Orientation/Host Family

26 avril

Today we had our orientation for the study abroad with our professor Dr. Erickson.  We all went over to an apartment near the Eiffel Tower that BYU owns.  It is used for the professors and families that accompany the study abroad programs each semester.  It is a super nice and big apartment, I was impressed.  We got money for food, museum entrance fees, and for the month long metro pass.  Then we went over to the Marais district of Paris to see the LDS church building where we would have class.  This building is across the street from the Centre Pompidou (the modern art museum) and is a gorgeous building that functions as a church visitor's center, institute, classroom, and church building.  

The Pompidou museum around the corner from the church.

The LDS church building where I'll have class everyday.

Eglise de Jesus-Christ des Saints des Derniers Jours

Referred to as the Saint Merri church building

The courtyard inside the church

The church is located by l'Hotel de Ville which is where the mayor of Paris lives and that also functions as a city government center.  Notre Dame is also right across the river from where we have class.  I'm so lucky to be able to be learning in such a beautiful building and atmosphere.

There is super cool graffiti in this area of town

L'Hotel de Ville

 Then we, my roommate Emily and I, got to move out to our host family! They're in a suburb just outside of Paris that is called Asnières-sur-Seine.  It is nice to get away from super tourist Paris and be in a real French community.  Our host mom, Madame Beauvillé is the sweetest thing in her pumps and suit jacket.  After she showed us our rooms, she invited us to have tea and bread with her.  She is so cute with her tea cart that she pushes around and her homemade bread.  We had dinner with her and three of her four kids that night.  I have yet to meet the Dad and one of the sons.  The kids were very nice and patient with our slow and not always correct French.  But when we weren't in the conversation, they talked so incredibly fast and shortened words/phrases and mumbled a lot, so it was quite difficult to understand!  We will have dinner with them 3 times a week.