Bonjour de Paris

     Well it's taken awhile to get over the jet lag, but I am finally awake enough to stay up and write my first blog post from Paris! I left the US Saturday morning and got to Paris at 2 am, US time. The company I am using for my study abroad program, ISA, arranged to have a taxi/bus pick us up from the airport, so that was definitely nice not having to figure out the metro and navigate it with all my luggage when first arriving! For those of you who have ever been on trips with me, yes I stuck to my tradition of having the most stuff out of anyone lol. The first day was spent unpacking my luggage (which I had to lug up 7 flights of stairs!) and taking a little nap, as I definitely didn't get any sleep on the plane!

 Monday morning we had a meeting at the school I am studying at, L'Institut Catholique de Paris. This meant the first time using the metro! I had never ridden public transportation in my life before, so I was definitely a little nervous! Thankfully I managed to get to the right stop where I was supposed to be and from there found some other girls from my program and figured out where the school was with them. The orientation at the school lasted all day, which was definitely a little bit of a bummer being stuck in a classroom instead of out exploring Paris my first real day there. For lunch, some girls and I grabbed a sandwich from a Cafe and took it to the Jardin du Luxembourg.    

                            Palais du Luxembourg(Houses the Senate)

                                                       
     The Gardens and the fountain (and the Eiffle Tower in the background!)

       It's so cool that every where you turn in this city there is history! I mean yes I know there is some history at Bama, but this park, for example, has statues of all the past queens of France!

      Today(Tuesday) I finally got to do a lot of the token touristy things! First, I met some girls at Notre Dame this morning. All I can say is WOW! It's so amazing the attention to detail the architects put into this building! I'm starting to learn there really isn't such a thing as a simple door or entry way in most older buildings.
                                 

As if the details on the outside weren't enough, it was even more breath taking on the inside! It made me jealous of how much religious passion existed in society hundreds of years ago because I doubt enough people would be in support to build something like this today!

     After Notre Dame we went wandering around. We found a great deal for a panini and crepe for lunch, and then accidentally found the Basilique Saint-Denis and the Pantheon.


                                             Outside Basilique Saint-Denis

                                      Inside Basilique Saint Denis

                                     The Front of the Pantheon

                                     The Pantheon from the back

     After a meeting for the study abroad program, it was finally time to go see the Eiffle Tower! I was a little bit nervous, because if for some reason I didn't like it, I would basically have to redecorate everything in my apartment when I get back to the States lol. I knew it was big, but wow it was REALLY big! We didn't have time to go up inside it so I definitely intend to go back and do that as well as go at night so I can see it all lit up!

So that's the trip so far! I definitely miss my family, friends, and boyfriend, but I am excited that I still have almost 3 months to discover all the rest of what Paris has to offer! 

Avant le Voyage

Hello everyone! This is my very first post of my very first blog, so bear with me as I try and figure this whole blogging thing out!I decided to start a blog because I am about to leave (6 days from now ahh!) to go study in Paris for a semester! I am getting more and more excited and nervous all at the same time.

So why hop the ocean and leave everyone for 3 whole months? That's a question I have been asking myself a lot lately lol. But really, I started taking French freshman year of high school and found out that I really enjoyed it, so I took all 6 of the French classes my high school offered and even one more at UAH. So I guess that's when my obsession with all things French really started to take root. If you've ever been to my apartment/room/dorm it's kind of hard to miss! So yes I admit it! I am a French nerd. I was even the French Club President in high school lol.

So with all of this French knowledge I gained in high school, I didn't want to just let that go when I went to college, but I also knew that I didn't want to teach French, so I decided I wanted to combine French with business, and the technology part(MIS = where business meets technology) fell in place after I got going in the Computer Based Honors Program. So yes some people look at me funny when I tell them I am a MIS and French major, but it seems to really capture all sides of me, so I'm happy with it!

So with all this French studying I have done these past 6 years, I've never been in a situation where I've really HAD to use it (except for once at Cracker Barrel when a bus full of French speakers from Africa came in!). So that's why I decided to take the plunge and sign up for a semester abroad. So I could finally put my studies to use, and also to hopefully learn how to go beyond the textbook and really learn to communicate and have every day interactions in French. Plus, I needed the study abroad for the International Honors Program, plus it's knocking out a bunch of classes I need for my French major. So win win win all around!

That was my thinking months ago when I signed up, but now that it's actually here I'm realizing that it's going to be a little more difficult than I imagined. I hadn't thought of the full implication of what it would be like leaving my family, friends, and school to go off to a country where I know absolutely no one. Also, since signing up, I have found me a truly wonderful guy that for some reason puts up with all my crazy, so that definitely makes leaving all the more harder!

That's the nervous part, but the other half of me is sooo pumped! I mean finally I am going to get to go see all the monuments and chateaux and art( I still remember that scary Impressionism test from high school) that I have studied all these years! And I am also really excited for some French food!! As you probably know, I really love to bake! Cooking is ok, but baking for others is really where I find joy. I'm hoping, if every thing works out, that I am going to get to go take a couple mini classes at Le Cordon Bleu (aka the most famous culinary school in the world!) while I am there! They have all sorts of classes on main dishes and sauces, but I am shooting for the baking one of course, as well as one on Julia Child. Just as a preface, food and especially desserts will probably be a reoccurring feature of this blog :)

I leave for Paris on Saturday and would definitely appreciate your prayers as I have never flown alone before!  Thank you for deciding to follow me as I embark on this journey of a life time.

Callie Smith