Bienvenue à Paris!

Let me begin by saying that words cannot give justice to the beauty that is Paris. I arrived 2 days ago. My flight was as international flights tend to go. I had a 4-hour layover in London, and 3 hours of uncomfortable sleeping later, I was in Paris. Initially, I was petrified like a little schoolgirl of taking a cab. Mind you, 2 years of taking cabs later, I still think that the process is somehow different in another country. The cab driver was so cordial and tripled as a great tour guide and French professor. What I've noticed is that French people are particularly proud, but not in a bad way as commonly assumed. They just happen to be extremely proud of the place they live in and how historical and important it is, and thus they are eager to teach inquisitive people. I suppose that as expected, it really is all about respect. Ongoing, I almost cried when we drove next to the Arc de Triomphe. I almost cried when we drove past the Eiffel Tower. I almost cried when we drove down the Champs Elysees, etc. My university is in the 7th arrondisement of Paris, which is basically one of the many districts that Paris is divided into. Also, this district happens to be one of the most expensive, so we are student impostors in this super upscale area. My dorm room is petite and adorable. Everything is glossed wood and behold! The Eiffel Tower is standing gloriously about 5 miles away from my window. Absolutely overwhelming. As jetlagged as I was, I wasn't about to miss out on my first night in Paris with my A-Team. So Ricardo along with his friend, took us around the neighborhood we live in to all sorts of different bars/cafes. I've noticed people here are a lot livelier than any other place I've been. They truly enjoy life and company. But again, you're living in Paris, so what is there not to like?! Three bars, a mango mojito, 2 tequila slammers, and a bad rendition of Wonderwall later, I was too tired to function. Needless to say I slept like a baby that night.
Yesterday, we went through orientation early in the AM. It's funny how exciting a mundane event like orientation can be when you are in an entirely new place. After, we had some lunch, we walked a mile to the bank and at 1:45 we toured both churches affiliated with our school. One houses the body of St. Vincent De Paul. Actually, that church is my neighbor along with its many priests. Needless to say, I need to keep the changing-with-the-window-open shenanigans to a minimum. The other church we went to, something like a million people visit it yearly. I've never been the most religious person, but I certainly believe and after seeing how dedicated to understanding their spirit people are, well, you can't help but want to believe a little more than average. After the tours, we power-walked to the Sienne, where we took a boat tour. Typical tourist stuff, but beautiful nonetheless. We sailed past the basic historical landmarks that border the Sienne. Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, etc. Which was incredible, but I'm certainly looking forward to touring the streets on my own and fully appreciating everything that I see in a deeper manner, apart from a camera. I've also noticed that when people see famous or popular landmarks, they are so quick to snap a picture and walk away. What is the point in that? I think that you should take the time to fully soak it all in, a photo could never re-create that experience, especially in a place where photos don't do justice to anything. Regardless, we headed home afterward and Steph and I stepped into a Whole Foods-type supermarket. All the food looked delicious and all the toiletries were expensive. 21 euro later, we were back at the dorm, enjoying what we snagged up from the pre-made salads bar. I had this concoction of yogurt, seasoned cous cous, and grilled chicken that was absolutely to-die-for. Then I proceeded into a 3-hour snooze before preparing for another night out with my girls. We took the metro at 11:30, which just was overall more petite and personable than MTA trains. Personable in that it was much narrower and hands-on than a typical train. The doors open manually, some seats can be pulled down to sit on, etc. We went to a bar/club/restaurant called Favela Chic. 4 shots and a caipirinha later, we were up on benches dancing. Not to toot our communal horn, but all the girls in our "group" are impressively good looking, and men here particularly, are not very subtle in disguising their appreciation. So much so that they just stare into your eyes as you pass them, grab your arm and pull you to talk to you, etc. At 2 AM, after 2 of Ricardo's friends weren't able to enter Favela Chic since the bouncer was not digging one of the guy's "vibe", we went to a bar across the street. 2 tequila shots later, I was speaking Spanish to strangers. 2 of them being Italian guys who were backpacking, 1 of which forgot Kirsa's named despite her telling him it about 6 times in intervals of 1 minute each. I made some other new friends as well, some of which worked at a bar down the block from the one we were at, which us girls will check out at a later date. We left at about 4 and successfully hailed 2 cabs. Well... half-successfully because as we tried to fit 5 people in one of the backseats, the cab driver changed his mind, and told Stephanie to get out. She then proceeded to say "Man, FUCK YOU" on her way out. The cab driver then proceeded to get out of his car, get in her face, and yell. We were all so intoxicated that this was more funny, than scary, and not a big deal. Definitely a new experience. Ricardo took Steph and me back to our dorms, and after some dancing to Sean Paul and numerous French renditions of 'Baby Got Back,' we were back in the dorms. And again, I knocked out like a child... or a normal person at 5 AM.
Of course there is so much more to Paris, as well as to my emotions than an hour-by-hour account of what I've accomplished so far. But let it be said that I've never felt freer, luckier, or more inquisitive in my life. This is really a life-changing experience, and I am moved to tears every time I analyze it too much.
More to come later, after lots and lots of coffee. AU REVOIR!