Final Stretch

Finals start today...that means I only have two days of finals, a fete (party/lunch thing) at IES, and a very long flight standing between me and America! I've had a great time in France, but I am very ready to go home. Paris is an excellent city for a vacation, I've decided, but I do not think I could ever live here (maybe in Montmartre, but that's it).

Two more days of Metro faces, boulangeries, euros (and the evil exchange rate), the Eiffel Tower sparkling outside my window, Le M, Le Refuge des Fondus, nouilles sautees, homestays, the Metro, Muji, rue Daguerre, hearing French everywhere, natural yogurt, Amorino gelato, Pimkie, skinny jeans everywhere, unpredictable (way more unpredictable than Indiana) weather, parapluies, less than 5 minute showers, UHT milk, espresso dispensers at school, four-channel TVs, musees, jardins, sightseeing, the Champs-Elysees, rude French people, Malibu et jus d'ananas at the apartment, Indiana Club, walking everywhere, Hollywood Smile gum, Franprix, Carrefour, Monoprix, fruiteries, the 16th, trains, scarfs...

I'm coming home =)

Riley

Quick Update

Just a quick update before I head out with one of my friends...

Today was a lazy day! I haven't gotten much sleep since I've been here and, since we didn't have classes today and most of the people I hang out with were going to Disneyland Paris (which I wasn't interested in going to because it's way expensive and really not that different from Disneyworld, which I've been to 100 times), I took advantage of that and caught up on sleep! I also explored my new neighborhood a bit. It's a lot more residential than my old one (which was very touristy since it was right by the Champs-Elysees), which means more grocery stores, cute unique cafes (without the Champs-Elysees price tag, too...still expensive, but still more affordable), little shops (a chocolate florist!), and little parks. I bought some groceries thinking it would be more economical to pack a lunch for school, but the groceries were so expensive that it really wasn't worth it!

In other news...Paris has far too many appealing desserts, and I think I need to cut back on sampling them all! It's still awesome seeing the Eiffel Tower out my window. The Musee d'Orsay is cool (it's all impressionist paintings, like Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Van Gogh), but I've realized I don't like to experience museums slowly like most people. Classes are classes, regardless of where you're taking them or what language they're in. Made of Honor was much better than I thought it'd be and you should go see it.

And now I'm out for the night!
Riley =)

La Belle Vie de Riley Goes Multimedia

Let's try something new...


Sorry the sound isn't the greatest...that's what I get for using my webcam for part and my Canon for the other! The next one will be better =)

PS - If you're checking this right after I post it, it probably won't work yet...check back later!

Feels Like Home

I am writing this in my new homestay, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, on avenue Mozart. It's right across the street from the Jasmin Metro station, which is very nice! My new host family is amazing. The mom is very down-to-earth and speaks English quite well (which is quite useful when she has important things about locks and whatnot to tell me...I told her I'd prefer to speak French around the house, though, so I can learn, and she agreed). I met the dad briefly tonight because he works til 8pm, but he just set up the Internet on my laptop and that was all. They have three daughters, too, ages 7, 12, and 15, and they are adorable! The youngest is super cute, the middle is very curious, and the oldest is very informative and smart!

My room in the new house is smaller, but I love it! The view is AMAZING! I look right out at the Eiffel Tower! This is my view:

Amazing, eh? I have a MUCH more comfortable bed here (my previous one felt more like a board than a bed), a nice closet, a little TV (I watched French Who Wants to be a Millionaire with my friend Alice today), a set of shelves, and a desk!

Speaking of my friend Alice, she was a HUGE help today and came with me after school to help me move out. It turns out that it was a good thing I had help, because when I called my former host mom, she thought I had said I was going to be there to move out in three minutes, not thirty minutes and was freaking out cause she had a meeting. So, when we got there, she told us we had three minutes to get my things together and leave. I handed her the keys and said, "pour toi," which was a no-no (because I used the "tu" form instead of the "vous" form, which is a big faux pas when you're talking to an "elder"). She didn't say anything about that, but we rushed off into my room and threw everything into my bags. Now, my laundry had just been done that day and Madame de Pommery had put it in a paper shopping bag. I figured this was because she wanted to make it easier for me to get my things and go. But when Alice started putting other things in the paper bag, she told Alice that she still needed the paper bag and we couldn't keep it! I said I thought since she had put my clothes in it, we could use it, but she apparently wanted it, so I said I'd put the clothes in other bags but it'd take a few minutes. She just stared at me, so I just kept the stuff in the bag and Alice and I got it out of the apartment. We noticed the handle of the paper bag was broken, so ended up taking all of the stuff out of it anyways...and leaving it in the hallway where we knew she would see it later.

So, that's my exciting move out story. Both Alice and I were laughing all the way to my new home. It is always good to have fun stories to tell!

I miss you, but I am loving Paris!

Riley =)

PS - I added links on the right to my pictures I've taken so far!

Je Te Manque

I got my first piece of mail yesterday! THANKS SO MUCH FAMILY =) That card totally made my morning! It was awesome to see how many people had signed it! For those of you not in my family, a bunch of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and other family all signed a card and sent it to me. It was a nice first piece of mail! Some people have been asking for my address again, so here it is:
IES Paris Center
c/o Riley Steinmetz
77, rue Daguerre
Paris 75014
France

Megan and I didn't end up making it to Montmartre yesterday. We went to Forum des Halles to get books for class and ended up being distracted by the shopping! Forum des Halles is a three-story mall on top of the world's biggest underground subway station. The store that we had to buy our books at, FNAC, is like Best Buy plus Borders. They have three floors, one of which is devoted all to books, one which is all for DVDs and computer stuff, and one for music and other technology-related stuff. It's very, very crowded. All of Forum des Halles is crowded, though. Actually, most of Paris is crowded. But, then we went and did homework at Monop' (a mini-version of the grocery store Monoprix that has a little cafe area where you can sit) on Rue de Rennes, then I had to go for my last dinner with my host family.

I told my host family this morning that I missed the noise and energy of having kids around, so I was moving to a different place. They took it a lot better than I thought they would. Or maybe they didn't understand since my French isn't the best. Either way, I'm moving today most likely! How exciting! After moving, I'm going to try to actually make it to Montmartre!

Thanks to everyone for the phone calls to my French phone. It's been really awesome getting to talk to people from home. I miss you.

Riley =)

Jailbreak

So, I just got done talking to the IES Housing Director again. I'll be moving homestays either tomorrow or Wednesday. I don't know where I'm moving yet, but it will be one of two places, both of which are younger families with kids (one with young kids, one with older kids still at home). Either sounds great, so I'm excited to find out which one I'll be at!

I'm about to head off to Montmartre with some friends. We want to look at some of the little artsy shops and the Sacre Coeur and all those fun things!

More updates when I have more to update you on...
Riley =)

New Love for those Golden Arches

So, I can't stand McDonald's at home. I like their French fries (ha), but that's about it. Well, now, it seems like I am in McDo every day here in France! It's not for the American food (although I did have my first McDo hamburger today...it was totally different than the American ones)...it's because it's cheap (which is a rare find here) and has wireless Internet. It's also nice because it doesn't have the greasy, fried food smell like the ones at home...they're actually really nice and designed for people to hang out in, not just eat and run (cause trust me...the French do not just eat and run). Also, it's open on Sunday. Hardly anything is open here on Sunday except for shops catering to tourists. I tried to go buy my books for class today, but the librairies (book stores) were either closed or too far away. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to get my homework done...

The French love their food, and they love to enjoy their meals. Last night, Megan and I went to a cafe by her homestay around 10:30pm (they also eat dinner very, very late here). We were done within the hour, even though, by our standards, we were taking our time and enjoying our food. However, the French people around us just sit and talk for hours after their meals. In fact, they don't even bring you the check at French restaurants...you have to ask for it, and then they will eventually get around to it about 15 minutes later. Megan and I, being the impatient Americans we are, got tired of waiting after a half hour and just went up to the bar to pay, which totally confused them.

Tonight is hopefully one of my last night's at l'appartemente des Pommery. I was more comfortable at Megan's house and with her host brothers this weekend than I've felt in the entire week I have been at the de Pommery's.

Have a good week!

Riley =)

Cravings

So, for some reason, I have been craving just about every food in the past couple of days that isn't readily available here. These include turkey and cheddar sandwiches (cheddar cheese is nowhere to be found...and deli turkey is difficult to find), Mexican food, and chocolate chip cookie dough. I found the French version of chocolate chip cookies in FranPrix (a grocery store) today, which were tasty, but not quite the same thing as the American version! The French version is a crispy, airy thing, and it does not have a vanilla cookie base (it has a very, very mild chocolate base). I'm going to be on the lookout for cheddar cheese everywhere I go, though, because I want a turkey sandwich like crazy!

I spent the night at my friend Megan's homestay last night. We were both craving breakfast food (because that is yet another thing that the French really don't do), so we made scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. It was amazing. If I was allowed to cook at my homestay, I would probably make them for myself for dinner again tonight! After breakfast, we went to the Paris version of Chinatown (it wasn't too exciting), then did some shopping along Boulevard Haussman. We took the tramway for the first time ever today, too...it's not nearly as fast as the Metro, but it was very quiet in comparison.

I'm excited to find out where I get to move on Monday. Staying at Megan's last night made me see how awesome a homestay can be...and I want to have an awesome experience in every part of my trip to Paris!

Riley =)

At School

Bonjour! I am sitting at IES, my school, right now, enjoying the wireless Internet. I just got done talking with the IES Housing Coordinator and it looks like I may be getting moved to a new homestay on Monday. I talked to her for awhile and she asked me to describe my perfect host family...and after describing it, she said she thought she had a better match for me and wanted me to reflect until Monday, but on Monday she can do something if I still want to move. This makes me very excited because 1.) I will actually be able to sleep at night because I won't be having allergy issues and 2.) I will have Internet!

Besides talking about homestay issues, I had my first day of real classes. I am in French 301, which I think will be pretty nice. The professor seems cool and he speaks at like the perfect speed. I was afraid I'd end up with someone who spoke way too fast to understand! I am also excited that I tested into 301 because I was afraid I might not test into it, even though that's the level I should be at. I also had French Lit today, but I'm going to switch out that class for History of Paris (most likely) because the French Lit professor expects us to already know some stuff about French Lit...and I know absolutely nothing about French literature.

I know I've said it a couple of times already...but Skype is awesome. I have been videochatting and it works great! Granted, most of you probably aren't going to be up at the hours I have been videochatting (9am my time...3am in Indiana), but maybe if my new homestay has Internet, I'll be able to chat at better hours of the day!

I only have classes Monday through Thursday...so it's the weekend now! I'm eating lunch at the Eiffel Tower tomorrow!

Bon week-end!
Riley =)

Allo?

I finally got a hold of my host family today! I tried to call them yesterday, but they weren't home. So, this afternoon, I tried again...and my host mom, Madame de Pommary, answered. Now, this phone call was positively terrifying because she was speaking in really fast French and I was trying to translate everything in my head, which wasn't moving quite as fast. She seems nice. She was definitely patient with me on the phone, since it seemed like the majority of what I said was "Je ne comprends pas" (I don't understand) or "Oui" (Yes).

So, from the conversation with her, I gathered that my host family does not have Internet (sad day for me), has five kids (ranging in age from 3 to 27!), and she will be at home when I arrive Monday morning (or lundi matin, as she repeated many a time in the conversation!). I felt silly because I only used the present and future tenses while talking to her because I couldn't think to conjugate and translate simultaneously...but I don't think the family speaks much English, so I should be speaking French like a champion by the time I get home!

Tonight, I've been packing my travel backpack, rolling all of my clothes to save space and reduce wrinkles. I'm trying to pack as lightly as possible, but that's proving to be an interesting challenge! I'm not good at packing lightly!

I can't believe I'm leaving in 5 days...wow...

Riley =)

Two Weeks

Two weeks from today, I'll be sitting in orientation in Paris! I've gotten a lot crossed off of my to do list, so that's always good. I got my new laptop, an HP TX2000. This is what it looks like:
It's only 12 inches long and like an inch and a half thick. It has an integrated webcam, too, which means I can video chat with those of you who also have them while I'm in Paris! I may look a little silly chilling in a Parisian cafe talking to my laptop (I don't think my host family has Internet), but oh well!

Today, I'm going backpack shopping so that I have something easy to use on my weekend trips. I've been talking to some of the people traveling with me on Facebook, and they all seem like they want to take plenty of weekend trips, too! It looks like the south of France (Marseille, Nice, Cannes...the French Riviera, basically) is a lock cause everyone wants to do that. A lot of people want to go to London, too, and some have thrown out Madrid, Amsterdam, Belgium (for the chocolate), and Italy. As I'm sure you all know, I'm down for anything.

Well, au revoir for now!

Riley =)

Housing Placement

I got my housing placement! I will be living in the 8th arrondissement, right by the Champs-Élysées, at 5 rue de Quentin Bauchart. For those of you who don't know much about Paris, this is AMAZING because the 8th is one of the busiest business districts of Paris. The Champs-Élysées is one of the fanciest streets in the world, as well as one of the world's most exclusive shopping districts. I will be living with a couple, but I don't have any information on their age, if they have children, or anything like that. I have to call them sometime in the next couple of days, which makes me a little nervous since my conversational French isn't the greatest.

Here's a map (if it works) to give you a little better of an idea of where I'll be living...

Introduction

I had to write a letter in French introducing myself to my host family. Let's see if any of you can actually read it...

Je m’appelle Riley Steinmetz. Je suis une femme de 21 ans d'Indianapolis, Indiana, dans la région de Midwest des Etats-Unis. Je suis une étudiante qui étudie la psychologie, la chimie, et français à la Université de Ball State à Muncie, Indiana. Je graduerai dans 2009 et je vais à l'école médicale, avec les espoirs de devenir un médecin. J'apprécie écouter la musique, écriver, cuire, la cuisine, faire les courses, et sortir avec mes amis. J'aime le chocolat sombre, et j'espère que je peux cuire quelques biscuits pour vous pendant que je suis en France! Mes amis aux Etats-Unis aiment manger des biscuits et les petits gâteaux que je cuis.

Je viens d'une famille de cinq. Ma mère, Debbie, est un professeur à un lycée. Mon père possède sa propre entreprise. J'ai deux plus jeunes frères ou soeurs, mon frère s’appelle Jordan et ma soeur s’appelle Hillary. Jordan assiste aussi la Université de Ball State. Hillary est dans un lycée. Nous avons un chien s’appelle Maddy. J'ai beaucoup de tantes, d'oncles, et de cousins, et je suis très proche à eux.

Je suis très exciteé à vous rencontrer et avoir l'occasion de parler le français en France! J'ai été dans les classes françaises depuis deux ans à mon université, et j'espère que mon français améliore par le temps je pars Paris! Toujours, j’ai été beaucoup de curiosité en France et la culture française, et je suis excité à éprouver la vie française. Je vous verrai bientôt!

Final Mailing

Well, it's getting down to the final days! Only 18 days until I leave for Paris!

I got my final mailing of information today. It has a list of all the participants in the program (there's a TON of them from IU...so maybe I'll run into some of them in the airport or something), plus information on how to get from the airport in Paris to your homestay and things like that. I also got my visa approval, which means the French government says I'm good to go. I should be getting my information about my homestay next week. When I get that, I'm supposed to call them! That should be interesting, since my conversational French isn't exactly the best (which is exactly why I'm going to France!).

Now, all that's left to do is buy my new laptop (that'll be happening within the week, most likely) and a few other odds and ends (toiletries, a backpack, etc.).

Let me know if you want to hang out before I leave!

Riley =)