2/6/2011
Hello, everyone! :)
Just for future reference, I'm pretty sure that my updates are just going to be sent on the weekends... Or whenever I have the most free time. Things have been busy!
My official classes still haven't started, but some of them will by the end of this week. So far we have just been doing language review and orientation with our program director, Céline (she is awesome). A lot of my friends and I have been doing some sight-seeing (like good ol' American tourists), but I've been feeling a little under the weather (nothing serious), so I haven't gone every time. Today, however, I went to Belleville for the Chinese New Year celebration. Belleville is pretty much the French version of China Town that we know from New York. Everything was very colorful... and the weather today was beautiful! We're expecting temperatures in the 50s this week. It's great! Sorry about all the snow... Ha ha!
Tomorrow night I'm seeing an opera with my group ( Mme Butterfly... it's by Puccini) and later in the month I'm seeing a ballet (Caligula... not that I can tell you much about it, because I simply don't know). I also am going on a trip to Normandy in about two weeks. I'm glad to have a lot of exciting things coming up!
I was finally able to do laundry and buy a hairdryer... These things seem really stupid and probably meaningless to a lot of you but it is SO NICE to have clean clothes and hair that doesn't make me look weirder than I already am. ;) Getting laundry done was a process... There are only 7 machines (4 washers, 3 dryers) and you need to purchase tokens to use them from the front desk... for 5€. The directions to use the machines are all in French... and for something like that, where my tokens may be eaten if I make any mistakes (and in which case I don't get a refund and am stuck with dirty clothes), I'd really like for the directions to be in English, too. Oh, well. I was given tips on how to use it by a friend, and I also made it a point to ask people that came into the laundry room. In the end, I had clean, dry clothes. Yay! My hairdryer was cheap, too (only 5,99€, and works well, so this weekend was pretty successful.
Ehhh!
I suppose that's about it...
If you want to send me letters or something, my address is here:
________________
(the ___ is my room number! You may want to write "chambre ___" but I'm not sure)
Also... I have a magicJack and the number is ____________--YES, it's a local number! It's not always turned on, but you can leave me a voicemail. Although I never seem to get the whole message... Just the first few seconds. I'll have to look into that...
I think that's about it for now! :)
I'll be writing again next weekend. Thank you for keeping in touch with me!
Lots of love,
- Maeghan
Sunday, February 13, 2011
There's FOOD here?!
I don't think that I can give every single detail, as this is from my first week here, but I will try my best.
This post's topics: Food and budgeting.
Eating during the first week was not easy for me. I live at home when I'm in the US, so there's almost always something in the house that I can have. If not, there are lots of grocery stores and even fast-food places within a 10-mile radius of my home. I also worked--so, chances are, I also had money to pay for that food. In Paris, however, I am a student and a student only--I don't have a work visa, so the only money I get is from my bank account back home that I access here via ATMs... or when I pay with a credit card (which I don't enjoy doing).
A lot of places to eat here are expensive (I am in Paris), and some close pretty early. On weekends (particularly Sundays), some places are closed entirely. Because of this--the fact that I didn't have a ton of money to spend coupled with the fact that store/restaurant hours are so different here--I found myself very hungry during the first week. I made it a point to go out and get something at least once a day... but that really wasn't working well. I was also pretty jetlagged... So the first Sunday I was here, I laid in bed til an obnoxiously late hour (I can't remember, but it was far past noon), and didn't eat a single thing til 5PM. That was a miserable day. The only thing I could really do was go to the vending machine downstairs and find something cheap. I ended up getting a pack of 6 madeleines (soft French cookies) and had them in my room. Not the most satisfying of meals... and I'm pretty sure that's all I ate that day.
In those moments of desperation, I notified my mom that I really wanted snacks... Which led to her asking me for a list, and me providing that list, and her sending a box, and me waiting for that box. It still hasn't arrived, but luckily I have a system worked out now.
Before, I was nervous to even go to the grocery store by myself, especially at night--anywhere, really. So, when I finally got to a grocery store, I was thrilled. I try to buy fruits and veggies, as well as things that don't require refrigeration...
Although, I must say, my windowsill served quite well for preserving some things. ;)
Anyway... Now I've stocked up pretty well on pasta, rice, and quinoa... All I really need to do is buy veggies every once in a while, and voilà--cheap and (relatively) healthy dinner. It's much less expensive than going out all the time (even cafes cost a pretty good amount of money), and I feel like I get a decent meal every day.
Of course, though, I've eaten crêpes, croissants, baguettes, and goat cheese. C'est la vie parisienne. :)
As far as budgeting goes, well... I save money by buying groceries to make meals instead of getting paninis every time I'm out (but JEEZ, do I love paninis), and I save my receipts for everything. The first week, I wrote down what I was spending my money on, but I got lazy and that habit didn't keep up. Now I just keep the receipts from any shopping I do and ATM visits. Keeping track of how much I'm spending has been good... I find myself spending more on things that will last longer (like fruit and dry snacks, utensils, etc...) and less on silly stuff ("OMG LOOK AT HOW CUTE THAT LITTLE THING THAT COSTS 30€ IS!")
All in all, I'm just trying to be responsible with my money, just in a way that's different than what I used to do back home. Now it seems as though every single cent really counts... and it does. Ah, to be a college student abroad! :-p
This post's topics: Food and budgeting.
Eating during the first week was not easy for me. I live at home when I'm in the US, so there's almost always something in the house that I can have. If not, there are lots of grocery stores and even fast-food places within a 10-mile radius of my home. I also worked--so, chances are, I also had money to pay for that food. In Paris, however, I am a student and a student only--I don't have a work visa, so the only money I get is from my bank account back home that I access here via ATMs... or when I pay with a credit card (which I don't enjoy doing).
A lot of places to eat here are expensive (I am in Paris), and some close pretty early. On weekends (particularly Sundays), some places are closed entirely. Because of this--the fact that I didn't have a ton of money to spend coupled with the fact that store/restaurant hours are so different here--I found myself very hungry during the first week. I made it a point to go out and get something at least once a day... but that really wasn't working well. I was also pretty jetlagged... So the first Sunday I was here, I laid in bed til an obnoxiously late hour (I can't remember, but it was far past noon), and didn't eat a single thing til 5PM. That was a miserable day. The only thing I could really do was go to the vending machine downstairs and find something cheap. I ended up getting a pack of 6 madeleines (soft French cookies) and had them in my room. Not the most satisfying of meals... and I'm pretty sure that's all I ate that day.
In those moments of desperation, I notified my mom that I really wanted snacks... Which led to her asking me for a list, and me providing that list, and her sending a box, and me waiting for that box. It still hasn't arrived, but luckily I have a system worked out now.
Before, I was nervous to even go to the grocery store by myself, especially at night--anywhere, really. So, when I finally got to a grocery store, I was thrilled. I try to buy fruits and veggies, as well as things that don't require refrigeration...
Although, I must say, my windowsill served quite well for preserving some things. ;)
Anyway... Now I've stocked up pretty well on pasta, rice, and quinoa... All I really need to do is buy veggies every once in a while, and voilà--cheap and (relatively) healthy dinner. It's much less expensive than going out all the time (even cafes cost a pretty good amount of money), and I feel like I get a decent meal every day.
 |
| My first crêpe in Paris--Nutella, banana, and coconut |
As far as budgeting goes, well... I save money by buying groceries to make meals instead of getting paninis every time I'm out (but JEEZ, do I love paninis), and I save my receipts for everything. The first week, I wrote down what I was spending my money on, but I got lazy and that habit didn't keep up. Now I just keep the receipts from any shopping I do and ATM visits. Keeping track of how much I'm spending has been good... I find myself spending more on things that will last longer (like fruit and dry snacks, utensils, etc...) and less on silly stuff ("OMG LOOK AT HOW CUTE THAT LITTLE THING THAT COSTS 30€ IS!")
All in all, I'm just trying to be responsible with my money, just in a way that's different than what I used to do back home. Now it seems as though every single cent really counts... and it does. Ah, to be a college student abroad! :-p
Group Email Update (1)
1/28/2011
Hey, everyone! :)
I have arrived! Right now I'm in my room in Paris, fighting the evil
Internet "connection." It's not being very cooperative right now (and
I have a feeling that this is normal), but I'm trying my best to
update.
My original flight was delayed by about 6 hours due to the storm,
until it was finally canceled--then I ended up spending the night in
the airport with some students from my program. The whole ordeal was
very exhausting, but it was nice to get to know the others. We had to
wait over 24hrs from our original flight time in order to get on
another one. We passed the time by playing Uno and, eventually,
making a blanket fort at one of the gates--are you surprised? The
employees at Newark seemed amused and didn't ask us to take it
down--in fact, one man who worked for the airport came over and asked
if we needed more blankets. :D
As of right now (6PM Paris-time as I'm writing this--can't guarantee
when this message will be sent) I'm unpacking some things. I'll take
pictures of the room and probably will include them in a separate
message. It's a decent size, but there's no carpet... :(
Anyway, things are going well. We should be catching up with the rest
of the program participants + the director tomorrow.
If you want to contact me outside of email and Facebook while I'm
here, this should be of interest to you:
- I got something called a magicJack--it's basically a landline phone
that I can plug into my computer with a ___ area code. This way I can
call home without paying enormous fees! Due to the weird Internet
connection I have, I can't guarantee that it will always be on, but my
phone number is ____________. I have a voicemail box, so you can
leave a message if I don't answer. :) Also, keep in mind that I am
6hrs ahead of you!
- My mailing address is:
___________________
Use that if you want to send me anything! :D
I will do my best to keep in touch as often as possible. :) For the
next week or so I'll be participating in orientation activities as
well as placement exams, so I have a little while before I start my
classes.
Lots of love and hope to talk to you soon,
- Maeghan
Hey, everyone! :)
I have arrived! Right now I'm in my room in Paris, fighting the evil
Internet "connection." It's not being very cooperative right now (and
I have a feeling that this is normal), but I'm trying my best to
update.
My original flight was delayed by about 6 hours due to the storm,
until it was finally canceled--then I ended up spending the night in
the airport with some students from my program. The whole ordeal was
very exhausting, but it was nice to get to know the others. We had to
wait over 24hrs from our original flight time in order to get on
another one. We passed the time by playing Uno and, eventually,
making a blanket fort at one of the gates--are you surprised? The
employees at Newark seemed amused and didn't ask us to take it
down--in fact, one man who worked for the airport came over and asked
if we needed more blankets. :D
As of right now (6PM Paris-time as I'm writing this--can't guarantee
when this message will be sent) I'm unpacking some things. I'll take
pictures of the room and probably will include them in a separate
message. It's a decent size, but there's no carpet... :(
Anyway, things are going well. We should be catching up with the rest
of the program participants + the director tomorrow.
If you want to contact me outside of email and Facebook while I'm
here, this should be of interest to you:
- I got something called a magicJack--it's basically a landline phone
that I can plug into my computer with a ___ area code. This way I can
call home without paying enormous fees! Due to the weird Internet
connection I have, I can't guarantee that it will always be on, but my
phone number is ____________. I have a voicemail box, so you can
leave a message if I don't answer. :) Also, keep in mind that I am
6hrs ahead of you!
- My mailing address is:
___________________
Use that if you want to send me anything! :D
I will do my best to keep in touch as often as possible. :) For the
next week or so I'll be participating in orientation activities as
well as placement exams, so I have a little while before I start my
classes.
Lots of love and hope to talk to you soon,
- Maeghan
So, it's been a little over two weeks...
... since I've gotten to Paris. Some savante I am! I feel like I don't have much to show for it yet, and I've been meaning to update, but it hasn't been too easy to find the time. When there is time, I sometimes just want to rest. Everyone's always moving in this city!
I'll try to post on a more regular basis (that was my original intention, after all)... I just have to pick a point to start at. I think that I'll post my group emails for now and work my way up from there.
A+,
- Maeghan
I'll try to post on a more regular basis (that was my original intention, after all)... I just have to pick a point to start at. I think that I'll post my group emails for now and work my way up from there.
A+,
- Maeghan
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