Wine by the Seine.

The past few days have been so busy. I never want to sit in my room because Paris is outside waiting to be explored. However, I do need some time to chill out so today I decided to take a breather before my 16h00 grammar class.

Two nights ago I fulfilled one of my only goals while here in Paris. I went to a very Parisian cafe for dinner and people watched with some friends, and then a group of kids and I bought bottles of wine and went down to the banks of the Seine and sat and talked and sipped. It was fantastic. I am the little Emory adoptee of a group of Duke kids, and it's nice to meet new people in new places. We waved to passing boats and took too many pictures and drank too much wine and it was fantastic. We also were joined by a group of four french boys from les banlieues (suburbs). They were in a band, called the Best Winers, and they probably regretted coming over to say hi because we made them help us figure out our metro stops for about a half hour. One of them spilled his drink by accident, so we taught them the phrase "Party Foul." When party foul becomes internationally known, it's because of us.

The only issue I have with Paris is that the metro closes at 1 am! Our nights always have to end somewhat early... although there was a girl who apparently missed the last metro and had to walk around until 7 am until it started up again.

I have a feeling it's not going to be difficult to accidentally do that, but i'll hope my "sense d'orientation" greatly improves.

Last night I discovered the University of Paris' cafeteria, which will save my wallet. An entree, a side dish, and a desert (and of course, a small loaf of bread) is only 4 euro, and although it's not fantastic food, it's worth it. Everything is priced so differently here than in the US. A cigarette lighter (un feu) is about 5 euro, while a delicious, massive sandwich on a baguette is 3 euro. Personally, I'm a big fan of the cheap, delicious baguette.

My grammar classes have started, and at first I was incredibly overwhelmed... I actually switched down a level yesterday. Now, my class is perfect. I want to improve my french, but was having trouble understanding all of what my first professor was even saying, so I feel like the switch down was an excellent idea. Plus there's less homework. Always a benefit.

This morning we toured the Opera National de France- Garnier, which was unbelievable. Tickets for students are something like 10 euro only, so I am definitely definitely going to go see a performance.

Right now, I believe it is nap time. I've been having inner crises about napping, because I want to be out discovering the city. However, since I almost fell asleep during our tour of the Opera, I think it will be a good decision to take a break.

This blog post is very out of order... that's a signal for nap time too.

A Bientot!