Welcome (back) to Paris!

I've been in Paris over ten days now, and it really feels as though I never left! As soon as I arrived, everything felt familiar and right, kind of like I was 'home' again. My flight came in very early Monday morning, and I took a long cab ride from the airport to the monastery where I am staying for the moment. With the help of two nuns, I somehow managed to carry all of my suitcases up to the third floor where my room is located. It's a pretty nice room - I have a small bedroom with a bed and desk, and a large walk-in closet plus a bathroom with a shower and toilet. There are 30 girls living at the monastery, all of them in college here in Paris. They're all French, except for one, who is Taiwanese and doesn't speak much French and who prefers to speak to me in English. It is definitely a good opportunity for me to practice my conversational French skills and to meet French people my age. We're all served breakfast and dinner together, although I am very sad to report that the food is simply awful! But since it's included in the price of the room, I have a hard time justifying buying other food when I know I can eat for free...

These past two weeks have been filled with formal and informal meetings for the other teaching assistants. Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, we've all been able to communicate with each other and there were a few outings organized amongst the assistants. The assistants are not just English-speaking Americans - they represent languages and countries from all over the world. They're really a diverse group of people in terms of age, background, origin, etc, and it's really neat that I get to hang out with such fascinating people!

Next week I begin teaching at the high school, and I also have my first class for my master's. However, much of France will be on strike beginning on Tuesday, so I'm not quite sure if the high school and/or my university will be functioning! Ah the joys of France. In the meantime, the weather here is simply beautiful and I am off to enjoy a weekend of picnicking, museuming, and general enjoyment!