Keegan Kennedy
Provider: AIFS
Paris, France
2024 Fall
It took me 3 days to get here. That sounds like a lot because it is. Last year my mom moved back to Montana and that’s where I left from. I had to make the 2-hour trek to the airport the night before my flight since it left at 7am. The check in desk at the little 6-gate airport in Great Falls, Montana even said “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone actually go to Paris” which should tell you the travel habits of Montanans. I felt so nervous at my layovers in Denver and DC, but I knew that where I was going would be cool. I arrived in Paris at about noon on Sunday the first. My suitcases hadn’t been working at my layovers, so instead of dragging them on the train I took a taxi. I was able to talk to the driver in French which was great practice. Most people here when I speak French ask “English?” and then continue in English. Even many of the international students don’t speak French but they speak English, like a guy I met from Brazil.
Here I am at the Jussieu Metro Station near the AIFS office during one of the frequent neighborhood markets throughout the city.
This week has been long. I am settling into my homestay with a retired lady, she is very sweet and cares a whole lot, but she does not like my Canadian accent when I speak French. My roommate and I call her our grandma. I did my orientation with AIFS the study abroad provider on Monday, then orientation at the American Business School of Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday in the 10th Arrondissement (district) of Paris. ABS even arranged for a boat ride on the Canal Saint Martin and the Seine River. There are people through AIFS and other study abroad providers at ABS, in total at ABS there are about 80 international visiting students. The 10 of us through AIFS became automatic friends because we were interested in doing many of the same things.
This was taken from a garden in the 5th arrondissement looking at Notre Dame de Paris still being restored after a fire destroyed the roof and the spire in 2019. It will be open for the public on December 8, look out for a blog post about that in December ;).
I have already been to the Eiffel Tower, the Musée du Louvre, Place de la République, Place de la Madeleine, Notre-Dame de Paris, Montparnasse tower (Paris’ ugliest building according to locals), and took a walking tour of the Latin Quarter. I chose this program because it would have classes that could transfer back to Hampden-Sydney, some of the other schools I looked at would not be able to transfer. I love everything public transit and Paris is one of the best places for that. There are 200-year old metros, 2-year old metros, trams, trains, busses, it’s all so fun to take around the city. I love being where people are since in all its hecticness I live on the edge of Paris near the boulevard périphérique in the 17th arrondissement on the “right bank” of the city.
Here I am on the boat tour on the River Seine in front of the Eiffel tower still with the Olympic rings! The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, is considering leaving the rings on the tower for a while longer.