Last day in the 1st arrondissement
Trip Start
Jun 26, 2008
1
9
26
Trip End
Aug 11, 2008
Paris,
France
Monday, June 30, 2008
Today we had our last orientation all about culture shock and dealing with stereotypes. It was useful information especially for people who haven't learned about dealing with different cultures or traveled any.
After orientation Maya, Emma, Colin, and I went to lunch at a cafe near the Louvre
Boat by Notre Dame
. It was okay but the Louvre is such a toursty area and as soon as they realized most of us spoke very little French they spoke to us only in English. That was sort of a bummer for me because part of the reason I am spending money to sit at a cafe and eat is in order to get to practice my French. In the future I'm going to be more careful about going around to cafes like that with people. Plus while the food is always excellent, I can get a baguette and an orange for less than half the price! Right after lunch we ran over to Notre Dame for our tour. Notre Dame was just as I remember it: crowded and somewhat irreverent I felt. We did have a guided tour, however, which was nice since I learned quite bit about the history behind the cathedral. Some of us are going to try to get to Notre Dame for the free organ concerts they have Sunday evenings and I may try to get to one of the high masses if I have free time.
Once we were finished at Notre Dame we walked straight down to Pont Neuf (Bridge 9) at the end of the Ile-de-la-Cite where we got on a boat tour. I really enjoyed the tour because it was a great way to mentally get a map of the city without walking and getting lost. Plus the tour was in French and English (with the French first) so I got to see how much I understood (quite a bit actually!)
Boat tour on Seine
. As soon as we were finished I snuck away because everyone was planning shopping expeditions which I am trying to avoid. There are all the summer sales going on right now in France so everything is 50% off or more which is great but that pretty much puts things at a price we'd consider normal in the U.S. Clothes are very expensive here (and yes, I know they are quality) and the dollar is weak against the Euro so I am planning to avoid shopping for clothing if I can unless I need something.
I was sucessfully able to sneak away and had a really lovely walk back from Notre Dame area to our hotel. I stopped at a wonderful fruit stand where the clerk gave me a taste of some really good apricot. I bought a few apricots and some other various pieces of fruit and headed back to the hotel to study for the placement exam and get packed up for moving out tomorrow.
Tomorrow is going to be a mostly business day. I am hoping to get some time to explore the area where I will be living and get more settled into a routine!
Comments
Practice makes perfect
Sounds a lot like our Russian trip. Separating yourself is a great way to learn and practice. It was the most help for me.
exactly
Yea definitely a lot like Russia in that if you walk around in a group of people it is really hard to not get labeled as an American. One or two other people are fine if they are conscious of what they are saying and doing. I had a couple of people offer to go out with me and speak only French which is great. :)