Bonjour!!

I finally made it! I'm really, really, really here in Paris, France. In case you missed it: after last week's shenanigans, my original flight was cancelled. So my superhero grandparents in NJ rebooked a flight from Boston → Dublin → Paris, and my superhero grandparents in MA picked me up off the floor of Logan International, brushed me off, and brought me back the next day to get this crazy journey started.

Updates:

Above is my room just after settling in on Tuesday evening. The shared studio apartment overlooks a beautiful courtyard in the 12th arrondissement (district) in Paris. The best part: on Tuesdays & Fridays there's a street market right outside our building. Honestly, what more could I ask for? Classes have yet to begin, but I will admit that I've practiced my commute to the academic center several times already in anticipation of my first day.

Museé Picasso

I've only just broken into the art scene here (My first full days were spent at major tourist attractions, of course.) but my favorite thing that I have seen so far has definitely been the Museé Picasso, an assortment of Picasso's works and his own collection of art. The painting attached is his depiction of Paris -- and the most accurate one that I have ever seen; Everything here is harmoniously chaotic and endearingly monochromatic.

Fragments Cafe

There's lots to love about Paris, but truthfully the culture is taking some adjustment. For example: Parisians prioritize the experience of a meal as equal to the quality of the meal itself -- hence why waiters & waitresses seldom interrupt conversation to attend to your table. Here I traded my planner for a poetry book and tried to sit still as I enjoyed a cappuccino and banana bread.

The Seine

I have to admit that since running a half marathon back in March, I've really fallen off of my running routine. I'd anticipated running around Paris to acquaint myself with the city, but after doing some research I found that exercising in public (At all? Who knows.) is like writing "I'm American!" on your forehead. This being said... it is common to run along the Seine on Sunday mornings, so tomorrow that's where I'm headed!

Thank you again for being interested in these silly life updates -- I am so lucky to have this many people who feel like home to me. As always, feel free to respond to this email: What did you think? What would you like to hear about next week? How the heck are you?!

À bientôt,
Abby