Premièrement, tout d'abord

It has been suggested by more than a few that I keep a blog while gallivanting around Paris, and I was just able to get hooked up with the internet so here goes nothin...
It was over a year ago that I decided I should spend some time abroad. I thought for a while I would be spending time in Italy as an Italian beau had often regaled me with stories of his homeland, "EEn EEtaly..." He was quite the character, and although he was passionate about many things (cooking, tattoos, Vespas, hashish, et moi par exemple), one thing he kept saying was, "Bellina, butterfly, you must travel!" So was planted the seed.
The seed that is now blossoming à Paris. After speaking with many people about living in European cities, I kept hearing great things about Paris. I was told it was the safest. I was told it had the best Metro system. I was told it was beautiful. I took a year of French in highschool. Sold. I found this program called Lexia Study Abroad with a Film Studies Paris program that seemed right up my alley. I maxed out a couple of credit cards, saved the cash to pay the bills, et voilà.
The program thus far seems catered to me. I'm studying French at the Sorbonne, and then French Film one-on-one with an aspiring filmmaker, and French culture and history with the other Lexia students. The other students are two young guys aged 19 and 21 who seem to be having a little trouble adjusting. I will henceforth refer to them as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. You can derive what you'd like from that. The director of the program is this amazing French woman who's incredibly generous and knowledgeable about a variety of topics. And she speaks perfect English.
The city is beyond beautiful! It just doesn't stop. There's one thing after another to take your breath away. My host family is an older couple with 2 grown children (one my age). They are kind and generous, and very funny. I enjoy their company immensely. My room is bright and enormous, and I have my own shower. I really couldn't ask for more. J'aime bien ou j'habite...we live in this little town called Saint Mandé just outside the city limits to the east. It's absolutely dreamy with the classic architecture of Paris, beautiful old churches, and lush green parks. It's about three miles from the center of Paris...which I can reach by metro in about 20min. Which brings me to "what they do better" portion of my blog, where I hang my head and ask, "Why New York City Metro, oh why can't you have trains that come every 2 minutes?"
Also better: access to free bikes. All around the city. Yeah, c'est vrai. I wish to God I knew the city well enough to confidently use them.
And it's so damn clean, I've officially extended the 5 second rule to 10 full seconds!! Seriously, there must be street cleaning every morning or these people just don't litter as much as New Yorkers do.
Don't worry, New York still wins for prices (even not factoring in the exchange rate...ouch). And coffee...sure, sure they've mastered the tasty shot of espresso, but you're definitely SOL if you favor a delicious iced coffee to go. And people. Only 'cause I miss mine.
But you are still mine even though we're miles apart. And I'm still yours. Votre dame.