I've been in for two days now, I think. Everything's felt so surreal since I've been here. The first day was horrible because of the jet-lagged. I managed to sleep for all on 20min on the plane so I hadn't really slept in nearly 48 hours. We arrive in Paris at the Fiap (the hostel where they're keeping all the new AUP students until we get housing) where they shuffle us around, ask us to fill out forms, sign up for activities and trips, and talk to us about academic advising. I felt dead the entire time, and I'm pretty sure I didn't retain anything that I was supposed to.
The first night was less than ideal for me. We ate dinner in the caf with our student advisors. Luckily, almost everyone was equally as jet-lagged as I was so I wasn't the only one physically unable to make polite conversation. When I returned to my room after dinner my roommate at the Fiap was homesick and desperately needed to find a cybercafe to talk to her family. I offered to go with her because I didn't want her to go into the city alone. We ended up at a McDo in the Place d'Italie because all McDonalds in Paris supposedly have free wireless. Thank god I was too tired to really comprehend anything that was going on, because I probably would have been really pissed that I was spending my first EVER night in Paris at a McDo.
Once we were within 20 metres of the restaurant, out of nowhere all the French children within the vacinity starting shouting, "Je veux aller au McDo! Je veux aller au McDo!" It was exactly like in the states. I had no idea that French children loved McDonalds that much. Very strange.
Last night was dinner at a restaurant with our advisors. My advisor took us to a cute crepe restaurant. I somehow managed to get away with eating a spinach and tomato crepe, drinking two glasses of wine, and sharing a nutella crepe with a few other people and only paying 9euro. Craziness. After dinner it was on to a Australian bar called Cafe Oz where all the new AUP students met up. If spending my first night at McDo wasn't bad enough, they had the Steelers-Chargers game on in the bar! I'd never imagine I would get to see an American football game in Europe, let alone in Paris. When I got up to go dance, Kanye West was playing, followed by Joan Jett's I Love Rock n Roll. So much for trying to be Parisian.
Housing appointment today! Can't wait to get my own apartment. Must remember to get a cell phone too. I still carry my American cell phone around with me even though it doesn't work and whenever I turn it on it says it is 6 january 1980, 12:00am. It's like a crutch at this point. I don't know how to survive without it. Kind of pathetic.
