paris day 1
7/30
I missed home terribly the whole way to paris. when i got there, i was picked up by karina, one of the assistants, who showed me how to take the subway. [the subway there is sooo nasty!!] a man on the train played the accordion! -super awesome! and i met a french major from Penn. Then i met Byron, the other assistant, and Dennis, a voice major, then J.Y. Song, the artistic director.
everyone was staying at the student hostel in luxembourg.. one of the better parts of paris. there was lots of cafes and restaurants around and places to shop on the streets. i was situated on the third floor [they count ground level as 0 floor.. so technically i had to climb 4 flights of stairs to the 3rd floor]. the elevator only fit one person and a half at a time. with luggage.. it was........X_x;
i took the WEIRDEST SHOWER ever!! in my room there were two beds, two desks and drawers, two closets, and one sink. i had to exit my room to go use the toilet in another room, then come back to my room to wash my hands in the sink. such a hassle! and the showers were in another room. in that room were three showers, and on our floor it was co-ed. so there i was taking a shower and next door to me was a guy taking a shower. O_o'' we totally could have had a "shower party" if we wanted to. SO WERID!! then i fell asleep [jet lag]for a few hours.
my roommate, alex, came and i met yoko, another pianist from japan. i felt a lot better then.. and i realized how much i truly hated being alone. alex turned out to be a vip to me. she not only was my translator [she spoke fluent french], but she was also like an older sister to me. i could talk to her easily about my concerns for a musical future, and she was down to earth and simply silly. she encouraged me and helped me stay confident in myself, and i loved her for her kind heart.
then we went to dinner at a restaurant with all the other program participants. the waiter there was so rude!! he would take it out on the bagettes and cut them like crazy. he would grumble and put the plates down on our tables before we could figure out whom the dish was for. J.Y. gave it to him in the end though. i wonder if he got fired. hahHA.
I missed home terribly the whole way to paris. when i got there, i was picked up by karina, one of the assistants, who showed me how to take the subway. [the subway there is sooo nasty!!] a man on the train played the accordion! -super awesome! and i met a french major from Penn. Then i met Byron, the other assistant, and Dennis, a voice major, then J.Y. Song, the artistic director.
everyone was staying at the student hostel in luxembourg.. one of the better parts of paris. there was lots of cafes and restaurants around and places to shop on the streets. i was situated on the third floor [they count ground level as 0 floor.. so technically i had to climb 4 flights of stairs to the 3rd floor]. the elevator only fit one person and a half at a time. with luggage.. it was........X_x;
i took the WEIRDEST SHOWER ever!! in my room there were two beds, two desks and drawers, two closets, and one sink. i had to exit my room to go use the toilet in another room, then come back to my room to wash my hands in the sink. such a hassle! and the showers were in another room. in that room were three showers, and on our floor it was co-ed. so there i was taking a shower and next door to me was a guy taking a shower. O_o'' we totally could have had a "shower party" if we wanted to. SO WERID!! then i fell asleep [jet lag]for a few hours.
my roommate, alex, came and i met yoko, another pianist from japan. i felt a lot better then.. and i realized how much i truly hated being alone. alex turned out to be a vip to me. she not only was my translator [she spoke fluent french], but she was also like an older sister to me. i could talk to her easily about my concerns for a musical future, and she was down to earth and simply silly. she encouraged me and helped me stay confident in myself, and i loved her for her kind heart.
then we went to dinner at a restaurant with all the other program participants. the waiter there was so rude!! he would take it out on the bagettes and cut them like crazy. he would grumble and put the plates down on our tables before we could figure out whom the dish was for. J.Y. gave it to him in the end though. i wonder if he got fired. hahHA.