This has been a crazy 24+ hours. It is much too hard to figure out the math, even if I wasn't running on no sleep. So I left MSP airport at about 7:30pm on Tuesday May 21 and arrived in Reykjavik Iceland at about 6:30 in the morning local time. The plane ride over was fine, I had a middle seat so it wasn't spectacular. The movie that I chose to watch was the Hobbit movie. I felt it would be sorta poetic to watch a hobbit start his journey just as I was about to start mine. Boy what that a bad idea, I was completely confused and utterly lost. But maybe that is the poetic part because I have already gotten lost (sorta) in Paris and it's only been one day.
So I had an hour and ten minute layover in Iceland, where I proceed to buy mystery chocolate and only take one picture of the place. The first mystery chocolate was terrible it had some weird black licorice on it and the second bar I bought has yet to be opened but it looks like there's caramel in the middle so I am hopeful. Iceland was quite boring; all it was brown earth. I'm not even sure if it was grass or dirt. I plan on getting some candy or something small on my lay over on the way back.
Now off to Paris (btw every time I write that I write it in a French accent so please be kind and read it that way). We took off at 7:40 Icelandic time and landed about 1:00 pm Parisian time. On this plane ride I really did try to get some sleep, never the less it was a bust. But this time I was the aisle seat so the a plus, but it was in the emergency evacuation row and I was unable to open the overhead compartment alone, I don't know how they would expect me to open a door that's not meant to be opened and safe people's lives. I don't know if I'm to blame to this gross overestimation of my strength or if they are but for the extra leg room I think I can fake it.
After landing the Charles De Gaulle Airport we hoped on the nicest coach bus I've ever been on (it had shiny gold pleather on the seat!). I was an hour ride to the 14 arrondissement were I am staying le Maison des Province de France à de Cite Internationale en Paris. Where I was assigned my small room with a roommate plus en suite salle de bain. The room is bare but I kinda like it. I will soon be filling it up with all the wonderful things I find in Paris, and I left lots of room in my luggage so I have no worries there. The building is beautiful but quite a walk from anything. It's going to be an adjustment to go from five minutes to cross campus to twenty plus to get half way across. But it's all worth it.
Once the settling in and unpacking occurred the group and I were taken on a walking tour of the dorm campus (the classrooms are spread all across Paris). Were we were shown were the supermarché is and where I bought provisions for breakfast and dinners that will last me a bit. It was weird shopping in a foreign, you realize the variety and the plenty that we Americans take for granted. But before I went grocery shopping (and on the way with some friend sorta got lost) I bought my first meal in Paris. A plain hamburger and french fries. Now before you shake your fists in rage at me for getting American food in France, the group I was with choice that little shop (Le fin de la faime) because we thought it was going to be more french food than the other shops we passed.
So all and all it was a pretty boring day. Nothing exciting happened except going to a foreign country for the first time! I will leave you in hopes that this all makes sense since everything is becoming blurry and the ground has not stopped vibrating since I step foot on the European Continent. I hope that's not too bad. Tomorrow I will write about my observation, changed expectations and the things that surprised me.
Jusqu'à demain
Bisous- Janice
The one picture I took of Iceland
My first Parisian Meal
The main building of Cité U
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