One week and one million sets of stairs later...

I can't believe I've been in Paris almost a week! It feels like it's been a month with the amount we've done, but at the same time I feel like I just left Seattle yesterday. Also, September 6th?! When did that happen?

It's been an action packed week to say the least. I still have one free day before classes start which I'm thankful for, but we took our placement test on Thursday. That beast was hard!! It was multiple choice, short answer, essay, and an interview. I'm really hoping I'll test into the intermediate level, but I'm not so sure after that test! But I did find out my class schedule! I'll have two hours of language class every day and an hour of phonetics, and then three hours of optional lectures per week. The lecture topics are history of art, francophony, and french literature. I'm stoked for all three!

I think I've eaten eight baguettes since I've been here. Seriously. But my apartment is on the fifth floor and the elevator is tiny and terrifying, so my roommates and I joke that we will have the calves of sculpted Roman statues by the time we leave Paris! Combined with the ridiculous number of stairs to and from the Metro, we'll be pros in no time.

Speaking of the Metro, we are all slowly becoming public transit masters! We usually take at least four metros a day, but the system is pretty easy to figure out. It will be hard to go back to buses when I return to Seattle! There are two Metro stops close to the apartment that can take us anywhere in the city with only a few transfers. Even though Paris is HUGE, it feels small because of the transit system.

But back to this week. Wednesday we met the whole group and explored the neighborhood of St. Michel. There are eleven of us in the group from all over the States. One of my roommates Sophia and I walked over to Notre Dame and visited the cathedral but didn't get a chance to climb it because the line was so long. More stairs to look forward to later!


Tourist!



Thursday we took the placement test and explored more of the city, including getting our first looks at campus!


Place de la Sorbonne!

Friday, my roommates and I headed to Cimetière Pere Lechaise where Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, and Edith Piaf are buried. We took a detour to parc des buttes chaumont which was gorgeous! There was a huge waterfall and a river that ran through the park. They were doing some sort of art exhibit in the river which was very cool.









Saturday the group had a picnic at the Eiffel Tower and then took a boat cruise on the Seine River. It feels so surreal to be sitting below the Eiffel Tower snacking on baguettes and brie!



Group photo!

Today we ventured out to yet another neighborhood, Montmartre, to see Sacre Coeur. The church is absolutely breath taking, especially on a beautiful day like today! We decided to go to mass here one day, because what better place to experience a service?



Tomorrow I think we're going to take a stroll along the Champs Elysee and climb the Arc de Triomph. I still can't believe I live among all these among these places! After only this short week, Paris is already beginning of feel like my home.