Back to School!

Today I had my first day of school and it was very exciting. I didn’t think I was going to be nervous at all, but upon entering SciencesPo and seeing all of the real (French) students, I got a little intimidated. Thinking about it objectively, it seems kind of silly for me to enroll in one of the grandes écoles in France, take classes in French, and think I’ll be anything more than just a timid seat warmer, but I’m up for the challenge of getting engaged—and a challenge it is! During the lecture portion of my European Union class (which is what I had today), I could understand my professor and diligently listen, or take notes. However, doing both well simultaneously proved to be a bit of a challenge. The result was about 7 pages of notes I’m going to have to seep through and decipher. I think this will be good for establishing better study habits.

Furthermore, I’ve always had a certain degree of respect for international students at Berkeley, but now I have MAD RESPECT. Here, I’m not really on my own because there are TONS of international students and everyone speaks English. I can’t imagine how terrifying it must be for students who come to Berkeley and are confronted with a largely monolingual and incredibly assertive population of students and faculty. I will definitely appreciate these guys more when I go back to Cal.

In other news, I had a fun time this past week-end and bonded with some of the girls in my orientation classes. One of the girls hosted a wine and cheese gathering at her apartment on Saturday night, which was super cute. Friday, I saw the Wrestler which I give a BIG thumbs up. Go see it if you haven't already!!! Saturday during the day, I visited the Catacombes, the underground caves containing the bones of thousands upon thousands of Parisians. This was VERY CREEPY--like something out of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. I had to keep reminding myself that these were REAL BONES, and the experience on the whole was very cool/chilling/thought-provoking. Sunday I ate the best falafel sandwiches anyone has ever had, from a stand in the Marais (the fourth). If I weren't concerned about my waistline or my wallet, I could seriously eat these at every meal. Now, I'm looking forward to having a routine and excited to start school and continue with my classes.