Today Paris was the way I always pictured it: Cloudy, rainy and cold. I love it.

I am amazed everyday when I get off the metro only to climb the stairs and emerge next to a 6th century church or a sidewalk brasserie filled with rugby fans. Paris is truly beautiful. Today though, I think it was at its best. It wasn't the kind of beautiful that makes you want to whip out your camera; it was the kind that lets you finally understand the mechanics of a place as if looking at the inside of a clock. You just have to stand in awe and watch. In 40 degree temperatures, with rain drizzling down all day and no blue sky in sight, Paris was as alive as it ever was; though this time with umbrellas, boots and trench coats. Since I arrived there have been a few days with scattered showers but this was the first that lasted all day. I finally had an excuse to buy an umbrella. I stopped at the first store off of the metro stop. In my excitement, I forgot to open it up and got a bit of a shock when I discovered that my 12 Euro had bought me an umbrella with a 12 inch pole. The exchange/return policy in France is--well, non-existent-- so I'm keeping it whether I like it or not. Maybe it will help me build some arm muscle?!

Today was our registration for sports. We get 2 credits for taking a sport and even though I have more then enough credits, there are so many things that I wanted to sign up for so I thought I would at least do one. After a skype call back home (and a less then enthusiastic response from my ever-concerned [and loving] mother), my climbing shoes and chalk bag are now in the mail and I have my first class next Monday night the biggest rock gym in Paris (though I'm not sure that is saying much!). I started "escalade" or climbing in Boulder this last spring and am more then excited to continue in Paris. As with every physical activity (road races, etc...) in France, you have to provide a medical certificate in order to participate. [Table tennis even requires this!] The medical program in France is pretty great. It is one thing I can definitely appreciate after this past month. I wandered into the nearest office to campus, filled out my name and address on a piece of paper, waited 10 minutes, had my blood pressure and heart rate checked, and left 10 minutes later with the certificate in hand. The doctor was very nice and even pointed out that "le systeme est plus simple ici? oui?" Normally the appointment would have been free of charge but we don't receive our social security until October 1st so I ended up having to pay the 22 Euro fee (which is pretty great compared to what I would have paid back in the states). I liked the health care system even more when I walked into to the pharmacy yesterday to get my bottle of daily "vee ta mins" and the woman at the counter talked me through all of the options and ended handing me a bottle that she said was "parfait" for me.

I feel like my last few posts have all been about how poor the French "system" is-- and though frustrating and ... well...yes...poorly managed....I am still loving a lot of things about living here and thought I would make sure I talked about that too.

I knew coming to Paris that Sciences Po was a really great school in France but I didn't realize how "great" until I got here. Luckily for me, the University of Colorado has a exchange program set up with Sciences Po---on which, I am the guinea pig..the first one to go on this exchange---so I had to write a few essays and fill out a few forms but I didn't have to do anything too rigorous to get in. The French students, on the other hand, have been working essentially their whole lives to get into this school. You do need to understand a bit about the French school system to really comprehend it, so here is a link that I think can explain it better if you are curious. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_school_system

The Institut d'Etudes Politiques, or more affectionately named "Sciences Po" is one of France's Grand Ecoles. It is comparable to an Ivy League school back in the states and my workload this semester is definitely reflects this. Maybe my "luck" getting into this program wasn't such a good thing?! When I would tell people in the states where I was studying abroad this year the reaction was the same as mine would have been a year ago: blank eyes and a nice smile. When I arrived here, all of that changed. When I originally posted to find my apartment on Craig's List ( a story that I just realized I haven't posted yet!), I put of a profile that said "Student seeking 1 bedroom studio in districts 1-10." An hour and no responses later, I decided to go against my dislike of "name-dropping" and added 4 letters: ScPo student seeking... One hour later-- 7 responses (one that turned into my new home). I'll admit that I have used this tactic a few more times since I've been here...but only in association with getting my bank account, mobile phone, etc...

Yesterday, however, was the first time I really understood just HOW much clout ScPo has. Because I am here for the whole year, I have to apply for the "carte de sejour" or long-term visa within France. The process requires a TON of paperwork and translations of my birth certificate, etc...but I knew about it all before I left so I had mostly everything ready when I arrived. One thing that Sciences Po DOES do to ease the administration process is handle all of the "carte de sejour" items...or so I thought. I went in to the office last Friday loaded down with all of my paperwork and left with it all still in my hands. It turns out that because my new apartment is not actually in Paris (in fact it is about 100 yards from the Paris border) that all of my forms had to be filed through the Prefecture of Boulogne---this is a BIG problem for most people. The prefectures don't schedule appointments ahead of time so if you want to get in, you need to line up at the door (mine happened to be about 40 minutes away by metro) at 6am to be first so that when they open the doors at 9 you can walk in and get a ticket with a number and then wait some more until you are called to a window. This is where my "grande ecole" connection came to play. The woman at the administration office at Sciences Po made a phone call on Friday and got me a pre-scheduled 9am appointment for Tuesday (yesterday). When I arrived at the prefecture, 10 minutes early,I hung out toward the back of the line because I didn't want to make anyone mad but when they opened the doors I could feel the 50 pairs of eyes burning the back of my head as I walked by straight up to the window and into my appointment. I left 20 minutes later... again through a waiting room of glares but with a bag much lighter and a HUGE weight lifted off my stomach.

In typical French fashion, I will still have to wait 1 month (meaning 3) and get yet another medical examination before I actually receive the card...

On that same note...Paris Fashion Week begins on Saturday. You can bet I will be making my rounds to see if I can "traque" (stalk) the celebrities between classes.

Today marks exactly 1 month since I left the US. I can't believe it. I still feel like I have seen less of this city then most tourists (I've decidedly spent too much time in banks, mobile phone stores and administrative offices). I move in to my "home" on Friday morning and get to make a day trip to EuroDisney on Sunday. After that you can guarantee I will be spending any free time wandering the street, visiting museums and monuments and finally getting to know this rainy lady.