I'm going to make it after all..... Hopefully ;)

So im in Bollene sitting on my hotel bed trying to get use to this Mary Tyler Moore moment i've got going on. To give you keen insight on the state of affairs of my life right now, here is a picture below
However i will say thus far Paris/France has been such an enriching experience. Something that stands out in my mind was actually part of an email sent by director of The Assitantship program. She wrote "a lot of you will be entering the real world for the first time and this world will be French" I honestly didn't fully grasp what she meant until now. From the signs in the Airport to the casual conversations on the street, all my senses are engaged in French. And that's ok with me :-) in fact Paris for me was like a person you meet for the first time but for whatever reason you feel like you've known them you're whole life. it's familiar yet grossly different. I'm still waiting for someone to pinch me.....Thankfully no one has.

So instead of going on a long lecture about my Paris experience i will just give short observations:

1.) The cars here are the size of the cars you find at the bottom of your cereal box. Cute... yes...efficient not so much. In this sense i totally adopt the American attitude of Bigger is Better. If i can't get two large suitcase and a carry on in a car without feeling like Gumby....Houston we have a problem.
2.) If you visit make sure you have your walking shoes on. Parisians do alot of walking and when i mean a lot i mean your feet are screaming at you by the end of the day wondering what they did to deserve this type of torture.
3.) However they're metro system is beyond awesome! you can ride any metro, bus, or train for as many times you want throughout the week for about 27 euros a week.
4.) Parisians tend to be thin. After much consideration I've narrowed it down to 3 reasons: a.) Their portion sizes are ridiculously smaller in comparison to the U.S. sizes (which i think is a great thing) but meals are much more expensive (which makes me cry a little inside) B.) They can't shake their cigarette addiction. I mean seriously i think the Surgeon general needs to have a talk with our French counterparts. C.) The walking as i detailed in observation #2.... i mean get a look at the stairs i had to climb
5.) France is truly the epicenter of the Arts, Fashion, and Architecture. but I'm sure you already knew this. However, hearing about it and seeing it are two different things. One of the friends that was showing me around goes to school in a building from the 18 century. It's decked out in pillars and marble and I'm thinking wow if i went to school somewhere like this maybe i would have paid more attention (ok who are we kidding LOL)..... i mean it beats some of those old U of H classrooms where it's damp and resembles the lair of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Below is a photo of inside the school:6.) Apparently the 10 years i spent in school learning French meant absolutely zilch.... in fact as soon as i return to the states i'm demanding that U of H give me all of my money back.... somehow i think this request will be denied. Who knows, maybe i'm just too American for my own good. Case in point: i'm opening the door to walk into a room and a little boy (about 8) is right behind me. I open the door for him and in his adorable voice he says "Merci" i then say "You're Welcome" and then he's staring at me like i'm crazy. Quickly i fumble and say "De rien" and he smiles. I guess you can't shake certain habits.... i guess i'm going to have to learn.

Of course i have more observations then 6 but i'm getting kind of tired and i'm ready to start my adventures in Bollene :-) will give you more then.... a toute a l'heure! oh and for the record i think the most important question i had to ask myself was "is France everything you dreamed it would be?" and the Answer is "yes.... that and more" :-)


bisous,
Hali