So The Adventure Begins

I made it to Paris! I spent the plane ride talking to the man next to me who is from Afghanistan, lives in Howard Lake, MN and works for the military as a translator in Afghanistan. I asked him what brought him to Minnesota. When he replied "the weather" I laughed, only to realize he was serious. We then went on to talk about all the great things about Minnesota. A good conversation to be having when about to live abroad for 4 months.

We landed in Paris a little after 7am, where it was still dark (not doing my adjustment any favors). It was after I stepped into the Charles De Gaulle airport that all of this really hit me. I realized I had no idea what to do next. I lugged a heavy backpack and two suitcases around the terminal trying to find a phone that would allow my calling card to work so my parents could know I arrived safely. After trying 6 phones with no success, I realized I had 7 hours until I could check into my hostel, meaning 7 hours until access to a bed, and no idea how to get there. I then became overwhelmed with the idea of doing all of this unknown on my own and that that is how it will be for a long time. I finally bought a new calling card, reached home, and talked through my plan for the day.

I ended up taking a(n incredibly expensive) cab from the airport to my hostel, where I dropped off my luggage, completely carsick from the ride, I wandered around the neighborhood. I picked up a mini baguette and some jam and started walking. I decided to stick to one street to avoid getting too lost. As I reached the top of a hill I looked up and saw the Eiffel Tower and had to remind myself it was the real deal. I decided I wanted to find a park to read and eat, but that turned out to be harder to find than expected. Several blocks and miles later, I retraced my steps to the Montmartre graveyard I passed at the beginning of my trek. It was lovely, until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I then realized I had no rationale guess as to what time it was. I decided to walk to try and find a clock somewhere and ended up in a little Parisian cafe. Yes, it looks exactly like you are picturing. But when I turned on my computer, I saw that it was only 11:30am (if you had asked me, I would have guessed 3pm).

I am loving being here and feel so lucky to be doing this, but at the same time am feeling scared for all of the unknown and changes headed my way- feelings I'm hoping will have a different perspective with a little sleep. On the bright side, I'm planning on meeting up with my friend Lily for dinner tonight- let's hope I can stay awake!