Almost there...

"C'est la vie" means "Such is life." The phrase is common to say when you can't really give an explanation to why something is the way it is. I'm sure I will have many of those moments as I study abroad in Paris, but I look forward to them!

I used to stress about packing for college, but then I started packing for 5 months in Paris and I realized I never really knew what stress was. Born and raised in Plano, TX and living in Los Angeles for the past 3 years, heat-insulating clothes never made its way into my wardrobe. The past two weeks I have been shopping for warm pants, long shirts, sweaters, jackets, coats, boots--and I think I am finally prepared.

My flight is on Wednesday, January 19th at 5:35pm and I arrive in Charles-de-gaulle airport at 9:45am on Thursday, January 20th. The temperature will be about 35 degrees--brrrr! I'm meeting my group of about 25 USC students at noon for the shuttle to our school. The program's school is run at the Accent Center in the 11th arrondissement. We meet our host families on January 23rd while we have several days of intense french training and sightseeing of the city! We start school January 31st, so it gives us a good week to explore and get accustomed to the Parisian way of life.

Let me know if you have been to Paris and there is an off-the-beaten path destination I must see! I could use any tips, advice, suggestions you are willing to share! My email is grimland@usc.edu and you can look for me on skype at "Miranda Grimland."

Thanks for following me and my travels in Paris, France, and the rest of Europe!

Au Revoir!