Some things that I have noticed...

Hello!

Today I woke up around 10AM and decided to lay in bed until around 12 - however I suddenly heard the voices of our maids in the hallway (they come into our rooms once every two weeks to change our sheets). Needless to say, this caused me to- quite literally- jump out of bed, throw on clothes, attempt to clean my room, and leave before they could come in. I'm still not sure why I felt I had to do all this, but anyways I did, and when I came back to my room several hours later it turned out that today wasn't the day that they come. Epic fail. However, in kicking myself out of my room I was able to go to the API office, meet up with friends for lunch, go to the post office, go to the pharmacy, and walk around a little bit.

People have been asking me the biggest differences between home and here, and honestly it is the small things that make all of the difference! Here are some of the things I have noticed so far...

1. The metro doors here are, for the most part, not automatic - you need to push a button to get on and off. Needless to say my first time on the metro I found myself waiting for the metro door to open only for the train to take off with me still on it.

2. Nothing is open on Sundays except for some museums and restaurants

3. Dogs in France are VERY cute, and when it is cold or rainy all of them tend to wear jackets! It is also not uncommon for people to bring their dogs on the metro or into stores while they shop- and there does not seem to be any leash laws here.

4. There are a lot of stairs in France!! I think I walk about three times as much here as I do back home which is good because...

5. Carbohydrates are really the way to go here! For example, a typical breakfast is normally a croissant with yogurt, or bread with butter and jam. Cereal is an option but does not seem to be popular and is very expensive.

6. Coffee is very popular, but for the most part is served in very small portions, and is not served with milk.

7. Due to Parisian zone laws most buildings must be under 7 stories - so although it is a big city Paris always seems to be smaller.

8. Mopeds often ride down the sidewalk (I'm really not kidding!)

9. Almost all stores in France are specialized. For example, there is a shop only for candy, one only for cheese, one only for bread, one only for meats, etc. It is a little more time consuming, but the food is much better and a lot cheaper than if you were to buy in a supermarket equivalent.

10. It is expected for your bedroom to have a sink.

11. Toilets, or the W.C. here, are flushed by pushing a button - not by pulling down a lever, and most toilet paper seems to be pink!

12. At most grocery stores you need to pay for each plastic/paper bag you use to package up your groceries - so people bring backpacks, gymbags, etc, instead.

13. Computer keyboards are organized completely different here to accommodate for the accents used in the French language.

14. There are no CVS's here. When you need medicine, you go to la pharmacie, tell the pharmacist your symptoms and they hand you medicine.

15. Soda is VERY expensive. Oftentimes the same price as an alcoholic drink, and refills do not exist (except for at Pizza Hut!). Also, there are no "doggie bags" here - you are expected to finish what you are served!