Il pleut

July 5, 2008 at 4:40 AM | Posted in Paris 2008 | Leave a comment

Happy (somewhat belated) 4th of July!

I had a good first week at work–it’s going to be really hard, but I think I’ll learn a lot. The data set I’m analyzing is in French (and most of the French words are abbreviated), which is definitely challenging my language skills in addition to my statistics skills.

Last night I thought it would be fun to do something for the 4th of July, so on a whim I went to an American expat Meetup group on the southeastern tip of Ile Saint-Louis, one of the two islands in the middle of the Seine. We sat on the actual point of the island, about two feet above the water–it was really pretty. I had a great time and met some wonderful people, plus I sampled lots of different kinds of wine (do I remember what they were or which was which? Of course not!).

It’s pouring today, which means that the museums will probably be mobbed. I’m feeling a little guilty that I haven’t been to a museum yet (well, truth: i’m feeling guilty that i’m not feeling guilty), so I’m debating whether to fight the crowds at a museum, go hang out at a bookstore, read my book in a cafe, or just stay home and watch the rain and listen to French radio in an attempt to learn the language. Tough life!