Deux semaines à Paris

Whew. It's been two weeks since I arrived in Paris. That's in France. In those deux semaines, I've visited museums, palaces, cathedrals, gardens, and cafes, met new friends, spoken French, seen the Eiffel Tower countless times (it's right out my window), and even patted the shoulder of my personal hero, Nicolas Sarkozy, le Président de la République Française!

Life in France is terrific. For example, I'm watching a great movie on TV right now where a French-speaking Mel Gibson is leading a battallion of French-speaking American rebels in battle against the French-speaking British army. WHERE ELSE COULD I DO THAT? Nowhere but France. (It's called Le Patriote, in case you'd like to see it.)

I'm living with a French host family--a woman named Patricia and, every other weekend, her 15-year-old son Dorian. We live in a lovely 6th floor (a.k.a. 7th floor) apartment in the Dupleix neighborhood of the 15th arrondisement (district of Paris). The view out of my window is the Eiffel Tower. FUN FACT: It lights up at night and sparkles for five minutes every hour. It turns off at 1 AM. I use it as a night light.

France is connected to the internets (more or less), so if you would like to contact me during my stay here, clearly the best option is Skype. My user name is nckl12n, and you can instant message, voice and video chat for free. I also have a French cell phone; the number is (+33) 06 47 61 90 65. You can mail me at this address: Sweet Briar College / 4, rue de Fleurus / 75006 Paris, France.

I have compiled a short list of differences between the USA and la belle France, drawing on my experiences so far:

1. Language - The French are extremely proud of their language, which they consider to be one of the world's two most important languages, begrudgingly second to English, the language of the "Anglo-Saxons." So far my French has held up well, and many people have told us that we speak French well. We don't believe them, but it's nice to hear anyway. My internship will be in French, as well as all my classes, so I should have ample opportunity to practice.
   
2. Politics - In the USA, Obama bested McCain by seven points. In France, that lead was 40 points. Inauguration Day was fun. The Haverford gang found an Irish bar (the cool American one was full) and watched BBC's coverage (the Britishness was annoying, but hey, they didn't dub over the speeches). The admin change is a godsend for Americans abroad, because the world finally agrees with the US on something.
   On the other hand, the French are as pro-Palestinian as Americans are pro-Israeli. I couldn't get to a metro station I wanted to take last weekend because there was an anti-Israel rally going on (complete with riot police, just one of the several demonstrations I've witnessed) complete with flag-burning.
   
3. Food - Cheese, wine, and bread are just as important as the stereotypes tell you they are. Patricia is an excellent cuisinière (cook), so I enjoy fresh-cooked, mostly bio (organic), ultra-French dinners every night. It's fantastic. Also, banana - Nutella crêpes are one of the best things that have ever happened.
   
4. Money - In France, they use a currency called the Euro, which is designed to cause products to appear less expensive than they actually are. Most things are somewhat more expensive here than in the USA, although the Euro is much better now than last summer. American credit cards often don't work here, because they don't have a puce (electronic chip) like French cards.
   
5. Fashion - The French are relentlessly fashionable. They also do not accept "tennis shoes" as non-athletic footwear. Meaning I have one pair of acceptable shoes. Fortunately, France has soldes every January (massive sales in every store), so I should be able to find some deece shoes for cheap. I also had to buy un costume (suit) for my internship, so I now own a fashionable dark grey French suit. Sadly, due to #4 above, I had to walk to a bank & withdraw over 100 euros cash to pay for my new suit. Super!
6. Public transportation - This has nothing to do with France v. USA and everything to do with suburbs v. big city, but I thought I'd include it anyway. Paris has a fantastic transportation system (when they're not on strike) featuring the metro, nice busses, and the RER - a regional rail line similar to SEPTA. There's a metro stop right in my neighborhood, so it's all very convenient.

I'm doing an internship with the European Affairs section of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) political party. As a result, I volunteered yesterday at the UMP's Conseil National yesterday (a big plenary meeting of the party's regional councilors and treasurers, with some foreign diplomats and a few VIPs). Anyway, Prime Minister François Fillon and President Nicolas Sarkozy both gave speeches and walked within two feet of me. It was great. If you read French, here's an article about the event.

That's all I have time for, but I will be back with more (hopefully) soon. A tout à l'heure!