Falling in love...

I have spent 10 days in Paris, and already I have fallen in love. It happened to me on the metro, on the way to the Eiffel Tower… a man came on and started playing music, and I was looking outside the windows over the city. I was filled with a warm feeling that hasn't left me since.

I arrived July 2 — jet lagged, in bad mood, not knowing a thing about what I was doing and so forth and so on. Since my first day, I have learned a great deal of the French language, eaten the best salad of my life, and visited Jim Morrison's grave, the Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower numerous times. I have gone to a piano bar and heard a talented pianist play Michael Jackson tunes, sat on a bridge and played guitar with accommodating French boys, and taken many wonderful photographs. I got to visit the Dali Museum, and an exhibition by an amazing photographer named Willy Ronis.

Classes have been really simple so far and I have enjoyed every moment of them. I met an American girl last night who has lived here for almost two years. She convinced me that it's realistic to live here and go to school! I would absolutely love that, and I believe it's at least an option I can keep in consideration for the future. There have been so many experiences that it’s somewhat of an overload of excitement for me. There are seemingly endless things to do here and I can already tell I am a different person after such a short time; I feel more educated with every day I spend here.

I have to walk everywhere and learn how to navigate the city streets using only "Franglais" (a slang term the French use for the combination of French and English). There have been some amazing Parisians that have guided me towards home when I have gotten lost and written down plenty of places to visit while I'm here. When I think about the next couple of weeks and what I still have to experience, it still doesn’t feel real. My room is really nice, although there is no air conditioning! The first thing I did when I got here was buy a mini osculating fan to help cool off. It doesn't get dark here until about 10 p.m. and the sun comes up around 6:30 a.m.; this leaves me with plenty of daylight to do anything I would like.

The freedom I have here is amazing. I have already made a ton of new friends and every day I make a new one, either through the program or a true Parisian! I look forward to the many future adventures as well as the knowledge I will gain about French culture and new photography techniques.