The past 4 months have been amazing, exciting, intense, and difficult all at the same time. I've meet people from all around the world, and have developed some great friendships. In a way, this semester has been like freshman year of college: you are thrust into a new city, a new school, a new living situation, and you need to meet new people. Although I had been to Paris before, arriving here in January seemed so unreal and dream-like. Now, everyday stuff such as reading under the Eiffel Tower, picnic-ing at a chateau, walking along the Seine, or partying at fancy clubs seems absolutely normal. It's interesting how adjusted we all feel- it really seems like home to us.
I had my last exam a few days ago; apart from studying from that, school here has been a breeze compared to UW. I had absolutely no studying or work to do until the last few weeks of classes, and even then it was relatively easy. Note to my parents: I DID work hard and believe this semester will be a GPA-booster!
The weather in Paris has been AMAZING.. the past 2 months it has been sunny and 70-80 degrees each day (meaning I can wear cute sundresses all the time!) For fun, my friends and I will sit in a park or along the Seine and pop bottles of champagne, basking in the sun or watching the sunset. It is amazing what good friends and good wine will do for you.
Ways in which I have becoming increasingly Parisian:
- I have the prices of baguettes, pain au chocolate, and diet coke memorized- and I know that the cheapest baguettes are in fact in my neighborhood
- I am a pro at using military time (24 hour clock)
- I can convert Euros to USD in my head in less than 3 seconds
- Euros no longer look like Monopoly money (haha)
- 7 Euros ($11) for a glass of beer is cheap.. but anything more than 2 Euros for a bottle of Champagne is expensive
- I am a pro at using the metro system (oh wait, I was from day one...)
- Paying to go to the bathroom seems normal
Things I miss from home:
- My dogs
- Having close friends who I can text any time of the day
- Eating at (insert 400 restaurant names here)
- My dogs
- Having a car to drive places
- Not having to worry about dressing nice every day in order to fit in
- My parents' cooking
- Hamburgers and french fries
- Cheap drinks at the bar
- My dogs
With only one month left before returning to the States, I've started making a list of things I need to do before leaving.. I have a few more trips planned, but there's also a few things left in Paris that I want to see (or see again). I plan to write more in a couple days about a few of the trips I've taken over the semester, so I can look back and remember the crazy times that we had being young and free in Europe.
