Well, first let me start off by saying that adjusting to living in another country sure isn't easy, as I am sure you can imagine, but it's not as difficult as I thought it would be. With a good working knowledge of French, I've been pleasantly surprised at how well I've adjusted to not only a new country, but also city life. Needless to say, I love it here and can't believe how fast the time is flying. It's truly unbelievable. I am going to cry when I have to leave and as my family can attest to, I never cry. But that's another story for another time...
Some interesting things that have happened in Paris:
-Now I understand that there are crazy people out there, but I will never forget the time I saw a man erm... "moving his bowels" as my great-aunt would say, not only at a Metro stop, but in his pants. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a smell that will probably never leave my mind.
-Adding to that, I will never get used to the smell of the metro. It's an odd combination of alcohol, puke, urine and Chanel number 5.
-I am sure you have heard that Parisians are not friendly to Americans. This is both true and false. Parisians are not friendly to anyone. They don't discriminate even amongst their own people. That isn't to say that I haven't met some very nice Parisians, but unfortunately, the stereotype is true. It doesn't matter if you are Irish, Romanian or Chinese, they will not smile at you, they will not stop for a chat, and if you hold up the line at the grocery store... forget it. The glares you will receive will be enough to burn you alive.
-No one speaks. I'm serious. You could drop a pin in the metro and probably hear it. People are so quiet that whispering seems like yelling. I find it odd that no one engages in conversation, but I guess Parisians are a quiet people.
-I smiled at a man who said 'bonjour' to me when I first got here and he looked at me like I was growling at him or something. I still can't get over that no one smiles.
-The amount of times you will get hit on is amazing. Well, maybe "hit on" is a strong word, but you can't walk twenty feet without someone saying something to you or calling something out in either french or broken english. For future reference, wearing your iPod is a good idea.
Oh, and once someone asked me if I had a spare train ticket while I was walking in Gare de L'est-which is a train station for those of you who don't know. He didn't want a metro ticket, but an actual train ticket. I started to laugh. Does it look like I am selling train tickets?
If you ever get the chance to study abroad, please do it. I promise you it will be the best thing you've ever done. I have met so many people, seen things from so many other perspectives and been to places people only dream about. I can't believe I am only 19 and have done so much. Thank you mom and dad =) You probably don't even realize how much this means to me. I have been waiting to travel around Europe since before I can remember and here I am, living my dream because of how hard you guys work. I love you so much.
This weekend I am going to Amsterdam.
Spring break=Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary.
End of March=Barcelona
April= Rome and Venice.
May=Who knows?
This is the best decision I've ever made in my life. I wake up every morning smiling, knowing that I am this is living proof that you can do whatever you want with hard work. Corny? Maybe. True? Yes. If you get the opportunity, travel, travel, travel!
Oh, next weekend I'm trying to get to Normandy. I can't wait.
Mom. I need you to tell me when you are coming. You coming here is messing with my travel weekends. I love you, but I don't love you that much.
Just keeeding.
...Maybe =)
I'm off to bed.
-Caitlyn
