This is a long post.

       Well, I’m at my new home now, and I feel confident that it is going to be a good match for me.  However, so much happened before I got here that I must back track just a little.  Yesterday morning was filled with more (dis)orientation meetings, but the highlight was that we were given the names and addresses of our host families and a little about them.  Everyone in our group is pretty much spread across the city with one other girl in the northern part of my arrondissement and little clusters of 3-4 in the 17th and 19th.  Needless to say we were all anxious to meet our families and see where we were going to be living.
       After a light lunch and more (dis)orientation we met up with the host brother of one of the girls and he led us on a rather long walk around the city.  We left at 3pm and didn’t return until 6:30pm which basically means that we walked nonstop for three and a half hours!  We walked up the 14th, through the bottom part of the 5th, down the 13th, back up to the 5th, back down and across the 5th, back through the north 13th, and finally ended up back in the south 14th at FIAP….we all had blisters and were absolutely dead!  We had not been warned that it was going to be all on foot or that it was going to be so long!  However, we saw so many wonderful things that I am near convinced that no matter where you go in Paris, there is something wonderful to see and smell and experience.  We got to walk up the famous Mouffetard with all of its little shops and vendors, spot the rather terrific graffiti and street art everywhere, and see all of the wonderful architecture with its decorative iron work and little nooks and crannies so old that moss had completely taken them over.
       Unfortunately, I took only a few pictures because it is quite difficult to get the most out of your walk when you constantly have your nose in a camera.  Thus, better photos will come later.  It was nice though, because we were able to have great conversations, in French of course, the whole time.  We would walk a ways talking with one person, get jumbled at a stop or street crossing, and then be paired with someone else for a while.  I think I talked to everyone and by the end of the walk, our conversation skills had once again spiked to new highs.

 Some of the students in the group looking rather thoughtful and lost

 More members of our group reacting to seeing the Eiffel Tower

While the walk was a great surprise, we had a different kind of surprise waiting for us when we returned to the FIAP.  Since we had to check out of our rooms this morning, we had to place our bags in the luggage room near the reception desk with all of the other visitors’ stuff.  Unfortunately, over the course of the day, someone had gone into the room and basically searched through almost everyone’s things and taken what they wanted.  Obviously not good.  I got lucky as I saw no signs of my bags having been gone through, but two girls in our group had their laptops, iPods, phones, and cash taken.  They took one of their bags completely, and the other girl’s suitcases where completely trashed.  She even had travel locks on them, but they didn’t do much good.  I was so thankful that the only valuable thing I had in that room was my computer, but even that is quite old and not really a desirable brand like their Macs.  They were lucky in that even though their Passports were in their luggage, they were not taken.  Needless to say we were all a bit shaken and feeling a bit defiled.
However, the show had to go on, so all infused with a bit of adrenalin and caffeine, we went upstairs and met our host families.  The moment I came up the stairs, this nice older couple walked up to me and asked “You are Kate?”  That was when I met my kind host family.  They are of French but of Algerian descent and simply nice people.  We talked for a bit over more wine and black currant cocktails, and then hopped in their car for the short drive to their apartment.  I’m in the 13th arrondissement (see map) and live on the 28th floor of a rather average apartment building.  However, I once again have a huge window in my room and from it I can see perfectly the Eiffel Tower to the northwest and a panoramic view of the city.  It is absolutely stunning, especially at night when everything is lit up.

The view from my window

I got all settled while my host mother made dinner and he watched his soccer match.  Their daughter is quite nice as well but a bit shy so we haven’t talked much yet.  We then had dinner (cycle of tomato, bread, wine, meat, and cheese) and they are very good at making sure to include me in their conversations.  Thankfully he speaks rather good English, but he is very careful to only use it when I am at my wits end at how to say something.  We watched the end of a movie on TV and a rather interesting news piece on the negative effects of the negative and stereotypical depictions of Muslims and Middle Eastern peoples in American television and cinema.  The guest on the show made several good points, and it is interesting to note that even here they feel the effects of American popular thought.
      Anyways, now it is morning and I am writing in my room while the parents are sleeping in a bit.  Their typical schedule involves staying up later and sleeping late which is totally fine by me.  My host sister, in preparation for taking the Bac (like a really hard SAT/ACT that determines if you can go to college) goes to school six days a week, so she is already gone.  I’m not sure what today holds, but there is a sort of holiday this weekend in which the majority of the state/government/official buildings are open to the public for free when most of the time they would be closed off or require a charge.  I think they said that we might go visit a few places like that, but I’m not sure I heard them right.  Alas, that happens quite frequently!  Well, I think I hear them moving around, so I will close this out.  I love and miss yall, but know that I am very happy here and have some great folks for a host family.
Xoxo
-Kate Alice