Starting Out

I have decided to take an internship job in Paris, France. I will be there from the beginning of September through the first or second week of December. I'm really excited about it! How often does one get to just pick up and move to another country for 3 months? I'll be working for and staying with my uncle. He has been trying to get me to do this for years and I decided that now is the time to go.

My uncle's house is great. He lives about a 5 minute Metro ride outside of Paris. If anyone has ever ridden the Metro in Paris they know it is the most easily navigable subway system and will get you almost anywhere you want to go. One of my first stops is definitely going to be the Eiffel Tower! I know it's a tourist trap, Corey, and that Tom Cruise ruined it a little bit but it is one of my favorite places in the whole world. Seeing it is like seeing the Golden Gate Bridge every morning when I come out of the rainbow tunnels...no matter how many times I've seen it I still feel a huge smile take over when I do see it again!

I'm hoping that since French people have shorter work weeks than Americans that I will have some time to travel around Europe also. I am definitely going to visit one of my best friends who now lives outside of London. My uncle wants me to visit my cousin and her family in Germany and I'm hoping that my uncle will take me on some of his business trips. Most of all I am hoping that I can have some 3 or 4 day weekends so I can go visit places in Italy, Spain, Ireland or the UK. I'm hoping these places will be less crowded becuase it will be automn and not so much of the tourist season but we'll see.

I started this page so I could post pictures and write about what I am doing in France.

Unfortunately, it's only July and I have 2 months before I leave. In those 2 months I have 4 classes that I have to finish, the MPRE part of the CA Bar Exam to take, Alli's wedding to see(!) and a whole lot of packing and planning. I'm trying to brush up on my french before I go so I don't sound like the arrogant American expecting everyone to know English. I never realized how much I missed out on in French class becuase we never learned anything relating to the language. I learned that all French people love nutella (which is a very vile and disgusting "chocolate" spread) and play mille bourne. However, as my brother pointed out the other day, not once when we were in France the last time did my uncle pull out mille bourne cards! Oh well...I guess better to learn french now than later. Besides, even if I don't speak it very well when I first get there I will be almost fluent in about a week and a half.

*Sigh* I can't wait to go to France but for now I have to study for my midterm which is on Tuesday, the day after Fourth of July. (Thanks Pagano).