Un Mois à Paris!

So the adventure with our group from UW-River Falls ended quickly in Paris.  It seemed like before we even arrived in Paris, we were all saying our sobered goodbyes to each other.  These goodbyes were nothing less than fearful awakenings that we were now on our own.  This was both a good thing and a bad thing.  Carrying all my baggage through the Paris metro--which needless to say, is a crowded mess of smelly bodies-- was a whole task of it's own.  My backpack is very wide and deep, so trying to cram myself through the little box car-like doors was like playing real life Tetris.  My final destination?  A small cozy apartment in the north outskirts of Paris called Clichy.  I was to stay with a young couple at their apartment in Clichy for about three weeks.  I organized this through a website where people post empty rooms in their houses that they then rent out to make extra money.  When I arrived there (arriving at 20:00) Guillaume was waiting there to greet me.  He was a very nice, tall French man enthusiastic about showing me into his home.  He spoke very little English, and at this point, my French was extremely rusty as well.  So we walked up the five flights of stairs with my luggage--though he was kind enough to help me carry it-- and got into the flat.  The flat was a very small, cramped space.  I did not mind it at all, however, because this is what I intend on living in after I graduate and move to a city.  They were very concerned about whether or not I felt comfortable though.  Emilie got home from work at about 21:00.  She works late a lot.  She does something about working with adults and languages.  I didn't understand it, but it has allowed her to learn many, many languages including French, German, English, Spanish, and even Latin I believe.  She was very humble about it, but that is an incredible amount of languages to know, since I struggle to even know one other language!  I settled into the flat very quickly and easily.  

For the first couple of weeks, I spent my time familiarizing myself with Paris.  I spent much of my time attempting to act like a local, in order to get a local perspective on the city.  So, I would go to the grocery store and have small French conversations (or small interaction rather) with the clerks, ride the metro looking "bored" as our advisors told us to, and even sat and watched some old men play Botchi-ball in the Luxembourg Gardens.  These couple of weeks gave me much insight in what it meant to be a Parisian, and really appreciate the local culture.  

By the time I knew it, one of my friends from the group had come back up to Paris and we decided to travel together for the rest of the time, because both of our projects are semi-obscure and don't require a lot of tie down time.  

So, for the rest of the month in Paris, I stayed in a hostel called "St. Christopher's Inns."  They have hostels all over Europe, and from my experience, this hostel was the best one I have stayed at yet!  The staff is extremely friendly there, and it almost just feels like a college dorm.  Everyone is super friendly, and there is even a restaurant/bar on the first floor.  It is and incredible atmosphere.  After the employee’s shifts are over, I am pretty sure none of them even go home, they just wait and bum around until night, when the bar starts to fill up, and then they all just stay there and have some drinks and have fun like everyone else!  It’s one of the more bizarre things I have seen but entertaining nonetheless.  During my stay at St. Chris’ I have done everything from laundry at a Laundromat, gotten a haircut, toured the Eiffel Tower multiple times, and even went a top the Arc de Triomphe.  Paris is incredible and has definitely stolen my heart.  No matter what other countries I visit, there will always be a spot in my heart, reserved for Paris.