orientations

Orientations have begun. I honestly didn't realize this school was such a huge deal until I got here. My host parents asked me where I'd be studying and I told them and their eyes got all huge and awed...which makes me exceedingly nervous considering I didn't actually have to be accepted here, I just had to fill out the BC form saying where I wanted to go. Considering I was more or less like "yeah whatever I'll go to Paris for the year..." I didn't realize I'd be at a political-genius minting factory. Goodbye decent GPA. 


There is an entire weeks worth of courses on the methodology alone and I've been having nightmares about the exposé (oral presentation) since I despise public speaking more than anything in the world except house-pets and wearing heels on cobblestones. 


The topics of essays can be "1956" or "Louis-Phillipe, king of Frenchmen" or "Napolean, follower or grave-digger of the Revolution" then I have to come to the problematique (the paradox/question that will be answered in the dissertation). Things to think about: the use of "Frenchmen" instead of "France", 1956 as the turning point in international politics in the context of the Cold War. blah blah blah. I'm going to fail. Sorry mom and dad. 


If anyone would care to enlighten me as to how I can write a dissertation on how "being bourgeois" and "living bourgeois" are radically different, I'd be much obliged. Why can't we just call it an essay? That's so much less intimidating. 


Each night has been a different bar for Sciences Po international students. Drinks here are just astronomically priced. Paid £4 for a glass of Coke a few nights ago. I need to stop translating everything into dollars. It's depressing.


Things I miss: my (mom's) car, american Coke, pennies, quiet, smiling, my friends.
Things I don't miss: Starbucks, sweatpants, pennies, the Mods on weekend-nights, the T.


The metro here is ridiculously efficient (except when the workers are on strike, which will happen at some point while I'm here, I'm told).