So far on our trip, we have done a lot of sightseeing. We walked through some parts of central Paris, we visited The Louvre, we took a walking tour of the Saint Germain region in Paris, we took a Seine River cruise, and we explored another region of Paris called Le Marais. I have needed to take public transportation to get anywhere and everywhere. While there have been a few hiccups, it is so convenient to have extensive public transportation. My french has improved a little bit. The French speak quickly and quietly so it has been a bit of a struggle. I had my first successful checkout at the grocery store franprix. I didn’t have to tell the cashier that I was American or ask if they speak English. Today I ordered food with a good enough French accent to be responded to in French, it felt amazing. Usually, I get really nervous and speak with an American accent so the French pity me and just respond to me in English. I have definitely noticed some cultural differences. Americans are much louder than the French, every time we are on the train everyone is dead silent and we are always talking. Our French tour guides have also told us that Americans also smile a lot for no reason. In France, no one just smiles at each other on the street like we do; people would assume you’re crazy. Some other major differences between France and America are the lack of free water and the length of meals. There aren’t any public water fountains and if you want free water at a cafe you need to ask for “carafe d’eau”. The French take a lot more time to enjoy their meals. Our first group dinner started at about 7 pm and lasted to about 10:30 pm and there were four courses. I have enjoyed slowing down and exploring Paris in my free time. Even wandering around with no destination is enjoyable.

(Watch the video Madeline submitted for this post here. )