Wow! What a day! I started off the day with an attempt to ride the Metro to the Trocadero (without getting lost, yay!), where my fellow students and I would go on a tour. Much to my surprise and pleasure, the train ride started off with an accordian player serenade- whoa! However, I quickly realized this is quite a common occurrence on the M... artists just trying to make a buck.

So moving on, I played touriste for the day and saw all the famous sites- the Eiffel Tour, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, l'Arche de Triomphe, Champs Elysées... it was so cool! Studying these structures and seeing pictures gives no justice to the monuments in real life. We spent about 3 or 4 hours at the Musée d'Orsay appreciating all the oeuvres- Manet, Degas, Caillebotte; today was also the last day of the Picasso exhibit, although I did not get to see it as the line was too long. My favorite sculpture there is called "Le Désespoir" by Perraud Jean-Joseph. So after a long day of admiring and eating a little bit I headed home to the foyer.

I had dinner with some girls from the foyer tonight. It seems that most everybody here comes from other countries- The Czech Republic, Russia, China, Morocco, Chili, etc. Of course, there are girls from France here as well, studying anything: art, history, finance, cuisine, you name it, they got it. However, it was great to hang out with kids (or adults, I guess you could say) my age and speak to them solely in French!

I also have to laugh a little, though... When people ask me from where I am, I of course reply the United States and upon further inquiry, Chicago (seeing as no one knows my real hometown). I get either one of two reactions, "Oh, the hometown of Obama!" or "I hear there are many gangsters there!" So... yeah. Well, I'm off for the night. Until next time!