Surprises About Paris

It’s already been two weeks since I got to Paris. I am getting around better without the use of a map. I am walking 4-5 miles a day because I can and there’s so much to see. I started my two classes at Sciences Po this past week and I am very excited for the semester. I am taking an international relations class looking at issues of war and peace in today’s time. The other class comes from political science and focuses on immigration and integration in Europe. I have another week or so before I started classes at the Trinity program and my internship teaching English and translating documents.

This week I came to some realization about Paris.

For one, a lot of people smoke here. I can’t go a couple feet without seeing someone smoking or having their smoke being blown in my face. Since people can’t smoke inside public buildings, they all congregate just outside for their smoke break. With the café’s, if you sit on the outside terrace you expect to be sitting around people who are smoking.

Seeing homeless people is nothing new to me. Even cities like Boise and Hartford have population of people who don’t have housing and must spend the night in shelters or on the streets. In Paris, I see homeless people in the metro stations, the public phone booths at night and along the Seine under the bridges. I have also seen a family setting their stuff up to spend the night in front of a shop that was closed for the night. I definitely need to find out more about homelessness in Paris because it’s something that I see every day.

Lastly, I was told that the French aren’t friendly and that they don’t smile. I have learned so far that the French don’t smile at everyone they see like we do in the US. At the same time though, I have had plenty of people say hello or good evening to me. I have also found that like any other country, there are friendly people and not-so friendly people. The people at the stores, copier and post office have been patient with me as I try to explain what I want. Of course, our entire exchange has been in French, even with my mistakes. I am pretty sure that these conversations would have been different if I spoke to them in English and they might have not been as friendly.