Week One.

A week after I arrived in Paris, things are beginning to make sense. I am no longer surprised when my apologetic "Sorry!" doesn't draw a response; maybe next week I'll progress to actually saying "sorry" in French! I'm beginning to get a better feel for the layout of the city, too, occasioned by explorations in several new neighborhoods. And orientation classes at CUPA have proved to be fairly interesting. I have three required classes -- Methodology, Conversation, and Language -- and each lasts two hours with no breaks, conducted entirely in French. If that seems really long, well... it is. But classes at Université de Paris 8, the school I'll most likely take most of my courses at, are three hours long each. So it's good practice!

Outside of orientation, I've had time to do lots of walking around. Some pictures:


The view from my window.


Outside the Tuileries garden on a grey day. The Eiffel Tower is in the background, the Obelisk in the middle, and a Place de Concord statue in the foreground.


This is the Arc gateway to the Louvre. You can sort of see the famous glass pyramid entrance behind the Arc.


Taken from the Left Bank, a view across the Seine. The tower of Notre Dame is just visible above the line of buildings.


The Arène de Lutèce, a Roman circus, one of the oldest structures in Paris.


The view from the top terrace of the Arab Cultural Institute.


This is the side of the Arab Cultural Institute. It's really cool -- there are hundreds of little aluminum shutters that can be open and closed to let in varying amounts of sunlight.


The gardens at the main mosque in Paris, where we had a delicious tea.


Another view of Paris, and the Eiffel Tower, from way up high -- here, from the 20th Arrondissement.