Exploring

I am entering week three of my adventure in Paris and can't believe how fast it's all flying by. It has been super rainy pretty much everyday but it hasn't stopped me from seeing the city. As a class, we visited the famous Louvre museum which, in my opinion, was incredibly overwhelming. The art there is SO old and holds so much history that you can't possibly just visit once. Once I saw the Mona Lisa and walked through one wing of the museum, I was pooped and ready to go. There is so much history all over Paris that it's hard not to stop and look at every building you pass by. The architecture everywhere is incredibly beautiful - I'm sure my friends are tired of hearing me say "Oh my god, that's gorgeous!"

I've gotten a better handle on buying and cooking food here. There is a huge market called Carrefour not too far from my apartment that has everything you could ever need. (It's probably half the size of Costco) The food here is the same, but different - It's hard to explain but it took me a little while to figure out what some stuff was and to get into the groove of grocery shopping and cooking for myself. It's tempting to take the easy way out and just buy pastries and baguette sandwiches all day but let's be real... You wouldn't recognize me when I came back. One night, my roommate Allison and I decided to go out to a bar that serves free mussels and fries when you order a beer. This was my first mussel experience and I am most definitely a fan... but still not ready to try snails.

Yesterday, I went to an event for Paris Design Week at an exhibition hall by the river. It featured innovative and funky designs for all types of things - watches, chairs, light fixtures, etc. It was cool and interesting to see what kinds of things Parisian designers are cooking up, from reusable materials to unique manufacturing processes. After the event, I hung out with my friends from Paraguay and Venezuela... which explains why my Spanish is getting better than my French. Later, about 15 of us international students went out for dinner to celebrate a friend's birthday and had a relaxing Sunday night. Here are a few photos from the week:

Try walking by this everyday...

This view is just a hop away from my apartment

The Louvre

Innovative creations at Paris Design Week