morning by morning: la fac + le centre

I take half my courses at Paris Sorbonne VII: Diderot. It's actually quite 'campus-like' for a french university, which is nice. Located in the 13th arrondissement on the Seine, it has an old industrial feel from the flour trading days of this area. The two central buildings are an old flour mill (left: grandes moulins) and old flour exchange hall or something (right: halle aux farnies). Gotta love warehouse refurb. I have a few friends from church and GBU (french Intervarstiy) who go here, too, so sometimes we get lunch in the cafeteria or a cup of coffee.

Campus is on rue Thomas Mann. People love him here. And it always reminds me of Thomas Mahn :)

So far, two weeks into school, I've only had one class. This is because I wasn't yet registered the first week for one of my classes, and the other class the professor has not shown up either week. I don't really know what gives, but no one here seems very surprised about that situation. However, it did make for a pretty anticlimactic 'first day of class.' Anticlimactic, but still full of french bureaucracy. Also, I pulled one of those moves where you open a classroom door to a room full of people in the middle of their class, who all turn and look at you at once. "Est-ce que ça 'La terre est bleu comme une orange'?" I asked ("Is this 'The world is blue like an orange'"-that's the title of the ecology course I'm taking). "Non, ce n'est pas 'La terre est bleu comme une orange', madame" replied the professor, with a you're-very-cute-and-dumb smile. It was a masters course in genetic biotechnology. "J'suis désolé," I muttered, closing the door behind me. Awesome.

So far, the university class is pretty difficult. What i'm most concerned about is the group presentation I have to give and the in class essay, each one-third of our grade. ehhhhh.

My other courses take place here, at the program center in the 2nd arrondissement. These courses are in French, but with American students. Much less intimidating.