Meanwhile back at the office...

I'm working on editing and uploading and naming over 400 photos. Yes, you see I'm not fond of tossing any of them out. Each one, in its mundane blurriness is still something I saw and captured in time. And really the photos are for me - not you, my darling readers. So, feel free to sort through the Flickrs and skip what you will. I take no offense.

While I'm tweaking all the sights, I'd like to entertain you with this fabulous blog I found. Start here and then work your way around. It's a different take on living in Paris, which I'm finding is, to each person, their own horror or bliss or mediocrity. There's the quest for survival (I've dropped a few pounds which I was only housing for Wisconsin winters anyway) balanced with the need to communicate (I've got a few French friends) settling with the need to enjoy life (a nice pair of black jeans so I can blend in a bit, an 11E bottle of wine to get a small step out of the gutter of 4E) all topped off with the beginning of classes and the intricacies of helping to create a new program.

I'm in the upper, older age range and the honeymoon of hanging out with some of the younger, more self-focused colleagues has worn off. I'm finding myself cringing when accidentally herded together. (I'd like to ask Professor Erhard Friedberg, the director of our program and director of the C.S.O. Centre de Sociologie des Organisations, to explain this accidental grouping phenomenon. I meander out of a classroom or lecture hall to find myself ending up in certain cliques, or I meander out and find myself surrounded by certain people - often the same people. I'd like to re-route whatever forces are at work here because otherwise I might kill some of my colleagues before we even get to finals.)

So, orientation went off without a hitch but with hell of a burden. I am a legal student allowed to stay in this country for a year and can travel to other countries without being seized at the border and refused re-entry to France - although, as I pointed out to someone concerned about this - how bad would it be to stuck in Germany or Spain? I mean, c'mon, it's not the Midwest! I am also legally registered for classes and have allowed the school to automatically withdraw funds from my wonderful French bank account (which also took quite a toll to achieve).

Now, to figure out how to get the Navigo pass to get on and off metros and buses without paying an arm and a leg, also to get on and off Velib bikes. And to buy a cell phone plan instead of paying for minutes added on each month (expensive). To price out a gym (which looks like a no-go for me since almost ALL the discounts in this country go to students - UNDER 28 - ageists!!!).

Last weekend our class got on a bus and went to the Valley of the Loire (which I ended up just calling Valley of the Dolls in my head - doubting that any of my younger colleagues would get the joke). It wasn't the awe-inspiring, fireworks and angels singing, "Ahhhhhhleeeeeluuuujahhhhhh." But it definitely helped me place my thinking brain into a framework (a lovely biz word these days) for public affairs. I'll post a few of the activities and let you find out your own skills and ways of thinking.

It was absolutely beautiful to get out of the city and into the country. This wasn't mountains and rolling hills, but fresh grass and chilly, autumn air and colorful trees. We got to swing by a castle and rest in the park. I love the city, I love Paris, but I'm a nature girl at heart, too. (Despite the fact that every time I'm alone in nature I'm completely freaked out by the idea of wildebeasts or wild boars or rabies-ridden bear attacking me.)

And, of course, we also had wine. I have no idea what kind of wine as it came out of a handy spout in the dining area. Red or pink - choose your color.

So, now the first week of classes. It's interesting to mix the 1st year and 2nd year students in one building for courses (2nd years = students who attended Sciences Po last year or came from the dual-degree programs at Columbia SIPA, London's LSE, or Berlin's Hertie, or Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy). This makes a total of 60+ of us bouncing around at various times and makes a total pain in the ass headache for the scheduler. Some 2nd year students take electives offered to 1st years as well, etc... I'll take a snapshot and post it up here sometime so you can see the maze we're all working through.

Essentially I only had 2 courses on Monday (others had 4 from 8am-8pm) and today I have 1 and tomorrow 1. This will pick up as I get to more classes though. This week was a Transitions course, today is Innovation, and tomorrow Economics 1 (see the schedule here for professor info and course info.) Next week I'll have the French, Stats, etc...

Also check the calendar as I'm headed off to conferences galore this month. Fri, 12th in Fountainebleu for a conference on Corporate Social Responsibility (my Berlin colleague says it's a trendy idea to alleviate regulations on private sector - I agree and disagree, Rome can't turn into a kibbutz in one day). Then, I made the cut to join 9 other students (of both 1st & 2nd years who applied) to go to Berlin for the Global Public Policy conference. I'm extending my stay there until Wed, 31st, to tour around with the other Sciences Po students. We'll be staying in a cheap hostel with the bathroom/showers down the hall kind of place. Fine for my budget!!

Speaking of, I have saved almost all my receipts for the past weeks and just have to plug them in. Finally a nice weekend to sit down and do this, as well as figure out where to buy a to-go-coffee mug. A slight horror to the French, and a slight insult, but I'm not quite a relax-with-your-coffee girl yet. Let's hope that after a few months Paris will wash me clean of the USA workaholic/to-go mentality.

Oui oui.
Feeling better about things. Thankful for a purpose for the days. Easing into the grey, overcast days. Smiling to myself on the metro (among all the seriously deflated faces of the Parisians). Successfully avoiding the doggie doo. Heading out this weekend to see some live punk experimental performance show, as well as "Nuit Blanche" (the one night Paris becomes New York and stays awake longer than 2am).

I hope you all are doing well, as well. And please don't take offense if I haven't written you back personally yet. I plan to - I promise.

xoxoxo