Bonjour From Paris

The golden rule of international flying: copious amounts of wine eases the stress of massive amounts of turbulence.

So I've arrived safely in Paris after a really bumpy ride and am already enjoying myself. There are only about 20 kids on this program and most of them are pretty cool so far, although much more interested in critical theory than I am. There were several conversations going on at lunch yesterday that I wouldn't have been a party to unless I was really stoned (and read more) but I'm definitely not as comparatively dumb as I feared.

The most notable event of yesterday was a "scavenger hunt," during which we were divided into small groups and given an address in the city to find. My group was given Sorbonne III, where we might be taking some classes later in the semester. We got super lost on the way back to the hotel and had to stop at a café and ask the owner for directions. When we walked in, he was playing some sort of dice game with a really old man. The two preceded to get into an argument as to which way was the fastest, but if you really listened to their directions, they were both saying the exact same thing only the old man was far more detailed. He also kept referring to me as "young girl," which I found amusing. We eventually made it back and the whole group went to a big French meal where we ate all sorts of French things (I had duck) and drank lots of wine.

My biggest discovery so far is that Paris is really really big. Every time I get off a metro stop I feel like I'm in an entirely different city - not just a different quarter (or arrondisement as they're called here). I don't know which arrondisement I'm living in yet, but we should find out today.

The painful jetlag of yesterday and the fact that I've only been here about 24 hours leaves me with little to report, but as soon as something horrendously ridiculous happens to me you will be informed. I miss you all lots!