Happiness is a Warm Baguette

To quote a song from one of my favorite Audrey Hepburn movies, Funny Face, "Bonjour Pari(s)!"  I arrived in Paris yesterday around noon local time.  After an exhausting, long, hot (it has been in the high 90's the past two days here!) walk from the train station to the bus and then to the hotel, we finally arrived and met the directors of our summer program. Then last night we went as a group to take a boat tour of Paris on the Seine.  It was a really neat way to get a gist of the overall layout of Paris. After that we ate at a little Italian place.  The wait staff was super friendly.  They even put our water bottles in the fridge while we ate so that they would be cold for us! Today we took our placement test for our french classes.  It was so hard! I do not think I will get placed at the level I was hoping for but that is okay.  I will still receive credit either way so I am not too concerned.  Afterwards we went to a small cafe which turned out to be the first lackluster meal I have had in Paris.  I ordered "Chicken Tex Mex," because it was that or 21$ salad.  However, apparently the french interpretation of Chicken Tex Mex is 3 buffalo wings on top of potatoes and peppers.  A couple of the other girls ordered "guacamole with tacos," and received guacamole with tostitto chips stuck in it.  Lesson learned.  After lunch we visited the Pantheon.  I got to see where Victor Hugo (Author of Les Mis) , Alexander Dumas (author of the Counte of Monte Cristo), and Marie Curie are laid to rest ( I would say buried except it is a crypt). That was a really cool/creepy experience.  I am finally becoming familiar with the metro and RER routes.  Paris is really easy to navigate which is lucky for us since our hotel is on the outskirts of the city.  We have a 40 minute commute to class each day.  Which is actually kind of nice because we get the feel of how the average, working, Parisian feels.  Our neighborhood is also less touristy so the cafes and markets around here are a little more authentic.  I am in love with the city.  There is so much to see and do! Im not sure if 6 weeks will be long enough to accomplish everything I want to do :) Tonight I felt very Parisian walking home with my bag of groceries (with a baguette sticking out of the top) bought from the local grocer and baker.  As I was walking back to the hotel, groceries in hand, rain started falling from the sky, I felt like something was missing, and then I realized it was.  Stress was not there. Worry was not there.  I was completely happy and at peace.  I felt grandma's presence with every rain drop.  It was an amazing moment.  It confirmed for me that this is where I am supposed to be right now.  I am supposed to be making friends from all over the country (and Mexico, Canada, Ecuador, and Puerto Rico), I am supposed to be seeing all of the places I have read about in books, I am supposed to take on adult responsibilities like commuting and grocery shopping every week, and I am supposed to be doing all of this self-reflection.  She may not be able to hug me anymore, but she sure can comfort me still. I will leave you with another quote "America is my country, and Paris is my hometown." -Gertrude Stein