Karate Kid and other things

    Today was somewhat uneventful, I suppose. But even the uneventful days are hard sometimes when speaking a foreign language. Case in point: someone arrived at the door, and I had no idea who they were or what they wanted, but luckily I was able to communicate that they should come back later. I'll count it as a victory.
   I was able to go running around the hippodrome (horse track) today, and sure enough someone was riding a horse (just not on the track). It's a nice run, and you feel accomplished because it doesn't take too long to go around the giant stadium a few times. On Sundays the street is mobbed with bicycles, but today there weren't quite as many.
   Afterward, we went to see Karate Kid at La Defense. As we got off the tram, I saw the beautiful arch there, and desperately wanted to take a picture. But alas, I wasn't sure of my ability to find the theatre.
   I did find it rather easily, actually, but I accidentally went to the customer service desk to buy tickets. Oh well. When I bought my tickets, the person behind the counter asked me something and I had no idea what he was saying. I turned to my small companion for help, but his inability to speak English didn't help my cause. Alas, I stood there for a moment and the person assumed I didn't want whatever he was offering. I hope it was something boring. It'd be too bad if I didn't recognize the expression for "opals" or something.
   And then I experienced my first French film I've seen without a teacher to help explain what they were saying. I'm pretty sure I understood it. It's strange, because thinking back on it I don't specifically remember any moment where I didn't know what was going on. Then again, the plot structure of that movie was fairly basic...
   We then returned home, where I was taught how to make my own salad dressing. It's really great to eat fresh bread and use homemade salad dressing. The only food-oriented aspect of French life I'm struggling with is the containers they keep milk and juice in. I failed at milk today and spilled it everywhere. Hopefully I'll learn soon!
   And now I'm patiently awaiting for last night's episode of Glee to download on iTunes. I really do miss American television (Hulu doesn't work here), and I can't afford to download everything. So I'm sticking with Glee.
   Otherwise everything's going well! Today was my first full day of taking care of the kids by myself. I hope the next few hundred go just as well :)

-Ian

Fun on the Metro

   Today, I learned something fun: sometimes, your Metro tickets stop working. I learned this as I got trapped  in the station at Defense, as neither of the tickets that I had bought minutes before would let me through. A small boy let me through (he asked me for a euro for his help, and I gave him one as I was running late and wanted to avoid a scene, which I have previously learned happen when people here do "nice" things for you and you don't give them anything), and I reached the next level only to be blocked again. This time I was able to sneak through when someone was going through with their stroller, but I had to wait a while for this opportunity. The lesson learned here is that I'll always carry extra tickets (until my pass comes).
   Of course, the reason this situation was extra stressful is I was running late for my appointment with the bank. Luckily they were still able to see me (even though I was quite late by the end of this ordeal), and I am now the proud owner of a French bank account! Soon I will have a carte bleu credit card, and will be free (mostly) from all these coins in my pocket. It's not that I don't like them; I just hate carrying them around.
   The reason I was running late in the first was I was registering for language classes, which start on Friday. Unfortunately, the only times left were at 8:00 am, so I will have the pleasure of waking up early twice a week. It could be worse, I suppose.
   In the end, today was one of the last steps in finishing all the formalities for living here. I now have a phone, I'm registered for classes, and I will soon have a credit card and metro pass. After that I'm golden :)

-Ian

Yesterday

    I'm a day late, but I did some hard-core wandering around Paris yesterday (sans map!) so I thought I'd post some pictures. I started at Le Centre Pompidou, and then poked into shops and started walking towards everything I found interesting. I found some neat museums, gardens, and somehow ended up all the way at the Bastille. A fun game for me to play in Paris is to keep wandering around until I find a Metro station, because no matter where I end up I can always find my way home. It will be even more fun once I get my metro pass! Anyway, here are some photos:

I was determined to find this after watching "French in Action" so many times...

Inside the National Archives

A garden by l'eglise de manteaux blancs?

L'eglise de manteaux blancs

The same design as Oscar the Grouch...I don't get it!

Place de Vosges (if that's what this place was called?)

By the Bastille...I don't know what this is!

Getting Lost in Paris

   With just six euros, 5 metro tickets, and a map of Paris, I ventured into the city. After getting lost the second I got off the metro, then finding myself, I stumbled upon some church called "Notre Dame" or something. It was absolutely beautiful.
   After being in awe of such a "chef d'oeuvre" that I had seen a million times before and was now right in front of me, it dawned on me that I was really a tourist, and I could visit this wonderful place again whenever I wanted.
    After a while I decided to wander around, and I followed some signs for La Centre Pompidou, which ended up just getting me lost again. I would eventually see it, but it was far off in the distance and I didn't really want to get even more lost trying to get there. The fountain-lips would have to wait another day.
   Finally, after purchasing a delicious crepe fromage oeuf, I saw what appeared to be a large museum. Sure enough, as I walked inside the courtyard, a certain glass pyramid confirmed my suspicions: the Louvre.
    I sat by the fountain and ate my lunch, marveling at I.M Pei's creation (and at my ability to remember the name of the architect). In the distance, I could see Napoleon's Obelisk, L'Arc de Triomphe, and the Champs-Élysées in between. I walked down the avenue, sat on a few benches at a few fountains, witnessed two Middle-Eastern street vendors actually competing in the dancing paper Disney character market, and navigated the train back home. Even a little rain couldn't spoil a perfect day of adventuring.
   Definitely enough for one day. Here are some photos:

On rue de St. Michel, maybe?

Notre Dame

St.  Eustache

La Pyramide

The Louvre

View of Champs-Élysées and L'Arc de Triomphe

L'Arc de Triomphe

-Ian

Day Two

   After some formalities in the morning, I had my first experience with French public transportation. Despite the daunting nature of the map, it's actually not too hard to follow. We'll see how I do when I have to navigate by myself, though.
   I saw a large "children's" map of the world at one of the offices today. I couldn't believe how incredibly racist and culturally insensitive it was. I assumed it must have been old, but the copyright was for 1999. It's so strange living in a world without political correctness.
   Other things I have to get used to: the different sirens, how they use commas instead of periods when they write out prices, and how everything is so beautiful. It could be that I don't appreciate anything in America, but I feel like everywhere I look, even if there's trash and graffiti, is genuinely beautiful and exciting. Of course, it's not perfect. The drunk teenagers at the park weren't ideal, but nowhere's perfect.
   Still trying to get my sleep-schedule right. I'm doing my best not to nap today so I'll actually be able to sleep through the night. Hopefully I make it!
   That's enough for a day, I think. Or not. It doesn't really matter...
-Ian

I've Arrived!

   After my glorious 767 got delayed for two hours, and then a beautiful seven hour flight, I finally arrived in Paris. I navigated the baggage claim (for some reason my duffel had been procured by an airport employee who placed it on a cart for me) and headed to my residence just outside of Paris!
  This is a short update, as I am currently strugging to get adjusted to my new surroundings. However, a blog has to start somewhere, and thus here starts mine!

-Ian