Last Week in Paris — And the Rain Came Down
March 11, 2020
The weather for the last week has been dismal to say the least. The early morning rain makes it difficult to get out of bed, the soft pitter patter never failing to lull me back to sleep past the time I’d set on my alarm clock. Though it’s put a bit of a damper on our last week here (makes it hard to sit by Sartre’s grave at Montparnasse Cemetery, for example, which I had planned), I like to think it’s the city’s way of saying goodbye. What is there to say about this last week in Paris? Exams and papers hit as they never fail to do. Just because I’m sitting in a cafe in Paris studying the ins and outs of French governmental systems in the 5th Republic, doesn’t mean that I’m not still studying. Hey, there are worse places to be. I made a few last memorable meals with my host mom. Tuesday featured a succulent lunch of lamb chops with wild mushrooms and onions (eaten at the very last minute because I forgot to put the lamb in the oven while she was at a meeting... Read More
Des Vacances à Amsterdam
March 4, 2020
Last week was our winter break and I met up with some friends from my home university in Amsterdam. I admittedly didn’t know that much about the city before I went. However, I really enjoyed my time there and have compiled my favorite places. Pancakes Amsterdam One thing... Read More
“Ici, tout est beau, bon, pas cher”
February 27, 2020
I promised last week that I would profiter de la ville, and in that spirit, I’m going to dedicate this week’s blog post to one of my favorite things about living in Paris — the food. An old friend from high school was visiting this past weekend, and on our walk home from... Read More
Familiar names, new surprises
February 21, 2020
As I write this blog post, I’m listening to Gaël Faye’s album, Pili pili sur un croissant au beurre. I first came to know the Franco-Rwandan novelist/rapper/poet in an academic setting; he’s the author of Petit Pays, our second novel for our literature class,... Read More
Weekend à Saint Malo et Mont Saint Michel
February 13, 2020
This weekend we departed for the west of France to visit the city of Saint Malo and the famed Mont Saint Michel. I was especially excited for this trip because visiting Mont St Michel had been an item on my bucket list for a while. I had stumbled across a gorgeous picture of... Read More
S’habituer — To Become Accustomed To
February 10, 2020
Just like that, our first full week is done! It feels like our time in Paris is going to go by so quickly, but already we’ve already had so many rich and wonderful experiences. From our first classes to our weekend trip to Saint Malo and Mont Saint Michel to cooking with my... Read More
Bonjour Paris!
February 3, 2020
Hi everyone! My name is Irene (Irène for French-speaking purposes). I’m from Houston, Texas (but I was born à la La Nouvelle-Orléans — that’s where I first learned French and my love for Francophone culture began). I’m a junior at Yale, where I’m a double major in... Read More
Does your heart “beet” for healthy food?
January 27, 2020
Paris may be known for spectacular cheese and wine, but that doesn’t mean you have to throw your dietary preferences and love of plant-based food to the wind. Paris has many a vegan faire to offer, and let me tell you, they do it right. Loulou Friendly Diner... Read More
Ever heard of the Chateau of Craon?
January 13, 2020
Honestly, us neither. But you should! We are closing in on our last days of orientation at the Chateau de Craon and what a surprise it’s been. Known as the “the little Versailles of Mayenne,” the chateau is situated in a tiny French town, Craon. In the... Read More
A Horse Attack, A Burglary, and Surfing!
December 19, 2019
Claire, our program director, arrived to Senegal on Thursday, and at night we went to a very bougie hotel to get some drinks and catch up. We had a great view of the ocean, and it happened to be where they shot some scenes of the movie Atlantique (would highly recommend). The... Read More
Last week and then its goodbye Paris…
December 19, 2019
As I reflect on my semester here in Paris, its crazy to think of all the incredible opportunities we’ve had and all the wonderful things we’ve experienced! I’ve decided to compile some of my favorites moments in Paris here: A visit to Monet’s Gardens in Giverny with... Read More
Still enjoying Paris during the strike
December 13, 2019
Bonjour! It’s been quite a week, with the national transportation strike that started on December 5th and continued since then. I don’t have class on Thursday or Friday so I mostly hibernated, with the exception of visiting a friend to watch Gossip Girl together. Then on... Read More
(Near) End of Semester Blues
December 10, 2019
The first week of classes went really well, in my opinion. There was however, a problem with the Economics professor (I class that I do not take), but he was replaced after the first class. For my immigration course, the professor asked us to conduct five interviews for our... Read More
Back Home!
December 10, 2019
To be perfectly honest, I was most looking forward to the Senegal portion of the trip, so it is definitely great to be back. While I was going through immigration, I received my first “How come you don’t speak Wolof?”, which was the welcome that I expected, and the... Read More
An American (Thanksgiving) in Paris
December 5, 2019
Hey everyone! Happy (belated) Thanksgiving from everyone here at APA Paris! We had a wonderful thanksgiving dinner with APA Thursday evening with tons of traditional thanksgiving food even here in France! Then over the weekend, I went to a second Thanksgiving with a group of... Read More
