Decoding AirBNB's Paris Locations

Now that you know why I'm so in love with AirBNB, here's a practical guide to using the up-and-coming apartment rental site in one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. That's right, Paris.

If you've started looking for an AirBNB apartment or room rental in Paris, you might have noticed that it's not exactly difficult to find a place to stay in the City of Lights. Rentals range from the most luxurious -- like this 1300- sq. foot luxury apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower -- to the most unique -- like this Parisian houseboat, which is just one of an impressively large selection of water-based accommodations. The large range of options means that what is tricky about navigating AirBNB in Paris is not finding an apartment, but CHOOSING one. Do you want the bright studio in central Paris? Or the quirky townhouse in Montmartre? What about the peaceful apartment overlooking the canal?

Fortunately, it pays to be a cash-strapped college student. (Well, not literally. Although that would be ideal, wouldn't it?) As you slide that little "price" slider further and further left, the number of rentals starts to shrink. Goodbye, overwhelming selection of bright beautiful apartments. Hello, slightly-less-overwhelming list of dingy spare bedrooms! Still, it's to AirBNB's credit that there are an incredible number of reasonably-priced properties. A search for rentals under $130 a night (which is already way less than you'll be paying for any decent hotel) yields over 1000 results!

So where to go from here? If you know what you want, or at least where you want it, it's easy to further narrow down the search. In addition to price, you can add size, location, and amenities-based restrictions. Prefer an English-speaking host? Looking for a non-smoking rental with a washer and dryer? Want breakfast prepared for you in the morning? No problem ... just click on "More Filters" and click to your heart's desire! (However, it is important to note that too many restrictions can cause you to miss out on a great opportunity ... the lack of free parking might not be a dealbreaker for an otherwise perfect rental, but if you apply restrictions, you'll never even see it!)

Once you've narrowed down your selection and established your price point, things get tricky. Decoding Parisian AirBNB advertisements is more complicated that navigating the Parisian metro without looking at your map. (Total tourist move.) If you've already begun looking at Parisian rentals, you might have noticed that it seems like every other apartment is the same! However, being able to understand and decode the lingo used by Parisian AirBNB hosts can help you filter through underwhelming properties and find a diamond in the rough.

So without further ado, I present my Guide to Decoding AirBNBS.

• "COZY." Small. Small. Small.
• "CHARMANT." Like cozy, but perhaps with a bigger window?
• "FONCTIONNEL." If "functional" is the best way you can think to describe your home, we might have a problem. This apartment has a floor and, God willing, four walls ... but not much else. If it's done well, the effect might be charmingly minimalist. (I fell in love with this sixth-floor chambre de service.) However, chances are that the result is a little more on the depressing/spartan side.
• "HAS CHARACTER." This one is tricky, as there is nothing that fits the Parisian ideal more than a beautiful flat complete with winding stairs, parquet floors, and cast-iron window railings. However, the adjective can easily be applied by a more deceptive landlord to excuse a space that is cluttered, tired, and even falling-down!
• "IN A LIVELY AREA." This type of situation is ideal for those looking for nearby nightlife. But it also tends to mean that it's loud out there. If you don't sleep a wink, don't try and say they didn't warn you!
• "IN THE HEART OF PARIS." Let's just say that everyone seems to have very different ideas about what neighborhoods qualify as "the heart" of Paris.
• "SOUS LES TOITS..." This expression -- which means "under the rooftops" -- is romantic in the extreme, until you realize that it's actually just a euphemism for a sixth-floor apartment (sans ascenseur, or without elevator) with a severely sloping roof. Could be a dealbreaker for older travelers ... or anyone above 5'10".

As always, there are a couple of other things to keep in mind. These pieces of advice apply to any apartment rental ... not just those in the City of Lights!

• Start looking early! There are some absolutely amazing properties available in Paris -- beautiful apartments in safe, central locations with incredibly low price tags and a series of five-star reviews. Unsurprisingly, these places go FAST. If you're looking to snatch up one of these dream rentals, you'll need to plan several weeks or even months in advance.
• ... but be aware of last-minute deals! Some hosts, especially those who might be renting out a spare bedroom in their home, don't update their availability very far in advance. If you're having trouble booking an apartment for a last-minute trip, be patient. You might notice a couple of great options open up in the week or two before your trip to Paris!
• Beware of properties without reviews -- or, even worse, with bad reviews. (That being said; take what is written with a grain of salt. Sometimes the problem can be with the guests, not the hosts! One bad review amongst a sea of five-star ratings isn't necessarily a dealbreaker.)
• Look for a cooperative and helpful host. Hosts should be willing to answer all of your questions about the rental, no matter how specific they may be, and to reply to your messages in a reasonable time frame. A significant lack of cooperation is probably indicative of the type of treatment you'll receive during your stay.
• Get to know the city. Paris is a beautiful city whose various arrondissements each possess their own special charm. That being said, like any city, it definitely has areas that tourists might do well to avoid. While these areas might be safe to wander through during the day, they can become a little seedy or even downright dangerous after dark. Although hotel and apartment prices might be less expensive in these areas, it's best to avoid them. If you're worried about staying on the 'right' side of town, do your research. Talk to friends who have visited the city and check out one of my all-time favorite blog posts, A Breakdown of the Paris Arrondissements by a Sassy New Yorker, for a guide to Paris' varied neighborhoods.

Newsflash: Hotels are Out; Apartment Rentals are In

One of the biggest draws of spending time studying abroad -- especially in European countries -- is TRAVEL. For many students, a semester or year abroad is their first introduction to international travel; understandably, they want to take advantage of their time and see as many of the sites as possible! Unfortunately, this type of adventure can come with a pretty hefty price tag. Students can maximize their budget by taking advantage or free museum admission and discounted plane tickets (thanks, Ryan Air!), but the cost of a hotel room -- even for one night -- can be a tough pill to swallow. That's why I recommend alternate accommodations. Although a little less orthodox than a typical hotel, these options -- from courchsurfing to hostels to apartment rentals -- allow students and other travelers on a budget the chance to save their cash for the things that really matter. (Food.)

I know that not everybody is a fan of alternative travel accommodations ... one Google search for "AirBNB horror stories" is enough to convince anybody to look skeptically at apartment rentals! But my own experiences with alternative accommodations have been, overall, extremely positive. I've found them to be both fun and practical: even a young traveler on a budget can benefit from the current popularity of apartment rentals!

Types of Alternative Accommodations

The list of different types of alternative accommodations is as long as the list of reasons why you should use them! There are a wide variety of alternative accommodations that span a wide degree of price and privacy.

First up, there's Couchsurfing, the website that the tattooed guy you met in Amsterdam couldn't stop talking about. The site is a "hospitality exchange" that allows travelers to stay for free with hosts; although no money changes hands, guests are encouraged to share their own cultural expertise with their hosts. Or something like that. I have never "couch-surfed" ... and if we're being honest, I don't think I ever will. The idea requires a certain type of recklessness confidence that I just don't possess. Bottom line: although the site comes with its fair share of safety concerns, people who use it tend to swear by it.

Another hugely popular alternative accommodation among young travelers and backpackers is the youth hostel, or auberge de jeunesse. Guests rent a bed in either single, double, or dormitory-style rooms and usually have access to a communal bathroom and kitchen. (Single rooms offer the highest degree of safety and privacy, but dormitory-style rooms are the least expensive.) Hostels range in price, depending on location, quality, and amenities, but tend to be much less expensive than traditional hotels. While some hostels offer an inclusive package, the average hostel tends to be a little more spartan ... unwitting guests can wind up being charged for everything from breakfast to bedding! To ensure safety and quality, it's generally recommended that potential guests stick to certified hostels (like those on Hostel World or Hostelling International). Bottom line: a hostel can be a great alternative accommodation option, but only if you do your research.

If you're travelling with your family or a sizable group of friends, an apartment rental might be the way to go. While many home rental sites cater to an exclusive clientele, there are many websites that offer an affordable apartment rental experience. Two of the most popular rental sites on the web right now are HomeAway and AirBNB.

After a successful first experience in Paris last October, I used AirBNB for almost all of my travels, including stops in Luxembourg, Belgium, and Germany. I've never used HomeAway, but my impression is that it is a slightly more hands-on service that provides its customers with a certain degree of security. (The sample case that tends to be used in comparisons is a booking that falls through at the last minute: while AirBNB will refund your money, HomeAway will take the additional step of arranging a replacement.) Additionally, while AirBNB offers both apartment and private room rentals, HomeAway deals exclusively in entire properties.

Things to Remember

It's important to remain realistic. Along with the high price tag of a hotel comes the assurance of at least some degree of customary service; this is a perk that you might not always find with alternative accommodations.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Check out reviews and don't be afraid to ask hosts specific questions in order to make sure that you know exactly what you're getting yourself into.

Are you interested in signing up for an account with AirBNB? (You'll need one if you want to travel or rent out your own space.) Go to www.airbnb.com/c/ebloxam. If you register for an account with this link, you'll get $25 off your first qualifying rental and -- full disclosure -- I'll become eligible for a discount on an upcoming trip!

Have you used AirBNB or any of the other alternative accommodations discussed in this post? Comment and tell me about your experience!

Two Down, Two to Go

Mercredi, 23 octobre.

I don't know about you, but to me it feels like, recently, this blog has turned primarily into a way for me to unload all the information I've been accumulating from museum brochures and to post all the travel photos I don't want to upload to Facebook. And although I've had a lot of fun sharing my adventures, I think it's about time that I waxed a little more philosophical.

I realized today that my two-month anniversary of arriving in France (and the halfway point of my semester) had come and gone without me even noticing.

I arrived on 17 August, just over two months ago. I remember anxiously peering out the windows of the airplane, hoping to catch a glimpse of my future home. I remember standing in baggage claim with Molly and the other W&M students and exchanging curious glances with the other American students on our flight. I remember sitting on a hot bus by the train station, staring out at the graffiti and city streets and wondering if someone had made a mistake and sent us to Detroit on accident. We spent our first afternoon wandering around the neighborhood around our dorms, loudly exclaiming how excited we were to be in France ... and secretly wondering if we all hadn't made the wrong decision.

 

First day of exploring = many discoveries and many selfies!

Slowly but surely, we discovered Montpellier. We visited centre-ville for the first time and were relieved beyond words to realize that there was, in fact, a world beyond Triolet! We discovered shortcuts and bakeries and picnic destinations, eventually leaving our maps at home as the street names became more and more familiar. It's kind of funny to look back at how differently I viewed the city ... and at how wrong I was about so many things! The train station, whose surroundings seemed so dingy when we arrived, is actually a stone's throw from the beautiful historic center of Montpellier. The other Americans that we were nervously sizing up at baggage claim are now the people we hang out with all the time. Oh, and I totally couldn't see Montpellier from the plane while landing. (Rookie mistake.)

France has definitely been full of surprises: some more pleasant than others. It's been hard to adjust to the prices here; everything -- from food to clothes to shampoo -- seems more expensive, even before converting from Euros to dollars. People don't smile or say hello in the street (although guys have no problem cat-calling at any girl who walks by). There's a frustrating amount of dog poop on the sidewalk. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, the city itself is not as picture-perfect as the postcards -- or, in my case, the Google Image results -- make it seem. The ornate buildings in Place de la Comédie and the quirky slanting streets of the Écusson do not extend outside the historic center. And even those postcard-worthy sites aren't quite what the photos suggest. It's a city, after all: there are homeless people and cigarette butts and you cannot walk a block without seeing a wall covered in graffiti. And yet, it's somehow better than I could have EVER imagined.

Before coming here, I had some ideas in my head of what life in France would be like. But I could never have imagined picnicking at the Place du Péyrou at sunset. Or walking along a narrow street and suddenly catching a glimpse of a cathedral. Or getting a bird's eye view of the city during les Journées du Patrimoine. Or feeling so comforted by the sight of the tram after a long weekend in Paris.

 

Sometimes this place is even better than the postcards make it look. 

It's these little, simple things that I do without thinking that really make me love it here. They make me realize that over the past two months, Montpellier has become my home away from home.

Speaking of home, I'm surprisingly not homesick. Maybe I'm one of those people who adapt quickly? Or maybe France is simply that great? Or maybe I just don't understand the definition of homesick? But I really think I haven't felt it yet. Granted, there have been some less-than-fabulous days -- like when I spent 12 hours searching for my house key, or when the toilet paper dispenser at school fell on my head each time I went to the bathroom! And of course, it's been a little difficult to look at all the photos of all my friends and sorority sisters having fun without me. But despite the occasional twinge of regret that I'm missing out on prime CW cider run weather, I never find myself wishing that I were back in the States. (Exception: my phonetics class, during which I would usually prefer to be almost anywhere else.)

I know that when the time comes, I will be happy to return to Northern Virginia and be reunited with all my favorite things (in particular, blueberry cake donuts and Taco Bell). In fact, you'll probably find me at the airport waving an American flag and shouting the national anthem. I'll be overjoyed to see my family and friends and will, hopefully, be able to look back on my semester in the knowledge that I'll be coming back to this beautiful country sometime soon.

But at the moment, I can't picture myself ever wanting to ever leave France. So I'm sure you can only imagine how terrifying it was to realize yesterday that the long séjour stamp on my Visa is halfway to its expiration date!

Okay, so there are still over eight weeks left. Eight weeks that will be absolutely filled with classes and papers and exams and jampacked with day trips and adventures. Eight weeks during which I will finally travel out of the country (Luxembourg and Belgium, here we come!) and will get to take my mom on a whirlwind tour of France. Eight weeks that will be spent visiting as many beautiful towns, exciting cities, and -- when the time comes -- CHRISTMAS MARKETS as humanly possible.

Eight weeks in which I will continue to eat my weight in baguettes and to fill up my phone's memory with photos of picturesque alleys ... and, of course, more selfies.

Hooray for awkward selfies in Montpellier, Marseille, AND Paris!

Passport to Paris: Helpful Hints

In finishing up my many many many many blog posts about Paris, I've realized that it might be useful for me to include some helpful hints for travelling to Paris! I'm not an expert or anything, This post is geared to future study abroad students, but I really do think that the hints could be useful for anybody!

Preparing for your trip...

Plan ahead. Especially if you're studying abroad close to the city, it can be insanely tempting to book a spur-of-the-moment, last-minute trip to the City of Lights. Don't. Plan ahead. You will save oodles and oodles of money on transportation, have a wider choice of hostels/hotel rooms, and be able to plan your adventures.

Do your research. While visiting some smaller French towns, it's enough to visit the Office du Tourisme upon arrival and ask for a map and some recommendations. This is NOT the case in Paris. Do your research! Buy a map and find out what sites are located close to one another -- or better yet, what sites are located off the same Metro line! Read travel blogs. (I loved this breakdown of Parisian neighborhoods and read enough posts about Versailles to know that we absolutely had to go visit Marie Antoinette's Hamlet.) Feeling high tech? Download apps: there's an amazing free Paris Metro app that gives you offline access to maps and a lot of the museums have apps as well. You can even download free walking tours of certain parts of the city and take yourself on a free guided tour! Just remember, once you're in the city, your map will quickly become your new best friend.

Get creative with your Google searches! If you're planning a trip to Paris and you just googled, "What to do in Paris" ... assume that I am judging you. That is not the purpose of Google. The purpose of Google is to use KEY WORDS to find EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. So try more precise Google searches -- for things like "Paris off the beaten path" "Paris in 48 hours" "free self-guided historic tour Paris" "best free activities weekend Paris." I even searched for famous movie locations, to find guides to spots like Saint-Etienne-du-Mont and the Cafe des Deux Moulins! My favorite example of one of these quirkier guides? Exploring Paris through children's books! (It reminded me of my own childsized adventures.)

Prioritize! Paris has an unbelievable number of museums and monuments and chances are, you probably want to see them all. But you can't. (Sorry.) So prioritize! Check out the collections and entrance fees of the museums you're considering visiting and see what option sounds the most appealing to you. (Le Musée de l'Orangerie was lovely, but the admission price is a little steep if you just want to pop in to see Monet's giant water lillies. Try d'Orsay instead.) Want to see Paris by night? Take pictures of the Eiffel Tower at Place du Trocadero across the river instead of the Champs du Mars; from there, it's much easier to hop back on the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe and you can walk down the lit-up Champs-Elysees!

When in Paris...

Bring your student ID. Being a jeune (young person) in France ROCKS. Sure, I have a theory that it's done out of guilt for the record numbers of youth unemployment, but the fact that France gives students and young people free access to just about everything is absolutely amazing. If you're under 25, you can typically get a discount on admission fees, but if you're an 18 to 26-year-old resident of the EU (hint: show your French student ID card and put on your best accent/Parisian smirk), just about everything is FREE. In all of Paris, the only thing we paid admission to was the Catacombs. Of course, it's absolutely worth it to spend the money on these things -- the Musée d'Orsay is well worth 9 euros and I would have given an appendage to get into Versailles -- but if you can save the money and spend it on postcards and pastries, why not?

Try to blend in. One of my number one goals in going to Paris was NOT to stand out like a sore thumb! Molly and I both made an effort to look and act the part while we were there -- dressing to blend in, bringing purses instead of giant backpacks (the idea is to look like you're casually exploring your own city on your weekend off!), and hiding our maps and cameras when possible. The result? We were spared some of the hassle of being an average tourist and had a lot more ease communicating. No one asked us where we were from and we were never forced to switch to English -- a problem a lot of exchange students have in a city where so many residents are bilingual! (It's frustrating, but understandable: why sit and listen to an American struggle through French when you can just speak to them in English?)

Find cheap souvenirs. Word of advice -- unless you are Donald Trump or have some sordid desire to spend 3 euros on a postcard, the Champs-Elysées is NOT the place you want to buy your souvenirs. Stick to areas that are touristy, but not overly popular. (Read: NOT the Eiffel Tower.) We seemed to find the best and cheapest souvenir deals in Montmartre, in the little shopping area just behind Sacre Coeur. Do be careful though -- this part of Montmartre is a super touristy area where it's easy to get conned or pickpocketed. Keep your bag close and ignore street vendors ... unless you really want dirt cheap Eiffel Tower keychains!

Take a million pictures. I was in Paris for less than three days and I took 600 pictures. A lot of them were utter garbage (oh, another blurry picture of the Eiffel Tower?!) and have since been deleted, but I still have almost 400. And after a little bit of editing, I found that I'd taken quite a few diamonds in the rough! Sometimes it's frustrating to stop and pull out your camera on every street corner, but in the end, I'm so happy to have taken all the pictures I did! Our weekend was an exhausting and exhilarating blur, but now I have my photos to remind me of all the incredible things we saw and did.

You can never have too many pictures of the Eiffel Tower!

Just "Dire Bonjour!" My favorite thing in Paris was what I referred to as disant bonjour (saying hello). Don't have time to visit Napoleon's tomb? No big deal, we can just wave hello to the Hotel des Invalides on our way to the Musée de Rodin. No desire to climb to the top of Sacre Coeur? No worries, just snap some photos on the way through Montmartre! Telling yourself that you're only going to "window shop" a couple of places is a great way to save time and still experience so many of Paris' famous sites!

After you leave...

Edit your pictures. Please. Just as a great big favor to me and the beautiful city that is Paris, DON'T be the millionth tourist to upload a blurry faded picture of the Tour Eiffel to Facebook. Take a little bit of time to sort, crop, and edit and find the best shots to share with your friends. Please.

Do you see what I'm talking about?

Keep everything. Ticket stubs, maps, brochures, Metro passes? If you find yourself saying, "Wow, what a big pile of papers, I have!" just channel your inner Little Red Riding Hood -- "The better to scrapbook with, my dear!" (It also makes for fun reading for anyone who cares enough about your life to read the brochures of the museums you visited while studying abroad.)

First Week of School? Check!

Vendredi, 13 septembre.

FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL AT A FRENCH UNIVERSITY? DONE. And I didn't get lost once! (Well, okay, maybe once.) But seriously, I'm actually really excited to have survived the week and am feeling really good about the upcoming semester.

I know you probably have a million and one questions that I couldn't begin to answer here, so feel free to ask anything in the comments and I'll try to respond as best I can! In the meantime, I guess I'll just describe my classes (well, the classes I attended this week) and try to give you a little bit of insight into the French university nightmare system!

First things first -- first day of school picture! Here I am standing in front of the IEFE building. It's where we took our pre-session classes and even though I don't have classes there during the semester, there's a little room just for exchange students where we all feel very much at home!

Like William & Mary, UPV has an add/drop period. It lasts three weeks and during those three weeks, anything goes. Attendance isn't really required and students dart in and out of classes, spending thirty minutes in one before running to check out another. It's a little bit of a stressful time, but it also gives us foreign exchange students a wonderful opportunity to "try out" our classes before committing to them for the whole year. This week, I went to a total of eight classes and although I won't be keeping them all, I had a good time running around and testing them all out!

Pre Stage: Helpful Hints

Jeudi, 5 septembre.

It's hard to believe that three weeks ago, I was sitting in my room at home, with a giant empty suitcase and the piles upon piles of clothes that I ambitiously hoped to squeeze inside it. Of course, I'd read the Vademecum and googled pictures of the city, but I really had no idea what to expect. So without further ado, here are some of the helpful hints that I wish I'd known a month ago while packing my suitcase!

I think my number one packing rule for anyone following in my footsteps is: if it fits, you bring it. I read a lot of articles and posts before I got here with advice about exactly what (and what not) to bring and most of them agreed on one thing: don't bring too many clothes! But I'm here to tell you -- bring them. Sure, I could have packed seven days worth of clothes and planned to do laundry once a week, but I didn't. I'm here to study and to explore and to live -- not to spend four months roughing it. I mean, I don't think you should go absolutely crazy and ship your whole wardrobe, but if it's something that you need, you want, or you just feel really good in, then into the suitcase it goes!

Here are some of the things that I'm glad I brought ... or that I wish I had brought more of!

• Beach towel. I didn't bring one. Sad face.
• Toiletries. I don't really understand why, but everything feels very expensive here and shampoo and conditioner are no exception. I didn't think I had room in my suitcase for regular-sized bottles, so I purchased three refillable travel bottles bottles and filled them up with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Although I'll have to refill them sooner or later, they've lasted me through the past two and a half weeks! Other toiletries to bring with you -- sunscreen, lotion, facewash. 
• Money -- cash. If you're doing the pre-stage, you'll be walked through the steps of setting up a French bank account, to which you can then wire money from home. It's a convenient and not super complicated process, but it takes time. So in the meantime, make sure you have enough cash to get you through your first few weeks. That includes food and drinks, toiletries and other necessities, souvenirs, and some bigger purchases -- a cell phone, a tram pass, etc. I brought 500 Euros with me and although I still have lots of money left, it's been comforting to know that I have emergency funds if I need them.
• Money -- credit/debit cards. Before you kiss America goodbye, check out your bank's ATM policies. While my credit card charges a certain fee for international transactions, Molly can withdraw money for free on her debit card! Definitely a bonus.
• Comfortable shoes. More than anything, our Pre-Stage has consisted of a LOT of walking ... and I have a feeling that won't slow down as the semester continues. So if you have room in your suitcase, don't feel bad filling the space with shoes! Because it's still summer here, most people are wearing sandals: gladiator sandals are pretty popular, but a lot of girls wear sturdier shoes, like Birkenstocks and Tevas. There's also a lot of sneaker action -- but remember, we're talking Converse and Keds, not Nike. You might be comfortable, but you'll look like the biggest tourist in the world in your bright white New Balance sneaks.
• Tupperware. Tupperware. Tupperware. Oh, how I wish I had packed my luggage full of Tupperware! I'm not kidding. It's so incredibly useful and convenient and although I'm sure they sell it in France, I sure do wish I'd brought my own supply.

A Typical Day of Pre-Session Life

Mercredi, 28 août.

I realized that I've written a lot about my adventures since being here -- planned excursions, trips downtown, even the life-saving grocery shopping trip of 2013. What I haven't really talked about, however, is what I'm doing the rest of the time. (It's not all picnics and olive tastings.) Over the past 10 days, I've adjusted pretty well to the schedule -- and I've even taken some pictures to help you get a sense of my surroundings! So here it is, a typical day in my "pre-session" life:

For starters, I wake up every morning around 7h. (Per usual, a side note: the "h" stands for "heure" and is used sort of as a replacement of the colon and/or the word "o'clock" in French.) Class starts right at 9h00, so waking up two hours early leaves plenty of time to get ready and go to breakfast first. Of course, seven in the morning isn't really tbat early, but I always set a couple of alarms just in case it's hard to get up! Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I wake up as the sun is rising just behind the building across from me. It's so pretty that it almost makes up for the fact that I live just over a glorified prison yard!

As you saw before, my room is super tiny, so it takes no time at all after my alarm sounds to get dressed and pack my bag for the day. Because Molly didn't have a cell phone until just the other day, she had a more exciting alarm -- me banging on her door in my jammies!

In Which Grocery Shopping is a Big Deal

Mardi, 20 août.

Let me start off this post by saying that een if the only thing that went right today was my dinner, it would still have been a good day. I ate a chevre-and tomato-sandwich on baguette with saucisson sec (an inexplicable purchase but not one I regret) and kiwi and followed it up with strawberry yogurt for dessert. Of course, I used a folded stack of toilet paper for a plate and a shoebox as a cutting board, but hey -- things are looking up! Especially when considering that my dinner last night consisted of exactly one yogurt and two peanut butter crackers. So a chevre sandwich was a definite step in the right direction!

And what was the reason for this feast? Why, a trip to the supermarché!

Bon Voyage!

Samedi, 17 août.

Bienvenue from la France! It's just past 8:00 pm here. That means it's currently 2:00 pm in Centreville ... and also means that I have been awake for over 30 straight hours. And let me tell you, fatiguée doesn't even begin to describe my level of exhaustion à ce moment. Earlier this afternoon, I started to fall asleep while sitting straight up on a park bench. So yeah, it's been quite a long day ... but I guess that's because it all began, well, yesterday!

I spent Friday morning packing (and unpacking and repacking) and headed off to the airport around 1 pm for my 4:15 flight. Goodbyes were difficult, but I know I'll be back in Virginia before I know it! As for the trip itself, the flight from Washington Dulles to Charles de Gaulle was a breeze ... well, as much as a trans-Atlantic plane flight can be! Our plane was an absolute goliath, and if you think I'm exaggerating, look up the Air France Airbus A380 -- it's the largest passenger aircraft in the world. Check out this photo of the economy class! I had planned to sleep most of the flight, but between the airline food (say what you want, but I really liked it) to the inflight entertainment (I finally got a chance to watch Lincoln), it was all just too exciting to miss a second!

Here are some helpful hints if you are planning to fly Air France anytime soon:

• Not many things are written in stone anymore, but the Air France baggage weight limits are literally carved in granite and hung over the check-in desk. Just kidding! But actually, they're insanely serious about weight limits. I got my boarding pass and waited in line for 20+ minutes, only to be sent back to repack because my carry-ons were too heavy!
• Allow plenty of time to go through security! I was at Dulles Aiport more than two and a half hours before my flight and didn't have a whole lot of free time after finally getting through security.
• Forget the weather outside: wear your heaviest clothes on the plane. Air France is crazy picky about the size and weight of your luggage, but they don't look twice at the size and weight of YOU. When I went through check-in the second time, I was wearing two jackets, sunglasses, and a digital camera. I'm almost certain that I could have bundled myself up like a sausage without any questions! Besides, it's cold when you're a couple thousand miles up in the air and an extra jacket won't be wasted!
• Do research on your destination airport. Learn the rules, print out a map ... whatever will keep you from dragging a heavy duffel bag in circles around Charles de Gaulle Airport!
• If you can, take the Airbus. It's two stories, has comfy seats with individual TV screens and is basically the definition of chouette. I actually sort of miss it...

Packing? Pas de Problème!

Tuesday, August 13.

Packing has begun in earnest at my household and let's just say, it's one of the more difficult experiences of my young life. It's not like I've never packed before. Every year during my childhood summers, I spent weeks loading Barbie dolls into my Going to Grandma's carry-on for a few weeks of family visits in the USA. Back then, moms were in charge of boring things, like clothes and toothbrushes. In more recent years, I've stuffed suitcases and backpacks for weekend school excursions and week-long trips to the beach. But to pack a suitcase for FOUR MONTHS? Honestly, I can't even imagine.

For some reason that most likely stems back to homework procrastination, I started making a list a few months ago. It's strangely simple, divided into categories and neatly organized on -- what else? -- a PowerPoint slide. Clothes. Shoes. Toiletries. Food (the sole entry here is JIF Peanut Butter, which according to rumors is not available in France). And, most descriptively, "Other Stuff" (a comprehensive list of everything from "favorite book" to "camera batteries").

To help quell the quickly-descending panic, I've been doing some packing-related research. Turns out, I'm not the only college student studying abroad to keep a blog! (Huh...) In addition to other student blogs, I've been able to find some great sites and lists, courtesy of other universities' study abroad programs. Check out some of the most helpful resources below!

• This Basic Packing List for Study Abroad (courtesy of a self-described "study abroad junkie turned photographer") divides necessities into essentials, clothing, toiletries and miscellaneous. She also provides a helpful section that explains not just WHAT to pack, but HOW to pack it. Particularly helpful tip? While many brands are available internationally, some toiletries (especially feminine products) might not be sold where you're travelling!
• La Petite Fille Abroad is one of my new favorite finds. She has several packing-related posts, and you can find all of them here. Another post details her personal flying tips, from asking the flight attendants to fill up your water bottle to bringing your best moisturizer onboard!
• This University of Illinois article called Things to Learn Before you Leave is pretty great! Even though the first suggestion is "don't take a lot of stuff" (a theory to which, I'm scared to say, I do not subscribe), the article is extremely helpful. It provides a sample packing list (although again, it's worryingly short). Particularly helpful hint? Use safety pins to lock your zippers and prevent pick-pocketing!
• Don't let the simple PDF format fool you: this packing list from Oakland University is one of my favorites so far. In addition to listing the items you should pack, they give reasons -- flip flops are great for showering in hostels, dictionaries are cheaper to buy in the States, etc. They also give some quanities to refer to when packing clothes ... although, again, I can't say that I'm going to be sticking too closely to those!
• Getting tired of reading what TO pack? Here's What Not to Pack for Study Abroad. Although some of these tips felt a little obvious (well of course, I'm not bringing a suitcase full of hangers!), some were also extremely helpful. Particularly helpful tip? Don't pack shampoo and conditioner! They weigh down your suitcase and, besides, you can buy them easily in your host country!

I'm sure that there are billions more study abroad sites and blogs with lists just as good if not better than these ... and sometime in the near future, I'm sure I'll be posting my own packing list and suggestions! But for now, I figured I'd share my finds.

Ultimately, I know that I know better than anyone what I'm going to need, use, and wear while studying abroad. After all, although these people have experience on their side, they don't know me and how much I absolutely need to bring my new white Keds. But I'm not going to lie, reading all these posts and articles is already making me reconsider my (supposedly well-thought-out) packing lists! Since I first googled "what to pack to study abroad" an hour ago, I've already updated my list of toiletries, put back a few shirts and nixed a couple pairs of shoes.

Visa Application, Step Two

Wednesday, July 10.

Visa appointment? Check.

Because we both agreed it would be a lot easier to take this big step in our journey together (and because Molly has no other real way of getting to the French Consulate), Molly and I decided to make our Visa appointments together! We settled on Tuesday, July 9, just over a month before our August 16 flights to France -- late enough that we had all of our required documents and information, but early enough that we would have time to go back if something went wrong!

Molly arrived by train Monday evening. (Side note: I use Amtrak to get to and from school all the time, but for some reason, telling people I have to leave to "meet someone at the train station" makes me feel straight out of Downton Abbey!) Although I had entertained visions of us watching Midnight in Paris (a recent obsession of mine) and eating Brie while casually sifting through our well-organized Visa documents, that was definitely NOT the case.

Two Tickets to Paradise ... with a layover in Reykjavik?

Monday, June 3.

Plane tickets have officially been bought. There's no going back now. (Just kidding, there was no going back once my mom paid the $1000 deposit a couple of months ago.)

I'm supposed to arrive in Montpellier on August 17 for my pre-session and orientation. Because the trip takes so long, I'll be leaving on Friday, August 16. I'm flying out of Dulles airport at 4:15 pm (our time) and should be in Pairs by 5:45 am on Saturday (their time). It'll be nearly midnight in Virginia by the time we land, so fingers crossed that I can fall asleep on the plane! It's kind of crazy to think about, because I've flown so many times with my family, but this trip will be my first ever solo flight. I don't think I'm nervous ... mostly because I'm usually the one dragging my mom and Madeleine through the airport anyhow! Besides, Molly's flight from Florida is set to get in less than half an hour after mine, so we'll hopefully be on the same short flight from Paris to Montpellier.