In Which I Find Out Trans-Atlantic Flights Are Not For Me

First off, I'm in Paris. Wow. Kinda still unbelievable that I got this lucky.

The trip over was, long. It started with a three hour bus ride from Madison to O'Hare Airport in Chicago. I hit Chicago at about 2:30 in the afternoon, and my flight wasn't until 6, so I had to take my time checking in, or risk being unbelievably bored. Minor success. One of my bags was two pounds too heavy, but I talked my way into letting me have it like that. I got my backpack searched at the Security Checkpoint, which was sort of cute but not really. I drank my last proper Starbucks Carmel Macchiato. And then it was 3:15. I managed to kill time ok, because I found an outlet and I plugged in my laptop and watched How I Met Your Mother. At about 4:30 another girl from my program, Alexa, showed up, so we chatted.

The flight to Detroit was lame. Only 49 minutes (timed on my watch). When we got to Detroit we had about 20 minutes to find our gate before they started boarding. The plane we got on was the biggest one I've ever been on. It was ridiculous, and absolutely full. Who'd have thought that? I sat by this strange Russian man, who was named... I kid you not... Nikolai. He told me it had been his childhood dream to go to Detroit, because it is "ze capital of ze automobile." I didn't have the heart to tell him that Detroit sucks. He then proceeded to fall asleep for the entire flight, snoring very loudly. I did not sleep a wink.

Upon arrival at De Gaulle in Paris I zoomed through customs (which is overrated) and then grabbed my bags. Another Chicago student and I left Alexa behind, because she had lost a bag, and was supposed to wait for someone anyway, and searched out the RER train. It was a lot of long hallways and elevators that did not work very well. I volunteered to do the ticket machine because the other student, Sabrina, doesn't speak any French. It took me three tries, but I managed, and then we lugged our bags to the RER for the trip to the Cité Universitaire. We didn't get to see much of Paris on the train ride, as the RER went underground most of the time, but when we got off... wow. The station is down a level, but open to the elements. It has trees that hang over, and as it is just fall here, it was gorgeous, and very quaint.

The Cité itself is also gorgeous. Upon exiting the RER station the Maison Internationale is directly in front of you. It is huge, and looks old, but is nicely updated. There is a big gorgeous garden too. We hung a left at the Maison Internationale and headed to the Fondation des États-Unis (USA House) to check-in. I was then escorted to the Maison de Provinces de France, my home for the next six months. It is similar to the Maison Internationale. Very big, and old-looking, by newly renovated. My room is amazing. I have a big gorgeous window that opens all of the way (no screen!). I also have a private bath that looks like something you'd see in an RV, but it doesn't matter because it's all mine.

After unpacking a bit I had a short Orientation meeting, the point of which was to prod us to fill up our metro cards. No one had brought money, so it was not worth it really. I departed the meeting with two girls from my program, Sarah and Caroline. We went for a walk, looking for food. We found a cute boulangerie (bakery) that was having a meal special. We bought baguette sandwiches, éclairs, and drinks. After we walked to the Parc de Montsouris, which is next to the RER station. It is really cute, with a total Central Park vibe. We hung out a bit before heading home, where I proceeded to pass out at about 7 pm. I did not wake up properly until 11:30 the next day.