America in a Box

Week two of classes went along more or less smoothly. I have started to see Sciences Po as my school and I feel like I actually belong there. Getting off the metro and joining the dozens of other students walking towards ScPo, running into people I know in the hall or on the street out front, sitting in lectures with everyone, it all feels pretty comfortable. Now don’t get me wrong, I still think the French methods of higher education make no sense, but I don’t feel isolated or feel like I stand out as “the American”. It has a lot to do with ScPo being 1/3 international students I believe. It’s funny when I look back at when I first arrived. I had no place to live, I knew almost no one here, and Sciences Po was this big intimidating place. A month and a half later and I have a whole life that I have settled into. I have a great little apartment, I know tons of people, I have activities and outings and friends, I’m involved in a whole community at church, and ScPo doesn’t seem so frightening anymore. It’s not like it happened overnight, but one day I woke up and realized that a whole Paris life has been constructed and I didn’t even notice when it happened. That’s one of the things that makes this time so much different from my last experience in Paris. Last time basically my whole world was the UF Honors in Paris program. Which, it was great, especially for a college freshman’s first big stint away from home, but it was limited. My friends were the handful of other UF students on the program and we went to classes taught by UF professors, and hung out with each other, and had trips planned for us, and our weekends booked for us. And maybe it was my own fault, the fault of my timidity, that while I lived in Paris, I never felt like I had a real life in Paris. It was more like being on an extended field trip. This time has been scarier, it has been harder (and it has only just begun) but it many ways it has also been better. But who knows how things will play out so I’ll reserve my final judgement until all is said and done.

Monday (the 8th) at 10 in the morning I had a package notice in my mailbox. It said “You have a package! Please come pick it up at the post office indicated after the date and time listed.” I look at the slip and it says that I can pick it up on the 9th after 5pm.....huh? Could someone please explain to me why, if my package has already been delivered, I have to wait a day and a half to go pick it up? No ideas? Yeah, me neither. That was frustrating, knowing that my package was within a half-mile radius of me and yet I couldn’t have it. So Tuesday, after 5pm, (which of course is rush-hour so the post office line is ridiculously long because they couldn’t have let me pick it up at 2 when there is nobody there) I go to the post office down the street from me with my slip and a I.D. and wait in line for 20 mins to pick up my package from my mom. But as annoying as all the package red-tape (pardon the pun) was, it was all forgotten as soon as I had my little box of America. Some of its contents were things I had requested (American measuring cups and spoons, face powder, shoe insoles, my black leggings, some Tuna Helper mix...) and then there were some extra stuff my mom stuck in just because she’s awesome (Goldfish crackers, taco seasoning, a bottle of ranch dressing, a DVD, Halloween decorations...). It was basically like Christmas. I was so excited I ran to the store to get ingredients so I could cook American food with my American measuring devices right away and watch my new movie. As wonderful as Paris is, nothing makes me happier than a little taste of home!
A bientot-
Lyndsey