost. We wandered around Paris (with our heavy bags) for a while and asked two people before we finally found the metro. Even though we found the metro it didn’t have the line we needed (4), so we had to take 3 to 4, and somehow we figured it out eventually. It was hot, smelly, and dirty in the metro, and it took getting used to. We had to lug our bags in big crowds and up and down stairs. It was so strenuous and tiring, and I know I will be sore tomorrow! I was so happy to finally reach our hotel after crazy journey.

Madame Beckman and some of my study abroad peers were already there and waiting for us, and me and Hannah got the keys to our room immediately. Our room is so cute and nice! I was expecting worse. We have a nice bathroom and the cutest balcony with a lovely view of Paris. I am very happy with our room. After exploring for a bit, we ate late at a crepe stand. I was so nervous to speak French to lady, but we asked, “Parlez-vous anglais?” to the lady, and she spoke English, so we just asked to have what the guy before us ordered because it looked yummy enough. It was good! A crepe with beef and cheese; I was satisfied!

At this point in my France adventure, I was not excited to be here. I felt weird and guilty feeling that way, but I was so numb to everything and tired from all that had happened. I didn’t feel like going on the boat tour, but I am so glad I did because I ended up having a wonderful evening.

We then went on boat tour, but we took the metro to get there. I was not happy to visit this place again, but I soon learned it is so practical when you just have yourself and not an extra  80 lbs of baggage to worry about. The metro went above ground this time, so I got to see more of the city. We got off at the Eiffel Tower stop, and I got to see the Eiffel Tower up close and personal! That is when it hit me: I am in France! I am in Paris! It was wonderful; that is all I can say. I don’t have any other words for the Eiffel Tower other than it was amazing! We then rode on the Seine for the river boat tour. We got to see the Louvre, Notre Dame, and all sorts of beautiful, historic buildings. I was falling asleep some of the trip though because I was exhausted.

Everyone wanted to go to dinner afterward, and I was tempted just to head back and go to sleep, but I eventually changed my mind and joined everyone. A small group went to the Latin Quarter for dinner, and it was the coolest place ever. It was so historic. It had rustic apartment buildings, cobblestone streets, neon lights, and lively bars and restaurants. We found a pizza and Italian place, and I was incredibly nervous for my first meal with a French waiter. He didn’t speak much English, but I managed to order free water (Je voudrais un carafe d’eau fraiche, s’il vous plais), and a cheese pizza. It was a good meal! The French don’t split checks, so we had a time figuring out how to pay the bill altogether.

Our group grew smaller, but of those who stayed, we decided to walk around and have a few drinks. We roamed around for a while, but we finally spotted an outdoor restaurant and split some wine. I had a blast, and I definitely enjoyed being of age. By this point, I had grown more confident with my French and ordered two rounds of wine and eventually the bill. I am so proud of myself. This morning I was very nervous speaking French, and I feel a lot more comfortable now, and I haven’t been here a full day yet! I can’t imagine how I’ll feel in six weeks!