I went to the school this morning to meet my teachers, Marian and Bror. It was so nice to meet them and get my bearings on where the school is and what to wear/what I need for Monday.
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| Entrance to school building from the street |
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| Front door of the school |
The school is in the 9th arrondissement. It's definitely a different vibe than the 18th (my hotel). It's much more chic, and you can tell by the shopping in the area. There's no Hermes or Louis Vuitton around my hotel. It does feature a wide selection of graffiti, though...
While meeting with my teachers, I asked them many questions and got lots of advice on what to do and where to go. On my way to get a cell phone, from FNAC, I stopped in a little stationary store to get some postcards. I was approached by the salesman, who I came to learn a lot about. His name is Ludovic, and he and I had the most lively, gramatically-correct English conversation I've had here yet. One of the first things out of his mouth was "I love America. I've been to LA 22 times." I inquired about San Francisco--mainly because my Kyle is there--and yes, he's been 3 times, but doesn't care for it. Too expensive and not as fun for him as LA. He told himself each time that he needed to give it another try, and each time, he was not as happy there. He's also been to Philly and DC a few times. Turns out "Ludo" is a photographer, and has rubbed elbows with many Hollywood celebrities. Andie Mc Dowell was the first one to call him Ludo. He showed me lots of pictures on his iPhone 3G, and has a website to boot. Ludo's Website He told me he's going to a movie shoot after work--for Scorsese's latest flick with Jude Law--and he will take lots of photos there. He gave me his card, and said he'd be happy to be my tour guide whenever he has free time if I'd like. He was very nice to me.
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| Ludovic |
So, he rang me up and I asked about getting to the FNAC to get a cell phone. He one-upped me and asked if I would want to wait five minutes and he'd take me to get a phone on his hour-long lunch break. And he did just that. I got a prepaid phone from the same company that provides him his phone service (Bouygues Telecom). So, I a little LG phone for a month and a half, with unlimited texts and incoming calls, and 2 hours and 57 outgoing calls. It came to 64 Euro. He said the FNAC would probably try to take advantage, and it'd most likely be over one hundred euro there. He saved me a bundle. Then, Ludo took me to the most amazing shopping center...Hermes, Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, oh mon dieu! It was incredible. He said the domed glass ceiling was under a full renovation, and it's kept up constantly. It was so beautiful.
I talked to Ludo about my encounter with Phillippe last night. He felt strongly that Phillipe must have been drunk, and told me not to go out at night alone while I'm staying in the 18th. He also gave me a lot of good advice about pick-pockets and looking out for myself and such. After adding Ludo as my one and only contact in my phone, we said goodbye. I walked all over creation, and saw a lot of lovely things. I stopped and cashed in some travelers cheques and got an incredible strawberry sorbet at a place called the House of Chocolate.
I came back to the hotel as my feet couldn't take any more abuse. I wore my closed-toed crocs today, thinking they'd be the best choice as it's still a little brisk here (70 degrees or so). They ended up causing so much friction that it looks like my tootsies have been through a war! I have blisters all over both my feet. I'm so not French.
xo, aKiP
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