How do I even begin to describe my first experience with international travel? Fatigue. Lots of fatigue.
First, there’s the airport goodbye to the parents who think they’ll never see you again. Once that bittersweet farewell was done, we were immediately thrust into adulthood, a.k.a navigating Dulles and tackling the TSA. My watch made the machine beep, but it’s OK because the TSA man felt bad for me and gave me a sticker meant for nervous children.
Movies on 8 hour plane rides are God’s greatest gift to this world. Having such a breezy flight only made us infinitely more unprepared for our adventures in the airport. After thinking two of our classmates had lost their luggage, everyone was ready to get out of there. However, the fun was just beginning. Never have I ever seen so many young women trying to lug so much stuff up and down stairs and escalators for an extended amount of time. We definitely provided some entertainment for the locals.
The only thing left to do was buy RER tickets to take us to our new home. Sounds simple, right? Incorrect. Bri and I stood in line only to find that the ticket machine only takes 20 and 10 euro bills. We tried to kiosks in the airport to see if they could break our 50s, but those were both no-goes. Ensuite, we asked the information desk (all the while attempting to use our French) and they pointed us to a different room with a long line. Super! Luckily our effort paid off…literally…and a nice woman gave us tickets. Finally it was onto the RER and to our stop at the Cite Universitaire in Paris.
It soon became apparent that this day was going to be a struggle. Not only was it one of the hottest days in Paris history, but we were all in full-on jetlag mode. Someone should have recorded all of us lugging our baggage across the street and up the steps of our building. Honestly we all wanted to die at this point…and then we learned that our rooms weren’t open yet and we were supposed to go back outside and walk around for about two hours.
We, along with the other MICEFA students, went to Saint-Michel to take care of some shopping. Naturally we all opted for food and as much water as our bodies would hold. It had not quite hit us yet that we were in Paris. Most of us felt like we were walking around New York City.
After we got back, our rooms were finally ready. However, the battle against baggage was not yet over. The 11 of us conquered four flights of stairs with probably 60 pounds of luggage each in 100 degree weather and no AC. Girl power. Or just the will of those in survival mode. Lots of unpacking and showers ensued.
Food was now mandatory for our sanity. We all took to the streets to find the nearest, cheapest cafe. Fun fact: after I asked for a menu (in French of course), one man actually responded to me in French instead of immediately switching to English. It’s the little triumphs in life. We decided on a small pizzeria near our building and proceeded to probably deplete the premises of water. Good times and good food were had by all. We learned our lesson about the one euro tipping standard when we vastly over-tipped and our waiter return the extra money. Definitely going back there!
After a long day of semi-acclimation it was time to pass out, and that’s exactly what we all did. I have to admit, falling asleep to the sounds of Paris was not such a difficult task.