Part 1 of 3:
After a month long hiatus, I have built up quite the story book and so I’m writing it all out now and posting it in segments this week so as not to bore you to death in one blow. In truth, this is the first opportunity I have had to rest and really think it all through. I am sitting in a new apartment without Carly’s smiling face in the room next door. I’m back to school after an incredible two week vacation and the second semester is already looking like a stark contrast to the first. The most notable change is that I am now on the other side of my time in Paris. In exactly four months from today, I will be on a plane back to sunny Colorado. Somehow, in the last five weeks, between exams, moving, and traveling, I managed to finally fall for this city. I think it’s true that you have to leave a place for a little bit in order to really realize what you love about it.

The first two weeks of February were spent writing final essays and preparing for two final exams. At Sciences Po, a final exam usually consists of a 4-hour dissertation based on a question handed to you at the beginning of your time slot. Some tests even require you to write a paper in 30 minutes and to then give a presentation on your thoughts before a panel of examiners. For one of the first times this semester, I got lucky and both of my tests were only two-hour essays. The scary part is that they were worth 60 and 70 percent of my final grade, but I came out of both feeling pretty confident. I found out that I actually did learn a lot this semester even though I barely had time to breathe. Who would have guessed—the Sciences Po method does work?! As I packed up my room in Sèvres, I gathered all of my notes and readers from the semester and stared gawking at the height of the pile. I decided to weigh it. 11 kg in total (almost 22 pounds) and 6 pounds of that was just my paper from taking notes in class. Before taking it all to the recycling bin, I took a picture for proof. Now that it is all done and over, I can’t believe how I made it through. It was a semester I never hope to repeat but it also challenged me more then anything before and allowed me to find out just how much I am capable of.

Already, the second semester is proving to be much better. I completed my first week of classes today. I have four courses instead of seven meaning I have two days of no class each week. My “Painting Practices in Paris” class will earn me a needed art credit but will be a cultural experience as well. Every other class session, we meet in the Louvre to look at the originals that we are studying that week. You’re jealous, huh? Don’t worry, I have in no way suddenly become a slacker. One of my business courses is in French and between that and my French Language class, I will have to do four 10-minute presentations in French!!! This is my semester to learn the language and the culture. I have a list of about a million things I want to do and see including running a few road races and taking a chocolate soufflé baking class. To add to it, I have visitors every weekend from March 27th through May 15th (the perks of having an apartment with an extra futon in Paris).