So after weeks of procrastination I have finally decided to get around to this whole blogging in Europe thing. Blah blah blah I hope you read it and find it interesting. So I moved into my own apartment about 2 weeks ago after living with friends for a while and let me tell you, I love it. I would have posted pictures but I live alone, which means that its not in a state where I would want any of you to see it. More will come, I promise.
So let's get down to what everybody cares about: the city. Paris is a city with two faces. There is a beautiful, romantic Paris that you see walking down the Champs-Elysees at night; the storefront displays at Armani and the couple dressed in black holding hands and smoking cigarettes at a bright cafe as the lights of the Eiffel Tower shine off the Seine. This Paris does in fact exist and it is breathtaking. There is, however, a Paris of packed metros where the people look like they would kill someone just to get home while the drunk hobo walks up and down the aisle begging for a euro.
The thing to remember about Paris is that it is a very old city with a very long tradition. The people here take great pride in their appearance and for the most part keep to themselves. Gone are the days of rolling out of bed in a hoodie and basketball shorts and jumping on the first bus to class. Here, it is obvious that people live life very purposefully, and that includes taking the time to get up in the morning and dress themselves for success. The weather here is extremely cold; for those of you in Texas I don't even think I can express it to you. It's just really really cold.
My university is incredible. All of my professors are very well studied and extremely professional. My favorite part of this university system is the discussion sections led by teaching assistants. I have one discussion every Wednesday on Coping with Multipolarity in US Foreign Policy and another on Thursday on Introduction to World Politics and it is incredible the perspective one gets about global affairs when discussing them with students from all over the world. I have met friends in my classes from Brazil, Turkey, and Jerusalem just to name a few places. Everyone here is very focused and the work is challenging and rewarding. More to come on my academics in the future.
Anyway, I am adjusting well and I miss everyone from back home. I wish I could bring you all here to stay with me. I will keep updating this blog with posts, pics, and videos from time to time to keep everyone updated.
À Bientôt,
Garrett
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