And zut alors - Here I am!

I'm in Paris. Yep, I made it.

For anyone surprised by this news, don't worry, you're not really that out of the loop. A few days ago I didn't know I was going to be here either. But, miraculously, after three days of frantic planning, packing, and flight/hostel booking, I've successfully made it across the Atlantic and my semester abroad has begun.

I flew out of Boston last night and I couldn't have asked for a more auspicious start to the journey. British Airways decided to bump me up from economy to World Traveler Class, I was allowed to carry on my almost-small-enough-to-carry-on-but-not-quite backpack, and at the time I boarded the plane, the Red Sox were beating up on the Yankees. Well, when all was said and done, I fell asleep on the plane, despite my best efforts to stay awake and appreciate all the benefits of being a World Traveler. In London, they randomly searched my bag, causing me to almost miss my connecting flight (the search seemed extra time-consuming, doubtless because my backpack takes longer to search than smaller carry-ons). But the Red Sox did beat the Yankees. So all told, I'd say it was a great way to start the trip.

Today I checked into Oops Hostel in Paris' Latin Quarter. Thus far, the curiously named hostel has been great; I share a four person room with a private bathroom and, most important of all for an addict like myself, free internet. I spent the afternoon exploring the surrounding area. My first sweep through the neighborhood returned excellent results: lots of stores, a diverse array of restaurants (a surprising number of which are in my price range), and a great little park around the corner from the hostel. My evening was spent hanging out in the Oops common room, talking with other guests about their travels, hoarding ideas for how to spend the next ten days.

Ten days to explore, and then I hop on a plane for Hungary and start school at Central European University in Budapest. In the meantime, I'm in Paris and having a great time. My plan is to be here for a few days and after that...well, I guess I'll keep figuring this trip out as I go along.