Fight or Flight...Parisian Style

Fight: 

After Teena and I climbed the 387 steps to the top of Notre Dame I decided to go to mass to pray for the strength to make it up the six flights of stairs to our apartment.  Sitting through the service, that was part French and part Latin (as if one foreign language isn't confusing enough), in the grand church I felt like such a good Catholic.  Regardless of language, we stand, we sit, we stand some more; I have this down.  And then it was time for communion.  Apologies in advance for my change in religious reference here, but "Oy Vey!"

For those of you that are not Catholic, let me explain how communion works "aux Etats-Unis":

1.)  The priest(s) blesses communion and walks towards the mass attendees
2.)  The first row gets up and in an orderly manner gets communion from said priest
3.)  As the first row sits, the second row gets up and also goes for communion in an orderly manner
4.)  Repeat for all remaining rows

Let me now explain to you how communion works in Paris:

1.) The priest(s) blesses communion and walks towards the mass attendees
2.) Everyone in the church gets up and pushes towards the priest as if there might be, after 2010 years, a shortage on the body of Christ.
3.)  American girl gets so frustrated that she fights not to elbow a "cute" Parisian grandmother and wonders whether she shouldn't forego communion after wishing ill on her fellow mass attendees
4.)  American girl has communion and thanks God for not smoting her in the middle of church

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Flight:

I am taking a class in French.  This is not a French class, but a business class taught all in French.  I went to the first class armed with my trusty recorder and was ecstatic to find that I understood about 95% percent of what was being said in class.  Unfortunately, the 5% that I didn't understand includes the one time my professor spoke to me. 

During the 30-minute class break (which is devoted to getting coffee and smoking a cigarette by my felllow Parisian MBAers) I was typing an e-mail, in English, to my super-cute roomie Teena.  My professor mumbled something to me in French and, unable to change the language I was operating in, I just stood there.  I didn't ask him to repeat it, tell him to slow down, or tell him I couldn't understand, I just stood there; like a deer in headlights.  Incapable of making words, time passed and I just kept standing there...without saying one word.  My professor changed to English and even then I was merely a babbling idiot. 

I'm pretty sure this man thinks I'm sitting in his class completely cluesess as to what's going.  I've seriously considered going up to him sheepishly to show him my class notes, or saying hello in the coffee line in the morning, but I'm deathly afraid of another "deer in headlights" moment.  95% isn't that bad, right?  

First Week

I just finished my first week of ESSEC classes! Yes, it’s only Tuesday and I only have 2 days of classes. It’s common for students here to stack their classes (3 hours, 2 classes a day) so they don’t have to make the 1.5 hour commute out to Cergy from Paris every day. I am loving my Luxury Distribution and Luxury Retail class, both taught by the same professor who happens to be an ex-CEO of Armani. It’s going to take all my willpower not to go broke from shopping after spending 6 hours each week talking about luxury brands.

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When I first got to Paris, I thought I’d be gaining 10 pounds from eating croissants and steak frites all the time. It didn’t help that MC and I decided to substitute hot chocolate/dessert at LaDuree and pomme frites for dinner yesterday. LaDuree, considered the quintessential French macaroon brand, has dark chocolate macaroons worth salivating for. However, I have reason to believe that I won’t be seeing my scale tip anytime soon. One, we live on the 5^th floor of a walkup (6 flights of stairs since 1^st floor in Paris is actually the 2^nd floor in the US). You should have seen me lugging up one of my piece of my luggage. I literally took one step at a time. Two, we walk and take the metro everywhere. Three, ESSEC’s cafeteria gives mini-people sized portions of food. Take the soup for example. Yesterday, I decided to have soup for lunch so I grabbed a large bowl, which equivalent to the small size at Kellogg. I passed the bowl to the server who filled it with one ladle of steaming tomato soup. He holds it out to me, but I just stare at the bowl, hoping for a second ladle or even a half ladle since the bowl wasn’t full. When the server waived it at me again, I realize that that was all I was going to get. I know some of you consider me to be a mini-person, but my appetite has been conditioned to normal people portions in the U.S.

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MC and I couldn’t be better matched as roommates as we’re both intent on making the most of our time here. Our goal is to do something fun every single day. Sunday – Notre Dame. Monday - dessert/dinner at LaDuree. Tuesday – Kellogg dinner Party. Unfortunately, I’ll be out of town this weekend, attending my sister’s wedding in Taiwan. A bientot Paris! I’ll be back soon!

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La Duree