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I Made It!

Bonjour!

I am officially in Paris! My travel day to get here was very long and exhausting. I woke up at 2:20 AM (after what was essentially a short nap) to get ready to catch my 3:20 AM shuttle to LAX. Fortunately, I got to LAX well before my 7:55 AM flight to Dallas Fort Worth, and security was a breeze. Unfortunately, I was wandering around LAX while being absolutely exhausted until my flight. After my flight landed at about 12:30 PM Dallas time, I had a layover until 4:55 PM. At last, I was able to fly to Paris. Miraculously, I didn't get flight sick all day, and I was able to nap a bit on my flight. 8 hours and 40 minutes later, I landed in Paris and immediately got a torrential nosebleed. So, I was running around the airport while looking as though I had been in a fist fight.

I expected that I would be able to shuttle to my host mom's house right away, but I actually wound up having to remain at the airport for several hours. The biggest culture shock was by far the military officials carrying large rifles and wearing berets walking around the airport. I got to meet several other study abroad students, and I ate a very delicious pastry with chocolate.

Now, at last, I am here at my host mom's house. I wound up taking a much longer nap than I intended, so I slept through dinner. My host mom made me bacon and eggs, which I ate before showering and returning to bed for a short night of sleep. As a result, I am now awake quite early in the morning. My host mom is very kind and helpful, but I am already feeling the strain of having social interactions with so many new people in a new place. I am comforted by the familiar things--the sound of cars rushing by as I fall asleep, graffiti tags on buildings, the beleaguered stuffed animal that I insisted on bring along. Paris doesn't feel altogether unlike the United States, but there are so many new systems to navigate and very few people that I know. This experience is likely to be rewarding, once I get past the new-ness of it.

Au revoir,
Lydia
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