So after the taxi...

And that was just the first few hours. The taxi ride, that is. It was 9 something in the morning when Amady left my luggage outside the gate and drove off.

It was going to be one of the longest days of my life.

I looked at the house number—it was correct. Time to try the buzzer.

I tried it once—waited to here the sound of moving. Nothing.

I tried it again. This time I heard sounds and soon I was greeted with a big smile and "Bienvenue" from my host mom's daughter, Alice (Ahh leece). My host mom was on vacation until Friday, so it would just be me and Alice for the first two days.

Before you guys think this is strange, two things.
1) Vacations are a lot more common over here.
2) This was scheduled before she knew I was coming late.

So, let's see what I should tell you guys. Sorry, this was eight days ago.

There was the staircase.

Alice took my suitcase as we went up the stairs, warning me they could be tricky.

Now I know why.

She lugged the suitcase most of the way up while I tried not to trip but still managed to bump my head near the top.

I mean, it doesn't look too impeding, but believe me, even now I still have to concentrate while descending. I'm no staircase connoisseur or anything, but I've been up some pretty legit stairs in my day, and this one ranks near the top. Unintended pun haha. (P)unintended?

After a little introduction to the house and a shower, I had to go immediately to the API (Academic Programs International) Center because as you all know I arrived to the program late.

Alice (oh yeah, what language was this in? Pretty sure it was English. Most of it.) told me how to get from the house to the Metro stop, and from there to the First Arrondissement of Paris, where I would find the center. She even drew me a map to show me how to get to the Metro and wrote down what stops I should get off at. She's awesome, but I'll get to that later.

As part of the program, students get a monthlong Metro pass for zones one and two of Paris called a Navigo.

Of course, I still needed to get mine from API, so Alice gave me two tickets: one to get me there and another to get me back.

So how do you get from Malakoff to the API center?

Just walk a little way to the Metro (we're talking a few minutes. Not far at all), put your ticket in, take  ligne 13 just until Champs-Élysées – Clemenceau then get off.

After that, take ligne 1 and get off at Chatelet. Exit at sortie Place Sainte-Opportune. Maybe takes about 40 minutes.

It was pretty simple.

No folks, that's not sarcasm. For once in my life, I was given a set of directions and followed them without a problem.

But wait, it's me we're talking about.

I got off at the Metro station, found the right "sortie" and ended up circling the place for God knows how long looking for the building.

Imagine.

That was the hard part. Not taking the Metro. Finding the building.

Why was it so hard to find?

I mean, it's a center.

While I was walking around searching for the center, I noticed a guy I passed slowly following behind in my peripheral vision.

Soon, he caught up to me.

Can't remember what he said at first (or if I even slightly understood him). He looked my age, just trying to to chat, so I decided to ask him how to find the API center.

He'd never heard of it (this convo's in French, you guys).

He took the paper over to his friend just across the street and the friend wrinkled up his face in confusion and said something along the lines of c'est anglais? (The paper gave directions in English).

I said something like oui, anglais.

So mec No. 1 stayed behind while mec No. 2 walked me over to a building (actually more like an arch) with the number "8" on it.

The number for the center.

I gave a big smile and "Merci" And walked toward the building.

Which was not the API center. Can't blame them though. They tried.

There was a boutique nearby, so I asked one of the workers for directions, preparing for her to be snooty.

Anddd she wasn't.

You see, I asked in French, and when you ask people directions in French they always seem to be cool.
The only problem is, if they think you can speak French then they reply back in French, which of course makes it harder to get good directions.

OK, feel free to think of me as you wish 'cause you all might think this is pretty stupid. If I don't understand something, I ask them to repeat it, but I don't like asking them to speak in English unless it's a life or death situation because I want the practice.

I can't remember what she ended up saying, but it must not have been much because I stayed lost until I asked another person who recommended asking the workers at a café across the street.

The conversation at the café started out in French and ended in English after an old man looked at the English directions asked me what language I speak.

He gave me directions to a place I already passed. I didn't remember seeing anything resembling a center over there, and I told him that.

But he insisted that's where it would be, address-wise.

Then again, he's never been there. No one's heard of the place.

I went back to where the old man recommended and saw a place I had passed earlier: It was just a little door that also had an "8" next to it. Real sketchy.

Then I realized as sketchy as it was it was exactly where the directions said the center would be.

That old man was right.

In fact, if I had actually read all of the directions in the beginning instead of just the address, I might not have been as lost.

Oh, hindsight.

Anyways, I noticed a spot where you could enter a passcode. I entered the passcode on my directions.

Nothing.

I think I tried a few more times in vain, but at this point the directions made it seem like the right spot so I waited.

Soon, a man and a student came by, and the man opened the door.

I was inside.

At last.


Center is a pretty misleading term for what ended up being a questionable looking door next to some store called Kookai.


No really. It was sketch, guys.












P.S.

Here's dem stairs I was talking 'bout.