There’s a lot more I could tell you about July 1st, but I’ll keep it brief. Perhaps the most difficult was landing in Charles de Gaulle, with our hectic maneuvering and its busy crowds that made my time at Dulles look like a cakewalk. I feel like never would have made it through without the group, and Dr. Smith thankfully bought us all RER tickets. After she and her family (as well as Dr. Haffey) got off on their stops, we were on our own to make it to Cité U. It wasn’t hard—all we had to do was sit there—but it felt like an air of realization came upon us that this was it. We were finally here, and for two of us (myself included) it was our first time in another country.
There were a few hours until check in at the university, so Dr. Smith kindly gave us €50 to use at a café. Embarrassingly, most of us barely knew French, and the man serving us didn’t speak English, so we muddled our way through the menu with gestures and apologies. I wanted to try the little French I knew, but at that point it seemed like it would do more harm than good. I had an Espresso shot, which fueled me through the next few hours of exploring the campus and checking into my room, where the weight of the two previous days really hit me. It was a relief to finally see where we would be staying after nearly a summer of wondering. The Cité U website was nice, but not super informative when it came to our living situation. I tried not to be too disappointed when I saw the hall bathrooms and showers (not the same rooms), but somehow I’ll manage. My room’s furniture is all a vibrant, almost obscene lime green, including the bedsheets. Later I’d find out that everyone has a different color, including some with a just as offensive pink. Otherwise, the rooms are great, with a walk in closet and a washroom with a sink. Lot’s of storage space—more than I’ll need—and a large casement window which opens nicely, letting in some cool Parisian air.
The view from my window. Ivy—we love to see it!
A group of eight (nine?) of us had dinner at a café called Chin Chin, and I had a delicious plate of risotto I never finished. We walked back to Cité U through the beautiful and lively Parc Montsouris. When I say lively, I mean it. People of all ages enjoyed every corner of the park, children playing, joggers jogging, friends sitting on the grass for a picnic, couples passionately (and I mean passionately) kissing in broad daylight, not to mention all those just walking through.
We stopped at the pharmacy to grab some essentials, and then finally went back to our rooms where I began to unpack. I finally met my roommate, Colin, who was late thanks to his seven hour layover in Heathrow. I wrote yesterday’s blog post and slept twelve hours.