Back to School!

While I am quite sad that my dad's trip has come to a close, I must confess that I cannot even contain my excitement for the second and main portion of my study abroad.

I checked into the Citadines apartment/hotel yesterday (shoutout to Bob for rolling my 50 pound suitcase through 3 transfers and up and down 5-10 flights of stairs on the Metro from our hotel near the Eiffel Tower to my "apart-hotel" a few blocks down from the Bastille). The setup is pretty sweet. Similar to a (small) apartment I've got a little kitchenette area to prepare my own food, but the rest is like a hotel room with a cleaning staff that comes in once a week. It is actually quite lovely.

My bed (right). Already messy. And made for the only time all month I'm sure.

The kitchen. Eco-friendly bag full of groceries and a plate of chocolate croissants I stole from the hotel this morning.

View outside my window in case I ever forget I am in Paris.

After a rather large café au lait (necessary to stay awake for the 3 hour lecture), I headed into my first study abroad class in the Citadines conference room: International Business Law aka Management 109. If you promise not to tell my professor, I'll admit I hadn't done the reading for class today (Rome was too fun). As a result, I had a few jitters walking into the "classroom." Or perhaps it was the caffeine from the café. Either way, to my relief I discovered that no one else had read either. I have never been more excited to be surrounded by underachievers. 

Today's class was mostly an overview of the program. My heart was pounding in excitement (or again from the caffeine jolt) as our professor, who is the associate dean of UCLA's Anderson School of Management, described to us all the walking excursions and field trips we will be taking around France during the month abroad. Then we eventually delved into the law material, discussing how to do case briefs. Luckily for me I have an overenthusiastic nerdy lawyer for a father, so I am way ahead of the game. (I got a lecture on how to brief cases over lunchtime lasagna in the Piazza Navona in Rome.) 

After class a bunch of us decided to head out immediately to grab our first Parisian lunch together and later buy groceries at the supermarché. As true Los Angelenos, my fellow UCLA students and my first déjeuner in France was at Planet Sushi. Secretly against my will I might add, as I am partial to du pain et du fromage. To be fair, this was the most legit sushi place ever (way to be outdone, Japan).  It was designed like those cute little hotdog joints where the food comes around to you on a mini train. Then you pay for every plate you pick up. 

Ultra modern. Lots of pink. And check out the sushi conveyer belt against the wall.

It gets better. They sell dessert sushi rolls. And in true European fashion, they contain Nutella and are wrapped in a crepe instead of seaweed. France, even your sushi is epic. I am in awe. 

If you're wondering if Nutella and strawberries taste weird with rice--they don't. Rice has no flavor; it's just chewy. 

We ventured off to the supermarket for groceries afterwards, where I purchased all the essentials: yogurt, Orangina, and frozen lasagna (among a few other things). The reason why I shopped so light? I have two giant packs of protein bars thanks to Ranger Bob. That's more protein than a whole brood of chickens. Plus I'm sure I'll be eating out even more than I want to since we're often away from the hotel. 

I returned to my room mostly to refrigerate my perishables, but since I was there and without solid plans, I decided that I should probably do my homework for International Taxation, the other course I am enrolled in here. BUT--you'll be proud of me--I already did the reading for tax! Though I barely removed the cellophane on the business law textbook, I powered through the tax book earlier in the summer when I was bored. Phew. More time to catch up on the reading I didn't do and eat the chocolate croissants on the counter. 

Later on the majority of the kids in my group are meeting up to hang out along the Seine for the night. Ooh là là! Quite the Parisian I have become.