Since leaving Tours about a week and a half ago, it’s definitely been an adjustment coming to Paris. Everything is busier and bigger, and my daily schedule looks a little different than it did in a small city on the Loire River.
7:45: Wake up and get ready for the day. I get dressed, pack my bag, and grab breakfast (cereal and toast with jam) before heading out.
8:20: Start my commute to class at Le Chambre de Commerce. It’s about thirty minutes walking or 20 on the metro, so I take one route or the other based on how late I’m running. The metro can be absolutely packed in the mornings, and it gets really hot when it’s already 85 degrees outside, so I try to avoid it.
9:00: Class starts! Our group of 14 Georgetown students is divided up into a business class and an international relations class, though I’ve found it’s more focused on how these respective European industries work. For example, we’ve learned about French email etiquette, how to write a European style resume and cover letter, and did a mock debate about immigration in the EU (all in French, of course.)
1:00: We get out for lunch and eat in the cafeteria, which is nothing like Leo’s. The French love their three course meals, and we get an appetizer, entree, and dessert. all traditional French food.
Afternoons: Can change day to day. Sometimes we have class until 3:30, sometimes we finish for the day, and sometimes we go on class excursions. We’ve gone to UNESCO’s international headquarters, and I’m looking forward to our visit to a cookie factory tomorrow. When we get out for the day, I love taking the ime to explore the city with friends, checking out some of Paris’s endless supply of museums, hanging out in parks, or hunting down pastries.
8:00: Dinner with my host family. My host grandmother used to work in international affairs, and loves to hear about American politics and what I’m learning in class.
9:00: I finish up dinner and start my homework before wrapping up the day.
