Well, today is my first day in Paris! Luckily, my flight and connections were not that bad, so the jet lag isn’t super extreme! Overall, the experience so far is pretty interesting. On arrival to the hotel, we took off and got some experience on the Metro (the Paris subway). It’s somewhat overwhelming due to the language barrier, but it still looks awesome and convenient!! To add, there are some interesting shops within the area. The weather here in Paris is cold and wet, but I came very prepared!

In that, I am surprised how much French I remember from my undergraduate studies. I am actually able to understand quite a bit of conversation, vocabulary, and so on. This is a bit of a relief to me since this was the exact opposite for me when I traveled and lived in Japan!!!

With that in mind, the culture shock, so to speak, doesn’t seem all that extreme, at least on a personal level…Right now, I just can’t wait to get my hotel room, (since that officially happens at 3pm, like most places in Europe as I have been told) settle in, and meet everyone at orientation!!! I think once that happens, I will feel, “clean,” as well as more relaxed and well rested.

Update of the day:

Met my roommate, Gracie, which was really exciting! It seems like we are going to get along great over the next ten days. To add, she is also assigned Lloyds of London, which is going to make it a lot easier when doing our research/presentation since we are roomies!! =) Also, we are really excited about traveling around Paris this evening and trying out some Parisian food as well as other things that we haven’t done before!!!

Quick Photos of us traveling around Paris!!