Update 3

Well it’s been close to two months in Paris and I like the city more and more each day. It is amazing how many activities there are to do here. Last weekend was the “Nuit Blanche” or white night. I really didn’t understand the point of it, but I there are a few random artsy things around the city, and most places stay open until 7 in the morning. I went to see some things like a 300 electric guitar orchestra at Sacre Coeur, which was interesting, but really didn’t sound very good. Guitars are meant to be individual instruments, but I guess someone didn’t tell the director that. There was also a large Jesus image projected on Notre Dame that was neat. Overall it was sort of a weird night.

I also experienced my first French strike (which apparently is not such an infrequent thing here). It is much different than anything in the US because they announce the strike in newspapers a week before and there is nothing that can be done to avert it. It only lasts for one day, and the next day everything is back to normal. In fact, it is such a common occurrence that there are rules in place for the transportation system stating that they must provide minimum service to the city, otherwise they are fined. It really seems to be a day of vacation for government workers (as if six weeks wasn’t already enough), and a lot of French people I’ve talked to feel the same way. Fortunately I was able to work from home so it wasn’t that big of a deal.

This weekend was a lot of fun. Some of my friends had a dinner party and it was a good time with a lot of good food. It turns out that I met a law student there who did a year of his studies at IUPUI in Indianapolis and new a lot of people from IU. Very ironic. There was also a festival in my neighborhood that highlights all the things to do here. They had a tent full of local merchants and different kinds of entertainment, such as a parade of Citroen cars that lasted for at least 45 minutes and went right down my street. There was also a Dixieland band and the French Republican guard horn band. All in all it was a great weekend with great weather.

Well I hope everyone is doing well and that fall is going well. Take care.