So upon arrival, I checked in at the front desk of ACCENT and received information about the first few week of orientation, meetings, and class. I guess the people who had arrived early were being given a walking tour of the neighborhood. I had gotten there around 1:45pm-ish, while some people had arrived at 9am... The woman behind the desk assured me that I didn't miss anything, and I could use the computers if I wanted. This is where I met the first person from my program. She had actually been in London for the past week as well and took the train that left 30 minutes before mine. It was bizarre.
After people got back from the tour, there was a group of eight or so of us that went exploring around ACCENT. We stopped at a Monoprix (kind of a Target-like store with a much larger/better selection of groceries). While there, I tried to help some of the girls find hair-driers. None of us knew how to say hair-drier in French (not one of the first words you learn...), so we wandered around the store for a bit. After no luck, one of the girls described in French what we were looking for and were told they had none left. (After a few weeks, we realized it is EXTREMELY difficult to find a Monoprix with hair-driers in stock). Before leaving there, I also purchased my first food in France: a pre-made cheese sandwich. Mmm, tasty I know...
After Monoprix, we found the hotel that we'd be staying at the first night. It was typical European where you leave your key at the front desk (keep this in mind). It looked pretty classy, but was exceptionally weird. They did have an elevator, but it was in the MIDDLE of each staircase. Which means, you had to drag your suitcase up half a set of stairs. Then, you get off a half floor above your actual floor. So I needed to go to the 4th floor, it opened in between floors 4 and 5... Also, it could fit THREE people or 225 kg (495 pounds or about 165 pounds per person). Meaning it would take about 2, but more likely 3 trips in the elevator to take my family of five up to our room. Another weird thing was we got a room for three people. There were three twin beds with about two inches of space between them. It was like a super king-size bed. It was creepy.
After dropping off the bags, some people napped, and others continued wandering. We stumbled upon "le jardin des plantes". It's supposed to be really pretty when everything is blooming in the spring. There will also be a zoo there with tons of animals. However, at the start of February, there is just bare trees and empty cages. It was still easy on the eyes though.
Once we got back to the hotel, we decided to go to dinner at 8pm (it was 6:30pm at the time). My roommate for the night had decided to nap, but I took the key and left it at the front desk before leaving (I wanted to be able to get back into the room without needing to bang it down). So I go to the front desk to retrieve the key, and the key for room 402 is gone (or so I thought at the time). Therefore, I awkwardly chill in this room of three girls because I thought my roommate had taken the key, but forgot to leave it at the desk. I stayed there for about an hour, then we went downstairs to wait for my roommate to come back. After waiting in the lobby for about 10 minutes, I look again at the key rack. I realized I read the board wrong. The key for room 502 was missing, but 402 had been there the whole....... ...... I just felt so dumb.
After retrieving my roommate, a group of six of us went to this little crêperie by the hotel. We dined on galettes (dinner crepes) and crepes (name reserved for sweeter, dessert crepes). The waiter was a charming young Frenchman who asked us, in French, what we wanted, but added, "I speak English too if it makes it easier for you...". I should have asked what it was that I ordered, but I mistakenly got a galette with blood sausage in it. (NEVER order anything with the word boudin in it). It's amazing how I will never forget what that word means now. At the time, I didn't know what it was, and it tasted fine. Although, I could just be saying that because I was starving.
Anyway, we got a bottle of wine with dinner and cider with dessert. The waiter said it was common in France to have cider with the sweeter, dessert crepes. It was served in a teapot, and we drank it out of teacups. I looked around the restaurant and saw a number of other tables were doing the same. After finishing dinner, my roommate and I went to a few of the cafes in the area. The drinks in Paris are expensive. It was so depressing paying the equivalent of five dollars 4.7 ounces of wine (14 centiliters), which is a little less than a glass of wine (5.5 ounces). We chatted with one of the bartenders who said our French was really good for it being our first night in Paris. He also explained that in a restaurant, and other public places, the bathroom is called a W.C. (pronounced Vay-Say for water closet). A "salle de bains" (the word they taught us in all French classes) is supposed to include a shower and/or tub. It was a great little tip. After a few crepes and a few glasses of wine, we moseyed on back to hotel for a good night's sleep. What a wonderful first day in Paris.
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