Author: Kelsey Webb

TGIF people! I have successfully completed my first full week in Paris. Through all of the new experiences and changes things are beginning to settle in. However, I do miss home every single day. This is a huge step for me in my life and I know I will cherish it forever but being away from home really makes you see everything from a different perspective. This week has been full of emotions. The sense of loss, uncomfortable void, lonely, and feeling out of place. All of these are good ofcourse because when we feel uncomfortable and are experiencing so much change, that is when we grow the most. Usually when I wake up it is the hardest, a hole in my heart aching to be back home where I am comfortable and that pain in my throat desiring for surrender, letting go and acceptance into the unknown. Definitely easier said than done. Right now I am trying my hardest not to get lost in the feelings. It is easy to feel sad and then more sadness comes and more and so on but I am doing my best in feeling that and letting it go. Needless to say it continues to pop up everyday but after time I know it will dissipate. After all I am meeting new people, making new friends and living a new life.

Yesterday (Thursday) I had class that lasted until 7:15pm and then a few of us made our way to the ERASMUS party that was being held for the new International students. We arrived at the bar and it was a sauna! People were shoulder to shoulder, it had to have been around 90degrees in there and getting a drink was pretty much impossible. I still managed to meet people from all over the world, share some laughter and enjoy a night out with everyone! After the bar we headed to a nightclub on a boat on La Seine river. It was much much cooler there so a lot of us were happy about that. I checked my bag and my purse for a whopping 6 euros and headed to the dance floor. I decided to skip the drinking (yes mom and dad I skipped it) because another 6 euros for a miniature solo cup of a mixed drink just is not my cup of tea. Speaking of tea that would be nice, I miss Iced tea! After an hour or two of listening to some good oldies, I can’t believe I am calling 1990s music oldies, a couple of us headed back to Cité U. I showered and got in bed and Skyped my dad and then my mom. I have to say one of the greatest challenges about being in Paris and my family and friends back home is definitely the time difference. Paris is 7 hours ahead of Kansas and that really puts a damper on communication. When I get my phone working over here and have the freedom to get a hold of my parents or even friends here and back home that will be nice.

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That was from Friday, I saved it and meant to add to it and publish later but here I am going to add on 🙂

For those of you who do not have Facebook and could not keep up with me this weekend on there I went on a spur of the moment trip to Bruxelles, Belgique (Brussels, Belgium)! Let me just say was that fun 🙂 My fellow American friend I met here, Valerie (she is from Louisiana) and I decided to getaway for the weekend, I know most of you are thinking “but you just got there!” Well yes indeed I did just get here but I have 4 more months to explore Paris and travel Europe, I am definitely making the best of it 😉 We left Saturday morning around 11am and arrived around 2:30pm. Not too bad of a ride, I slept most of the way actually and then Val and I chatted throughout! It was also nice to ride through France though, I have been seeing so much gray around here lately that the green fields and grass definitely helped me feel more at home.

Shortly after we arrived, and ate, we made our way through town to find our hotel. Took a little bit longer than expected, having gone in circles a couple times but that’s the adventure of it all right!? Since it was getting dark soon we decided to venture towards Grand Place, a main tourist attraction in Brussels filled with stores! Halfway there we saw a little ride that took you up high to where you could see throughout Brussels so we paid some money and headed up top with a beautiful view of the land.

After, we went on to Grand Place and man was it beautiful (sigh)!

We stopped in at Stella Artois and I had an amazing steak. Good meat is hard to come by in Europe, atleast the kind of meat we are used to (Filets and hamburgers), but wow was this one a winner!! Again sorry for any vegetarians. A mushroom cream sauce to top it off and may I just say ’twas magnifique!!!

Not sure how but after we finished our meals we walked through stores and enjoyed the scenery and then we stopped for a Belgium waffle. We were in Belgium, of course we had to!

Made our way back to the hotel to get some rest for the fun filled adventures we had planned the following day. Woke up the next morning around 9ish and got ready and headed down for breakfast. Headed out to the Atomium around 11am and boy was it cold and windy, brrrr. For those of you who have never heard of this here it is!

We were deeply disappointed when we found out that Mini Europe was only open during March-October. I would have loved to venture through and take pictures of all the miniature artifacts that are famous throughout Europe, a good excuse to go back though! I however did take a picture of Mini Europe from the Atomium.

After that we headed back to Grand Place to discover so more shopping and the beautiful landmarks during the day. I will tell you one thing, Belgium is known for its chocolate. Altogether I bet we saw 40+ little chocolate stores in Grand Place and all of them were swarming with people! Never in my life have I seen so much… CHOCOLATE 🙂 After quite the afternoon we headed back to the room to relax a little before we decided to go to the movie. How could I not go to the movies in Europe!? hahaha. We went and saw “That Awkward Moment” and it was hilarious! Then we headed back to Grand Place, which was one metro stop away (and walking distance back to the hotel for when the metro stopped running) and found ourselves a place to eat the infamous Moules and Frites (Mussels and fries), Belgium style! I have never tried mussels before so when in Brussels 🙂

Surprisingly they were quite nice, a very light meal. The last adventure of our day was to the famous Delirium Café/Pub. I was told by a couple friends here in Europe to visit this bar while we were there. It was packed and has over a few thousand beers, Europe really does know how to do it lol. So of course I got a beer (apple cider, that counts right?) and tried to enjoy some girl time however, a guy just managed to sit with us the whole time we were there and he had other plans. Do not worry though, we left shortly after, as for we did not get good vibes off of that. Took the route to the hotel and enjoyed being off our feet and a good nights rest ahead.

Left on the bus ride back around 1130am and returned back to my dorm, did some laundry, went to dinner with a friend and came back to hang at my place and finish up my blog 🙂 So far Europe is a huge success! I feel a whole lot better and less homesick after this weekend and getting out and about. This week I have all of my classes so I will be busy again keeping up with school, the adventures of Kelsey and so on!

Hope everyone had a great weekend, à bientôt!
Kels

Had my first day of class today, only 1 but a 3 hour class per day suffices for me! Managing People at 8am this morning. Actually was not too bad getting up that early, got ready in about 30 min, ate a little KIND bar and left for my morning commute. Took about 45 minutes to get to class, including walking so that was not too bad. Showed up and realized I forgot to look what classroom it was in. Thank goodness I saw a new friend and asked what class she had and ended up being in the same one so phewww! Pretty full class, tons of International students but remarkably a lot of French too. Needless to say I did not mind the class one bit, my teacher is hot 🙂 But now that I have that out of the way I can tell you that we were split into 2 teams, about 17 people in each team, and then we are to make up our own company and run it over the next 12 weeks. After he was going over all of the rules I realized how overwhelming it sounded but he also made it sound quite fun! I am interested in seeing how we can make this work however, I did not take the place of CEO. I figured for my first semester abroad and already being overwhelmed that I should probably just settle with manager of a smaller team for this one (bummer I know). This is a 4th level course over in France so even though we have no final exam, this course is the real deal. Excited to get this kind of experience, especially since this is specific towards to my degree.

For the past few days I have spent my time around my dorm just relaxing and trying to get all of the paperwork done as well as “mentally resting”. Who knew there would be so much work just to be “legal” and in school over here! I am working on getting my OFII set up, which is a form needed in order to be a legal student basically (since my Visa is Autorise Travail I can work and extend my Visa if desired). In order to do that I need the form the consulate returned to me with my Visa, copy of Passport, copy of Visa and then copy of Immigration stamp. That one was surprisingly the easiest process but it doesn’t end there. I have to go do a medical check once they get me scheduled, can take up to 3 months to do, then I have to have a tax stamp, housing contract, official picture, official passport and convocation papers. WOWZERS! Now I am also applying for the CAF which since I am Autorise Travail it means I am eligible to receive money that will go towards my rent each month. For the CAF I need the application forms, copy of Passport, copy of Visa, copy of my birth certificate I got translated in French back in the states, ESCE student attestation (stating I am in school at ESCE), French social security and French bank account information. It surprisingly sounds worse typing it all out! That process can take up until the time I leave Paris and I could even receive the money after I am back home, so frustrating! I surely am learning my patience over here though that is for sure. I am so American when it comes to me having a to do list of 10 things in a day and actually being able to achieve all of that. It takes days to pretty much get anything done around here.

I have also been trying to figure out my phone. I suspended my service with AT&T while abroad but they won’t unlock my phone while I am here because I am still under contract, definitely irritating! But needless to say after some digging I think I am able to unlock my phone through a good friend of mine. After I do this I am can get a French sim card to call the US free and unlimited as well as unlimited texting. Only 300MB of data but if I use that just to iMessage I will be just fine! It is not the fact that I have to have a phone over here it just is one of the ways that really makes you feel 4700 miles away. Plus the only way I can talk to my parents is through Facebook for my dad and email for my mom. It would really be nice to be able to text them whenever I want! Although I am not going to lie not having a phone has not been that much of a difference other than feeling out of touch and a little more lonely. That can’t be bad for anyone though right?! 🙂

There are 2 more things that I need to do this week and one of them is open a French bank account. I have to do this in order to get the CAF. Also have to have a doctors visit for my French social security. BLAH!! Bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch lol I am sorry I am not trying to do that I am just merely being honest about the whole process in studying abroad. A lot of people do not realize the time, effort and money this takes and they only see the benefit of being able to live in the City of Love or the City of Light. It is wonderful, magnificent, and beautiful but it also takes a lot of adapting, uncomfortable, different, new, and changing situations and experiences. That is when we grow the most so I know it will all be worth it! After all I am definitely here for the experience so letting go and letting be is at the top of my list!

Tomorrow is the ERASMUS welcome party, basically a shindig for International students studying at ESCE. It should be a blast meeting more people who are experiencing the same thing as me and making new friends! I am sure it will be a crazy, fun night so I will keep you posted on that. Also have class tomorrow afternoon, French Civilization, hoping it is interesting!

I have been keeping up on all of the snow Kansas has gotten the past 24 hours or more and needless to say that makes me homesick. I love the snow, and especially because the past 2 days have been snow days! Mom and dad sent me pics so I enjoyed virtually this year. Here the weather is usually mid 40s and gray. I love when the sun comes out because you do not realize how much you love the sun until you are in a city that is pretty gray all throughout winter. Extremely excited for Spring because that will be BEAUTIFUL! I must say it is indeed warmer here than Kansas has been for quite some time and since you walk everywhere that is a perk for sure.

It is around 9:36 pm or 21:26 shall I say. I think I am going to snuggle up in bed and watch some Netflix! All of my love fellow blog readers, stay safe if in Kansas with all of this weather.

Kels

Officially into my dorm! My mom left earlier this morning and even though we have unpacked at my dorm and all I stayed with her in the hotel these past few days. I thoroughly enjoyed her being here and was such a huge help, especially after surgery and all. It was pretty emotional the past 24 hours though, knowing I would be going so long without hanging out and seeing her. For the past 2 months I lived with her up until I left because my lease was up so we got to do everything together. I am officially off on my own now, 4700 miles from home. Bittersweet to say the least. I experience a wide range of feelings from happy to even sad, nervous and beyond. In a lot of ways even though I am 23 I still have those times where I just do not want to grow up am I right? The best things in life are not easy though and it is always worth it.

For the most part I have everything in my room set up and it feels quite a bit more like home but still have some more to get as well. I basically have a bed, a desk, nightstand, lamp, phone, Internet cable, small closet, small fridge, bathroom and shelves. This is all in a cement room from floor to ceiling and a huge window on one wall. The only part is that I am backed up to a busy street so I would not want to have my window open at night for fresh air because it is a little too loud. Tonight I hung with some of the friends I have met in the Cambodge House and we talked for a few hours. Earlier this evening we all went to church and that was an experience! Actually reminded me a lot of the churches I have been to in Kansas because it was very musical and almost rock-like. Surprisingly most of it was in English so I was not expecting that! Went to dinner with a friend and came back to the dorm. Now it is around midnight, the Super Bowl just started and I am missing it! Not the same not being in America but I will definitely be keeping tabs on it. Since my team is out I am going for the Broncos! Hope all my fellow Americans back home enjoy the evening and just be safe 🙂

Tomorrow I have quite the list of things to do. First things first, open a bank account. Once I have done this I can get a sim card for my cell phone and have International service. I must say that will definitely come in handy seeing as how right now the people I meet we are all just massively messaging each other on Facebook and not having WiFi puts a damper on that as well. I also need to get a Navigo pass which is a monthly pass for the trains and metros, since you literally ride that a few times a day that will be useful. Probably need to finish my paperwork for school tonight or tomorrow, not sure when that will happen because there are just so many requirements! Grocery store is also on the list for tomorrow so I can make some dinners here and have snacks in my dorm. Big thank you to my dad for shipping my French birth certificate when it came after I left! Now I can apply for a housing subsidy and hope for some money back for living expenses, Paris is pretty pricey!

A couple more things I have learned that is different over here, get used to me sharing this because I learn something new everyday lol.

Coke is served with a lemon
Most cars are electric here and they actually shut off when stopped at the stop light
On Sundays taxis are 20% more expensive
Sundays you also get in free to museums, me being Erasmus I always get in free
The grading system here is 0-20 if you get 10-20 you pass and >10 is fail

All the extra tips I could think of for now, just a little update on the life in Paris!

Mom and I at Arc de Triomphe yesterday 🙂

Talk to you soon
Kels

Thus far… Spent the last couple of days in Orientation for school, I start on Monday. Also been getting acquainted with all the other ERASMUS students, well not all because there are about 200 of us at this school. ERASMUS is just another word for exchange student basically. Today we did a tour of the Seine River, it was freezing but a bunch of fun! I met another American, makes me feel for at home but everyone is seriously awesome. Each day I am surrounded by people from literally ALL over the country. I have met Brazilians, Mexican, Korean, Sweden, Finland, England, Czech, Chinese, Canadian, German, Austrian, and so much more. It is crazy to have conversations with everyone and just talk to them about their home life and get to know them. Having never been out of America I honestly know more of how big and small the world really is. I am just so lucky to be able to have this opportunity, my life is forever changed.

So I thought it might be fun to kind of list some things that I personally have experienced in the few short days I have been here. Definitely a totally different lifestyle then America. I absolutely love it so far and I find it so fascinating that there is so much that is different and getting to experience all of this keeps things very very interesting 🙂 Remember this is just from my perspective though!

-It is true, ice is not served with drinks
-In order to get around you either walk everywhere or take the train (metro and RER) and on the trains to get to one place you usually switch trains more than once
-Motorcycles, gopeds, mopeds and all of the above own the streets here (pretty much no “illegal” traffic laws here)
-everyone wears scarves and I mean everyone
-there is no iced tea here just hot tea (I will greatly miss my favorite American drink)
-never be in a hurry to eat and run because eating is a social outing, the servers do not work for you
-businesses usually take from 1pm to 3pm for lunch everyday
-work days typically start around 10pm and last til 6pm or 7pm
-servers are paid good so tipping is not necessary
-Parisians drink wine at every meal
-Bread is offered everywhere
-French meats are a lot different than American meats, coming from meat country that is difficult
-Everything is a la carte
-It is true, Paris is huge but everything is small, even restaurants and stores
-It typically is cloudy during winter so it is a pleasure to see the sun
-A lot of bars and clubs are open until 5am or even 8am (going to have to get used to that)
-You can drink on the streets
-Almost all Parisians smoke
-Most people do speak at least a little English, I try to speak French to start so I can at least practice but they can spot the accent and usually respond English
-French is such a beautiful language, I hope one day to be able to speak fluently
-It is really a challenge to go off of a paper map, I am good with directions and got lost multiple times already (WHICH WAY IS NORTH DAMN IT lol)

I am sure that will be an ever changing list but just to give you a little taste of Paris for those of you who have not been here! My mom is still here until Sunday and tonight we spent this evening at the Eiffel Tower for dinner. What a beautiful beautiful place 🙂

More to come later on this weekend! Bon weekend 🙂

Kels

Mom and I have now been up for well over 24 hours so it is an early bedtime tonight but not before I share the adventures! The flights to Paris were really good. The 8 hour flight was a drag because I did not sleep a peep, too excited and anxious but I watched some good movies, thank you Delta for the free OnDemand! After sitting that long my butt hurt really bad too so that was some of it, I now have a flat a#$ (sorry grandma and grandpa) ha just kidding guys like that would happen. We arrived in Paris around 8:15am which would be about 1:15am Central US time. That part was pretty uneventful except for the awesome bathrooms they have!

We decided to take a taxi to the hotel, since I cannot lift anything and we had 5 bags, including my mom’s bags people, it was just easier on us. It did take an hour to get there but traffic was not that great, I assume people heading to work and all that early. Checked in smoothly, I have decided my all time most used phrase is “parlez-vous anglais?” That means do you speak English. Usually I got a “Oui” which is yes or “un peu” which is a little so that made things easier. I am definitely here to learn French and discover the culture but today with no sleep and this huge new place 4700 miles from home, I was a little intimidated. However my French did improve this evening since our server did not speak much English so that was fun! My mom cannot seem to make the switch from English to French she was saying “Excuse me, please, thank you and sorry” all day HAHAH! We got such a kick out of that and lots of laughter 🙂 I will tell you it is hard to make that switch in language though.

People always told us even though you will be tired from the jet lag the first few days try and stay up. Well that was a fail. We checked in around 10am and were sleeping by 10:30 BUT we woke up 2 hours later so it was just a nice mid morning nap and honestly that has kept me running all day. Hungry, we went in search for restaurants around the hotel. Found one a couple blocks down that intrigued us so we went inside and just people watched, ate of course too! By the way the most exciting part is this

this is the view from our hotel room! How magnifique!!!!

We came back to the room and decided to go check in to my dormitory and take my bags there. That was a hassle! When we arrived to Cité Universitaire we had to walk through out the campus and find it. After we found Maison du Cambodge (Cambodia house) we got checked in and headed off to my room, or so we thought. Could not find my room, come to find out there is a “secret” hallway, not really I was just had not gone that far to check. Well we then tried opening my door and I swear it was dummy proof and we could not even get it! So once again I headed back downstairs to tell them something was wrong with my door. Turns out something was wrong with my key so phew I can read directions! We got in finally and let me just tell you, I bet my room altogether is as big as my bedroom when I had an apartment lol. Trust me I was expecting small but I got XXS. No actually it is just fine! Mom and I started unpacking and got things situated to help give it that homey touch and it is great! I forgot to take pictures so I will upload that later this weekend. By the time we got all of this done, travel time take up a lot of the day here, we decided to take the train back to the hotel because my hotel is close to school so I wanted to get familiar with how I would be transporting daily. If anyone has been to New York you know how confusing the train system can be. Well we are in Europe now and trains are on steroids, they are everywhere. That took some time to figure out but now that we have done it I think it will be a lot easier.

Today was like an initiation I feel like lol. I cannot quite wrap my head around this new reality of mine. I assume with time that will sink in. Tonight we went to a lovely, small Italian restaurant across the street from our hotel. Let me just say I am a pizza fanatic and this trumped anything I have ever ate! My mom ordered a bolognese and that was amazing as well. For dessert we had tiramisu of course!

BEST PIZZA EVER

And for DESSERT 🙂 mmm mmm

Tomorrow I will update on things I have learned about France that is completely opposite from the US. Might read some interesting things let me tell you lol. Catch you on the flip side! Orientation for school starts tomorrow.

Kels