La première semaine (the first week)

I’m trying to speak French- and it is working with a few people in the lab. But there are a lot of people who just speak English after I speak French to them.. I think it’s because they don’t want to hear me butcher their beautiful language 

I spent this week meeting lab members and other people in the department and getting trained in electrophysiology and other cool techniques… Fred has some very cool projects going on- and we’ve had some time to make a preliminary plan of action for my research.

I will start my first class on Wednesday: a two-week agriculture protection course in Grignon. Luckily, a few people are putting on a joint birthday party there this weekend- so they’ll be able to show me around the Grignon campus before my first day.


I have loved walking from the Saint-Cyr metro stop to work because there are all kinds of undisturbed grasses on the sidewalk and I have seen beaucoup d’insectes there (see pics on my picassa page!)…

Je suis arrivée à Paris!

Fred met me at the airport with a big smile. He was so gracious to help me cart all my bags around. We went first to the dorms to drop off my bags.

Les gens at CitéU thought I was arriving tomorrow so they were not prepared for me- either way it is going to take them a few days to get me an internet account. However, Vincent at AgroParisTech finished my registration today and I should be able to get internet access tomorrow at the schools. I will have to get yet another account at Fred’s lab.
We met up with Fred’s Walking buddies from America. We went for a great Vietnamese lunch (pho soup and some poulet (chicken) sauté pimento curry like thing) close to APT- great food- I will have to take my dad there!

Vincent helped me through all of the paper work and the meet and greets at APT. Talked to Maryline and Claude briefly.. I am feeling embarrassed of my French and I can’t seem to get into the right mindset. I was really tired too because I only slept for a half an hour on the plane..

I was very lucky because it was a cool and sunny day for the most part. I walked home from APT (30 min) and it was getting un peu cloudy. It is almost 9:30pm here and it is still light out :) Good to know. Tomorrow I am going to run out early and get some groceries. I should be meeting Fred ~ 11-12 at Versailles, which is a 45min-1hr metro ride…

I will need to get un carte orange- which is a weekly metro pass that I can buy for 5 zones (Fred’s lab is 5 zones from the center of Paris in Versailles). Après la fin de Mai (after the end of may) they will no longer sell these, but instead you’ll have to buy the NAVIGO passes which require you to a) send them a photo online and fill out paperwork and they will mail the card to your address; or b) bring a photo to the accueil/information ticket counter in a train station to get the pass for 5 Euro.

Finished unpacking and rearranging in about 2 hours. I HAD to take a nap.. I was dreadfully tired.. I hope that I can sleep tonight.

At a 0.57 transaction rate, I got 1.000 Euro for over 1,755ish dollars. Ouch.

Laundry is 2,50 Euro wash and 1,50 Euro dry!! Ouch.

There are several irons available at the front desk that I can use so that I don’t have to buy one. My clothes are SOOOOOOOOOOO wrinkly from being jammed like a sausage into my suitcase..

PS for international travel they are still allowing you to check two 50lbs bags. So there was a nice fee that I didn’t have to pay (minus one ouch).

Quoi d’autre (what else) ?
I’m sitting in the common area of the dorms and there is a piano recital/show happening in the auditorium :)

Nettoyer et quitter mon apartment

Today I cleaned and left my apartment… My recommendation is, before leaving, give yourself a couple weeks after school ends to finish up research, packing, cleaning, moving, and last minute visits and good-byes.. I’m feeling a bit rushed en ce moment.

When studying abroad- there are many things to think about regarding housing and such-
1. Where will you store your belongings while you are gone? Storage costs beaucoup d'argent.
2. Where will you stay when you come home? In Penn State you normally have to sign whole year leases.. Otherwise- you’ll be paying for your apartment plus lodging while you’re away (like I am :)
3. etc..

Faire les valises (packing :)

“US Airways will transport:
• 1 checked bag free of charge, and
• 1 bag as a carry-on
And a second checked bag will be assessed a $25* fee. The new fee applies to travel on or after May 5 for tickets purchased on or after February 26, 2008."

This is not good news. I am going away for nine months and it will be too expensive to buy all the necessities in France because the dollar is so weak right now (en ce moment, 1USD=0.65EUR).

I have everything in a pile of what I want to take, but come Sunday there will be a pile of what I couldn't take when I have to squash it all into one or two bags weighing 50 lbs each :( Quel dommage!