Who said Paris was all fun and games?

Well this week has been quite busy, but not with all the fun Paris stuff.  I have been busy with school.  My professors are assigning the final papers and giving us test dates and oral exam dates, and its all less than a few weeks away.  I am going to be needed to spend all of this weekend getting a head start on my work.  Woohoo such a fun weekend! 

 The school system is much different in Paris.  Teachers give out some reading and a little bit of homework to do during the semester, but none of that work counts for your grade.  You are only expected to do it to participate in class and in discussions.  In fact, most of the time your grade is all based upon one test or one paper, sometimes two but thats it.  So it is a lot of pressure riding on one grade.  YIKES! 

Besides school in Paris, I have been dealing with lots of stuff back home lately.  I registered for my classes back home on Tuesday!  Woohoo!  Student teaching next semester!  I am very excited about that.  Also, I have been trying to start getting my housing all set for next semester, which didn’t really go so well because they told me I have to wait until after Thanksgiving.  Oh well I suppose. 

I am also working on my grad school application to Syracuse University.  It has been almost 4 years since I had to fill out an application to college and I forgot how much work it is.  There is always so much that goes into applying to do anything!  Letters of interest, resumes, letters of recommendation, transcripts, test scores!  It is so much work.  Good thing  I have an early start and the application isn’t due until Feb. 1st.  But I hope to get everything I need done by the time I get back to the US. 

Speaking of Oswego and the US, last weekend my hockey team played their FIRST OFFICIAL GAME!  Thanks to WNYO, I got to listen to a live stream of the game online!  I was so happy that I got to at least hear my team play.  I swear I was jumping up and down when we scored or when I heard of a breakaway or anything.  You would have thought the game was a championship game the way I was acting.  I never realized being away from my Lakers would be so hard.  It was killing me not to be there with them on the ice, or even there just to support them!  Boy do I miss hockey a lot.  I can’t wait to get back.  2 months left!  But at least we won our game 6-1!  What a great way to start the season.  The ladies also have 2 games this weekend in Potsdam!  Unfortunately I will not be able to listen because live broadcasts are only for home games, but I will be rooting none the less. 

Last weekend was Halloween, and needless to say it was a bit of a disappointment.  If you go with all the american students studying in Paris then everyone gets very dressed up and goes to American or Irish bars and some people are dressed up.  But for the most part it really isn’t much of a holiday here.  It has become more popular within the past few years.  I wanted to go to Disneyland Paris because they were having a Halloween party, but I couldn’t find anyone that wanted to go with me!  Oh well!  So I spent Halloween with some of my French friends and we just hung out at my apartment and talked and hung out together.  It was a lot of fun.  I may have missed the festivities of Halloween this year, but it’s not like I haven’t had 20 other Halloweens.  Missing one is OK.  It was a cultural experience, that’s what I can tell myself!  Although the next thing I need to get through is Thanksgiving.  I have some plans for that but lets see what happens!!!!!!

My time here is dwindling down and sometimes I can’t believe it, the time feels like it went by so fast.  Although at the same time I cannot wait to get home to familiarity and my family and hockey and just my life in the US.  I feel very lucky to have this opportunity to be in Paris, it is definitely a great once in a life time opportunity.  I am so happy I get to share it with everyone who reads my blogs.  Hopefully I will have some more interesting stories for next week.  But for now ENJOY!