Christmas eve party

Instead of throwing a party by myself, I was luckily invited to Rita Bao and Jun Wang's party. It was an impressive night with Chinese food, wine, talk and dance. I also invited my Mexican couchsurfing guest Joshua to come along. Even though he may be the only one who could not speak Chinese, he enjoyed dancing and has kind of hypered up the atmosphere of the party.

I observed that Chinese people are more reserved when it comes to dancing. Many among us just stood aside watching instead of joining. Even though I do not really know how to move my body properly I still enjoyed dancing to the rhythm, who cares? Just have fun.

In the end when other Chinese friends have left, there were six of us still staying. We stayed in the kitchen talking, drinking and eating chocolates. Joshua seemed to be confused that Chinese people preferred talking to dancing, and kept on encouraging me to dance. Finally I was exhausted and slept in Jun's French roommate's bed.

Anyway, party has been always the best chance to drink and time to let go a little bit of boundaries. Same for me, I seemed to forget the pressure when drinking, dancing and talking.

Italy trip

December 8

Tonight Sue and I went to Denfert Rochereau for the shuttle bus heading to Orly Airport. However, because of the accumulated snow on the road, the bus was out of service, and we had no choice but went to Antony RER station for the Orlyval airport shuttle train. To our disappointment, we missed the last shuttle train and had to spend more money on the taxi heading to the airport. The night staying at Orly was awful. Many people just slept on the chair, with the feet crouching on the luggages, or simply lay on the ground with their sleeping bags, literally without any comfort. There is no place for people to really rest. I only slept for four hours lying on the table.

December 9

After the flight of an hour and a half, during which I was in deep slumber, we finally arrived in Rome. The weather in Rome was pretty nice, even though it was cloudy, the temperature was moderate. We took a shuttle bus from the Ciampino airport to the Anagnina metro station, which may be the lowest cost in Europe, only 1€20, and then to the Termini central station.

My travel companion Sue, a 2o-year-old girl from Beijing is a very prudent traveller. She would plan everything and get all the information before hitting on the road. We spent an hour or so getting the information because the guide book was lost when we were sleeping in Orly.

Our first stop was Colosseo, the ancient amphitheatre that held the combats among men or beasts. It is a pity that we did not have the budget to enter it, and also we did not know the history without the guide book. Then we just walked around the Roman forum and took some photos, later on I found my weekly metro ticket lost, which cost me 16€. Feeling really bad, I could not enjoy myself later on even though the sunshine came out.

After we visited the Bocca della Verita, I went cross Circo Massimo and then went to the Colosseo to buy another weekly ticket. I spent some time in the National Library, supposing that I could use a little bit computer and recharge my phones and camera as well, but I could not. There is no internet service, and the students just focus on their study, reports, and the documents. Even though it seem to be a little bit inconvenient, I think it is a good way to avoid from distraction of internet. Even though we Taiwanese student work much longer than Italian students, we do not necessarily have more efficiency. We surf the internet, chat on MSN, update facebook, and so on when we are doing reports and so.

That night we just stayed in Termini until eight, trying to find the way to get to Fabrizio, our couchsurfing host's place, and printed out the ticket for Florence because we lost the documents.

Fabrizio is an middle age Italian guy. He is well-organised and had a very cozy apartment.

December 10

After taking the two hours train from Termini station, we arrived Florence around twelve. Compared with the scale of Rome, Florence is a small city that people can reach all the attractions within one day.

December 11

The train from Florence back to Rome was delayed for more than two hours. The whole morning was wasted. Sue seemed not to care because she felt so excited to go back to China. As for me, having no choice, I could only fill in my journal. We arrived at Termini at three twenty, but had the problem to contact Amber, who did not answer the SMS and phone call for forty minutes, and at last saying that she was lost and not able to join us.

We visited Saint Pietro at Vatican city at the dusk. The architecture was really breath-taking. Also we can see the remarkable sculpture, Pièta, featuring the solemn expression of the Mary holding dead Jesus. The trauma conveyed by visual experience the is beyond language. We spent some time in a restaurant writing our postcards to send.

December 12

Sue took the plane back to Paris, and the journey becomes the trip of only Amber and me. Amber is an eccentric girl that shares many characteristics in common. We are poor and frugal, sometimes encountered with some unexpected bad luck.

Really cloudy and glommy day, as we would like to visit Vatican Museum, which is closed on Sunday, we decided to visit Castel Angelo just near by. We saw the fortress that have been there for many years and also the sculptures on the top of it.

December 13

Literally blue monday, the sky was incredibly blue, no cloud and the sunshine was beautiful. The day was start with the walk along the beach of Tyrhenean sea. We took a lot of picture, including my favorite jumping poses.

We took the train first visited the Vatican city.

December 14

Our first stop today is Vatican city. The crypt, the church. The light shooting from the glass window was marvelous.

We visited Sistine Chapel for the first stop and then ended with it. It was the most beautiful religious fresco I have ever seen in my life. The creation on the ceiling and the last judgment on the wall of the alter.

Squeezed in the train, I thought it was Amber that gripped my backpack, since I have told her before to hold me if there is nowhere to hold on the train. When I got off the bus, a black passenger just told me that there was a pickpocket. Seeing the pocket of my bag open, I realised that I was the victim of the thievery. Frantically searching but no use, all of my memories in Rome are gone like wind. I will never forget the face of that guy. He is a middle-build caucasian, with green eyes and disgusting alcohol smell.

That night I did not feel like buying food in the Carrefour. It was nice that the Spanish couple, Julio and Veronica brought some food to share with us. They are actually working in the film industry and fervently shared to us about their project.

December 15

We visited the Colosseo once again and I tried to venture that "what it would be like if we were together." After several thoughts, the result I received was negative. After all, friendship and love are distinctly two different things, which I did not really undrstand. Anyway, this was my first attempt to candidly express my feeling and a big breakthrough as well.

Not feeling embarrassed nor awkward, we continued our visit to Villa Bognese, the northern part of Rome city. After ascending several passages upward, we arrived at the top, a huge surface of highland, where we can overlook the dazzling view of the whole Rome city. We found a meadow in the park, then we lay on it, and talking under the sunlight. Amber shared to me a lot about her family. Never had I known that she has undergone all that, because she seemed to be so optimistic.

Tiffany is a beautiful and nice girl. She waited for me more than half and hour in front of the Piazza Sainta Maria. We had an Asian buffet for only 12€, the quality really worth much more than the price.

At night we parted, after 7 days in the passionate Italy.

Germany Trip

My four four-day-trip in Germany must be the craziest odyssey I have done in my life, where I spent most of my time taking vehicle and met so many interesting people. It was exhausting but expanded my vision in a great way.

November 11
It began with a night bus trip from Paris to Cologne, Germany at 23h30 on November 10, and arrived the next morning at 5h30. It was crazy because it was too early and the sky was still dark. I wandered in the stores in the stations and then went out to visit the Kölner Dom, the biggest and well-known Gothic-style cathedral in Germany. Then I walked along the Rhine river, wandering along the street, took the U-Bahn train, which had no barrier so anyone could get on the metro without paying anything. I later found out that one would get fined 40€ if the inspector happen to be there.

Exhausted and fed up with the cold, I took a rest in the Starbucks in the Köln hauptbahnof (Cologne central station) for the hour and at the same time recharge my cellphone. Everyone was wearing costume and prepare for the carneval. My friend on Couchsurfing was waitnng at the Alter Wastal. Tanya put some rouge on my face to make me look more carnivalish. It was five of us at the beginning. We stayed the whole morning at the Würst stand. The smoke and the smell was so tantalizing that I bought one after all even a Currywurst would cost me like 3.5€. However, it was not what I imagined. It was only German sausage with ketchup and curry powder.

Later on Talia felt very tired and fed up with the coldness, we went to Tabea's dormitory at Postestrasse. It was a cozy flat with shared kitchen and toilets outside. I got to talk to a German girl who speaks really fluent French. It was really nice when I got the chance to talk in French in another country.

At night I took a bus to Nelly's Fleckhaus. Because her tenant was away for the Carneval, so there was a whole flat available for me. Ralph has made some pancake and Cornellia made some soup I had a delicious dinner with them and talked a lot. Even though it was raining, the wind blowing, I was staying in the cosy room of their house.

November 12

The next morning I made a fried rice in Nelly's kitchen and we had a long and nice conversation together. She told me about her hosting experience, her tenants and her students. She is running tutoring German language program along with hosting.

Ralph dropped me at the road to do the hitchhiking. I waited for forty minutes in the wind and cold until the first one stopped to take me. I was really lucky because he was really friendly and dropped me . The next stop was in the gas station. I asked several people in the parking lot, even though. It was really interesting that I met another couple who did the hitchhiking. I was lucky that I found the second ride within ten minutes. The third stop I waited longer because it rained and many people just declined when I made the request. I met the Dutch hitchhikers again and they told me that they are actually doing hitchhiking to Prague to win a prize. Luckily a truck driver permitted to give me a ride. This is my first time ever to ride on a truck.

Vischuk was my host in Berlin. He has spent nine year in Portugal and started to work as an apprentice in a computer store after high school. He is a friendly and easy going German guy, similar age as I do. He plays some music as well. He has a good voice and talent to write the lyrics and music. You can be friend with him easily, he is willing to share and to express and sharing his life. His friend Raffie showed me about his projects and the videos on Youtube and fervently explained the techniques of the music.

The next day Vischuk was sick and stayed at his house for the whole day. It was raining outside. I went to the center alone and took the pictures. It was a pity that he can join my trip, or it would be more interesting to have a local friend to show me around the places. It was so cold so that I did not feel really good when walking on the street.

November 14
Finnally I made a covoiturage trip from Berlin to Paris, an exhausting 12-hour car ride. It was the cheapest and safest way I could find since either a single trip by train or plane will cost more than 100€. The driver was late for nearly one hour in the first place. Then he is not really polite. He put the music loud and we hardly talked.

Nov 3

The trip to London must be the most unforgettable one in my life. Ten minutes after I walked out of the bureau de change, I found that I lost my wallet. Frantic and regretful, with the help of Andrew, I went into the police station for the first time in my life, in London. Even though it is highly possible that I cannot get my wallet back, I still reported the case.

Life is so dramatic. You will never know what will happen the next second. I can just say that it's just my luck. The similar thing happened to my CAF last week. My rent aid was cut half of the original subsidy when I visited the office, how sad! I try to stay calm but it is so hard. No matter how hard I try to take it easy but I just cannot. There are more important issues in life I should pursue. If I just preoccupied with these loss, I will not have the strength to move on.

Life is unfair too. You cannot ask for equality. Just as the professor of the welfare economy class. If everyone is equal, there is no incitation to work hard. Sad but pertinent. What I should do now is work hard, but smartly. There is still nine months to go. I will be patient for the good things to come to pass.

Oct 28

The weather in Paris is very good these three days. Even though it's only 13°C, I still don't wear my down jacket. I am going to London tomorrow afternoon. Unfortunately, before I leave, I may need to finish a report on Typology of States, also I should read 50 pages of articles for my two other classes. However, to benefit from the good weather, I chose to take bus to explore Paris like yesterday. I went to Saint Paul and around Châtelet. After coming back, I practiced piano for half an hour, which made me feel better.

Oct 22

Indeed I should study more. Since I came to France, there were many activities and things to do, which made my life very colorful but at the same I did not have much time to do my school work. Last night I did not go to the premier of the Taiwanese movie but stayed in the dormitory studying, which I found more tranquil.

Today the classmates made good presentation on Rap music history and decentralization of energy respectively, which I think engaging. Even though they may not speak perfect French since we are all in intermediate level, we can still make some effort to enrich the content of our presentation. Also, from his presentation, I see the confidence and assurance in them, which would be the quality I need to cultivate during my stay in Science Po.

Nothing is impossible when I persevere. I believe I can overcome with my stage-fright and give an engaging presentation at the end of the semester.

Oct 21

In Euroupe, the rent is usually very high, espcially in Paris, where I live right now. Even though Paris is a fascinating city, to live in this city will cost a lot of fortune. My 9m² room in the sixth arrondissment costs me 480€ per month. As a student coming from a worker family in a developing country, 480€ will be a great burden.

Fortunately, as one of the welfare country, France provides subsidy for rent, which is managed by CAF (familial allocation fund), and the subsidy also covers the international students. I have got my CAF card for several weeks but still do not receive the subsidy in my bank account. So I went there today, which was not that easy. Spending almost forty minutes going to the CAF office at Rue pot de fer, and then I waited for twenty minutes for the information desk.

When it was my turn, I asked the lady at the desk about my rent subsidy, she told me I had 202€ per month, which delighted me because I mistook that would be only 111€ before. But she told me the subsidy would only be paid from November since the first month are usually not subsidized.

I pursued, asking her if my scholarship status could permit me with more subsidy, which made me regret severely afterward. She checked and confirmed that more subsidy will be if I received scholarship, but at the same time she found out an error of my document, on which my residency status was not apartment, but foyer, which would lead to less subsidy.

I felt so desperate as if I fell from top of heaven to the abyss by her emotionless announcement. Why could this happen? Why don't they just keep their charity mistake to benefit a poor student like me? I hate France administration! Even though I tried to consoled myself with the maxim I have in mind always "adversity is opportunity", it does not really help. Injustice is always there. The only thing I can do is make myself distinguished from others to get rid of the bottom of social class.

Oct 19

Another day of strike. Last Tuesday was annoying, almost all the metro line were perturbed, which made my trip to supermarket more difficult than usual. I am not sure when this strike would end, but it is quite interesting to know that most of the people support the transport company with the strike.

It rained at noon. The students gather in the main hall of Science Po shouting and singng their slogan against the new reform, which will extend the working years of French people, maximum to 67 years old. It is really hard to imagine that French people are that demanding when it comes to their welfare. They fight for it so they get better off. Even though this may be pointless regarded by many, still it is an effort that can't be ignored.

At noon I had lunch with Hatoumata, her friend Georgia from Singapore, and Christie and her Hong Kong friend. After lunch I accompanied Christie and her friend to Versaille. If it were not for them, I would not be as motivated to go there. The weather was not nice, with periodical rain, but we had a good time wandering through the palace of Louis XIV and experience the reminiscence of the history.

After having eaten something at the McDonald's near the Versaille, we went back to visit the garden. The garden was sort of creepy at night since there are no many other people, just us three. We wandered through, the sky formed a mysterious color and the horizon seem to end nowhere. We did not know where is the boundary of the garden, reflecting on our life. Sometimes it's just like this. We do not know the limit of our life, we just keep on walking.

Christie seemed to be in love. She kept on sharing her feeling toward that guy and her satisfying social life in Copenhagen. Reflecting on myself, I seem not content with my social life in Paris. Even though there are many events to join, I could hardly find time to join because I need to study or do the homework. However, being in Paris without having fun would be very difficult. Hopefully I can find a equilibrium pretty soon.

Oct 16

Oct 16

A good friend of mine told me that he got a scholarship of 600€ per month. I am really happy for him but at the same time feeling kind of self-pity. Actually I did not get any scholaship before coming to Paris, so I cannot lead a life like most other exchange students, who travelled a lot and do not have to worry about money as much as I do. Also, I have been in Paris for two months but having much financial support except from my parents, who used their saving for many years to make me fulfull the dream to go abroad. But after reflecting on his example, maybe I should create opportunity for myself. Maybe it will be a good chance to motivate me to get more challenges and adventures.

Later that day I hanged out a bit with two Hongkong friends being exchange students in Copenhagen visited. I accompanied them in Pantheon, had a brief picnic, and took them along with Catherine to a Russian party held at Leysan and Kristina's apartment, which was pretty nice. Located at metro station Pigalle, a vivid districts with bars, adult shops and many performance venues, their appartment was easily recognised by the music and the talking sound from upstairs. I talked to many interesting people from different backgrounds about Iranian reformation, interstrait relations and so on. It was still very vivid after twelve, and it was two o'clock when I got back home but the night was awesome.

October 10

Yesterday we went to Levallois for the ROC national day banquet. I felt quite at home with all the Taiwanese people present and the language that I cannot be more familiar with. It is still good to have a hometown, even though it may not a well-known and influential place in the world. On Sunday, the weather was extremely nice, but I have to work to earn my money. Tearing off the wallpapers for seven hours for only 50 €. I think I should work harder on my academic instead.

October 5

I felt so sleepy in my European social policy class. The teacher has a strong French English accent, and I lost his points. So I just jutted down some observations I have in mind.

In France, even though the semester looks shorter, only 12 lectures, it is two hours without break in between. Also their exam dates are separated so after calculated, the total teaching hour in France is the same as Taiwan. Exchange students can be regarded as the most carefree ones, having credits doubled and only have to take 30 credits. French students, on the other hand are taking much more workload than I imagine. Many of them take classes in other universities, which seems to be the minor or double major system in Taiwan.

Stepping out of the gate of Science Po, one would be surprised that the gate is occupied with heavy cigarette smoke. In France, it is quite normal to smoke. Every one smokes, young or old; man or woman. Someone tells me that people will tend to smoke when they are waiting for someone, to have their hand occupied and look not so awkward. I was asked several times "Tu as le feu?" the fire for cigarette.

The new library of science po was opened last Wednesday. It is equipped with 200 20-inch iMacs. Also the interior looks very futuristic and clean, the wall, the desks are all white, which makes me think I am in an Apple shop. But yesterday when I was there, there were no seats. Many of them were even occupied by people. Also people talked in the library, shutting the door loudly, which all annoyed me.

October 4

The good weather does not continue. The sky is gray and rain falls intermittently. However, I am still in Paris, my favorite city so far. I never regret the decision to come here. Even though there are financial difficulties and second-hand smoke, the beauty and the vibrance of this city compensate all these deficits.

Every day as I got up from my cozy and soft bed, an surreal aura grasp me — I am in Paris. In short, my living quality here is much better than in Taipei, where I have no mattress but a hard bed. Because the dorm is near the school, every day in Paris I prepare for myself sumptuous but economic lunch and dinner, much cheaper than eating out even in Taipei. Also every morning the refectory of the dorm provides baguette, milk, orange juice at my disposal for breakfast, all inclusive in the rent every month. Walking in the beautiful city, having delicious food, enjoying nice weather, all add up to a cliché sentence, "la vie en rose".

However, it does not mean I do not have worries. Having been in Paris for nearly two months, I hardly make progress in my French. There may be two possible reasons, first which I think I should have taken the French program so that I can focus more on French but not on the two languages that I am not really fluent. Maybe I will take courses all in English next semester. The other one is that I do not really have contacts with other French people. The other thing is that my future after going back to Taiwan. Sometimes I do miss things about Taiwan, such as food friends and my family. I am reluctant to go back, but it is my home town after all.

I always convince myself my choice is right. Of course there will be some worries, but the most important thing is carpe diem, seize the days. It is OK to give myself a break from the mold, as I decided two years ago. Now I deserve to enjoy my life here. No matter what path the future may lead to, I should make the best of my life here.

Tonight I went to a live acoustic session at Shakespeare and Company Bookstore near the Seine, which was a scene in the movie, Before Sunset. The music was great, even though the place was crowded with people. I have never seen a live session like this. In a book store, the audience either standing or sitting on the ground, surrounded by the books and arts, we listen to the music. After the session I talked to the artists and the organiser of the session; also I met many other international students and talked a lot. Indeed life is full of uncertainty, but it is uncertainty that makes life worthy to live.

October 3

The first Sunday of the month is always exciting because many museums, monuments, and galleries are free of charge for anyone. The problem is, there are always much more visters on this day. As for Arc de Triomph, luckily I did not spend much time waiting in line, but actually this site is always free for students between 12-25. My next stop was Notre Dame de Paris. To get into the bell tower, I waited for one hour and a half, with annoying second hand smoke around. To my disappointment, the bell tower is also free for students, which made me wonder what's the point of waiting in the queue. Finally, the George Pompidou center is the one that is exclusively free this day and I visited, although the contemporary art was not that comprehensive.

In the afternoon I joined a picnic and freeswap organised by a American girl on the social website, couchsurfing. I am pretty surprised that I was the only Asian in this occasion, but many of them are so friendly and easy to be with. Hopefully I will find my couchsurfing host in London pretty soon.

October 2

I am exhausted. At 9h00, even though the I took metro line 4 and changed RER A to Val d'Europe, a 1 hour trip, to help Eva cleaned up her garden in her new place. I earned 32 euro for 4 hrs work and an Italien lunch. Luckily the sunshine finally show up. Cana organised another gathering on Pont des Arts, and many Science po students showed up as usual. The good thing about this is that you can meet many people from different countries and talk to them in a casual way.

October 1

Even though it is only the first of October, in Paris, I have put on my down jacket these days. Also, the sun goes up later and later.

I hate my économie du bien-être class. The professor is not at all clear with the points she made and let alone for us to comprehend. The mathematic symbols and all the theories are more difficult than French language itself. It is so abstract and I don't know why I had selected this course.

Afternoon I visited a library at Vaugirad, 41 Rue d'allery to borrow the book I need for Jules Vernes' report on economic issues. Different from the gloomy and cold weather outside, it was cozy and warm inside. It is as best as Science Po's new library. What is more, it contained several stacks of manga and DVD/CD sections of all genre at readers disposal.

We celebrated Leysan's birthday at a bar near Saint George. I arrived at 19h30 and there were a lot of Russian friends of her there. There is a cave downstairs and it was nice, with the lights shimmering, pumping music, and karaoke. I stayed there until 23h30.

September 30

I woke up early to help Swift move his stuff from Cité universitaire to Voltaire, in 11th arrondissement. Many people also came. His new a 18m² appartement is located at rez de chaussé (ground floor), equipped with a kitchen, a toilet, a bed and a desk.

Before meeting Daoul at 11h30. I bought a baguette, cut meticulously in 1 cm slices and a slice of Saint Agur cheese, with its strong flavor and strong smell and green. The Sacré Cœur is dazzling, but unfortunately I lost my umbrella at Montmartre.

I had a really intellectual conversation with Alexandre tonight at the cuisine in the dorm. We talked about courses, French history, French social class, Opera, music, instruments, European and so on. He is an eloquent and erudite typical French college student.

After dinner, I took my time at the Science po library with the new Imac. I have never thought of that my dream computer is in front of me at my disposal in my dream city. What a nice combination!

September 29

The sunshine finally shone on Paris once more. This morning I went to the new library in Science PO. On entrance, I was impressed by the bright and spacious information room, especially the 20 inch imac equipped. After printing all the documents I needed, I went back to the foyer to prepare my lunch. I was happy to receive the CAF in my mail box. With the allocation number and code provided, I accessed to the website. Hopefully the allocation can be reimbursed pretty soon.

I made the best use of my time during lunch break to review the documents for littérature et économie. For this course, I read the through documents provided by the professor and the notes a classmate gave me to be better prepared for the lecture. The lecture itself was as lulling as usual, with the professor's weak and fast French, and not clearly organised monologue. I made my best to get through the end of the class and took as much note as I could.

Without much understanding, I was assigned to do a oral presentation with an American classmate, who I thought to be French before talking to him. I also had the chance to talk to the Chinese girl in my class coming from Pekin University, for she needed someone to help her laptop with some set up problems.

After dinner I had a walk with Sebastien, and we talked a lot in French. Coming back, I spent a lot of time writing diary and cleaning up the room.

September 28

In the cold and gloomy morning conference starting from 8h, I made my first presentation at Science Po. With the title of Régionalisme ou régionalismes, the presentation includes a 10 minute oral presentation and 5 minute card showing related to the subject. The process flowed quite smoothly, to some extent, except for weak arguments and some blunders/hesitation due to lacking of preparation. If there were not for Sebastien, my neighbor in the foyer, I could not have done with the arguments and outline for my report. He is a the kind of good friends that you can always count on and confide in.

I felt so relieved after the presentation, and went the class of European social policies with a rather good mood. After lunch I took a nice nap, even the temperature at the room is so cold. Before my class starting from 17h, I went to BNP and got my credit card. Everything went incredibly smooth today.

After class I had a nice gathering and conversation with the seminars in the Séminaire des Carmes. To my surprise, they are easy to get along with and not as rigorous as they appear to be. After the embarassing breakfasts in the refectory every morning for nearly a month, I can finally feel at ease and talk with them. Then I had a sumptuous Hongkong dumpling dinner at Eva's place near Vaneau station, 10 minutes away from my dorm. Eva is a kind and easy going lady from Hongkong, and I met her through Her house is really beautiful and warm like those appearing in the Japanese television show. Also her dog nikita is so cute!

Indeed, there are bad times and good times in life, but all these good moments can always keep going on. I believe there will be even more good moments to come!

September 22

How time flies. It's been one year for mid-autumn barbecue at Yichun's house, where I met many interesting people and had a really good time even though it rained. This year I am in Paris, having a picnic with many new friends from Taiwan, China, and Hongkong. Even though we are not with our beloved ones in Taiwan, but because of this new connection here, I feel a warm current flowing from the bottom of my heart. Specially thanks for Alice and Catherine for organizing these picnics and all those who participated this. After all, what really matter for all these festivals is to unite people together.

Sep 11- 12

This weekend was marvelous. On Saturday I went shopping with my Taiwanese friends Otis and Sophie and had lunch at Sophie's place. She lives in a CROUS residence near Olympia metro station, a nice and bright 20m2 room equipped with a kitchen and a bathroom. We visited China town after a sumptuous spaghetti lunch. To my surprise, the food in China town is not cheap as I imagined, my favorite korean instant noodle cost 20 cent more here. Maybe it's have become a tourist spot. But stil it is interesting to see all these Chinese culture in Paris, which somehow lessen my homesickness. On Sunday morning I went to Hillsong Paris with Chanel, my Taiwanese friend from NYU. I was lucky to get a free hillsong Tshirt when the pastor asking if anyone would like to have it. Even with my hand raising immediate after that request I still didn't catch it, but the young lady behind me kindly gave it to me, which made me so grateful. The day was closed by a dinner gathering, organized by my French classmate Connie at her dormroom in ENS Cachan, near RER B Bagneux, along with three other Taiwanese students. After two weeks in Paris, smilingly she said, my cooking skill improved rapidly. Indeed, the boeuf bouillon du vin and the boeuf bouillon with potato were all really delicious. Taking her example, I should learn to cook from now on.

September 9

After all the initial obstacles, everything seemed to be in place right now. I moved into my dorm, got my SIM card, filled in the form of CAF and got to know some nice people. Tonight I went to a film at science po. Before the film they prepared the bread, cheese, and wine. I was glad that I could have a free meal when I was running out of cash, and the conversation with students from China, Italy, Finland, Korea, and so on. We watched a film called Les Amants du Pont-Neuf, starring Juliette Binoche. This film was totally different from my imagination. The story was about the romance of two vagrant taking place on the Pont-Neuf under renovation. The feature of the movie would be the scene of the bridge and also the Seine. What I like about this film is that no matter the situation may be, love conquers all.

Sep 2- Sep 5

Sep 2
I had my first breakfast in Seminaire des Carmes, crispy baguette, chocolate and hazelnut paste, milk, orange juice. It is simple but filling. According to the student here, the menu is almost the same every day, but since I really like baguette, this will not be a problem for me. We had a review of press in the afternoon. Obviously I was not well-prepared enough so I stammered and hesitated a lot.

Sep 3
The sunshine was nice, and I had a picnic with other international students at Jardin Luxembourg. Sitting on the grass, eating and talking was really nice. Then Patrick showed us around the Quatier Latin. During my way back I had kind of intellectual conversation with Lukas, a German classmate, about moral and education. I had Kehbad as dinner with other Taiwanese friends, which may be the best meal I had so far.

Sep 4
The last class for methodology and French class during welcome program. It is a little bit sad because I may not be in the same class with them during the semester, but some of us went together to the Quatier Latin for Kehbab after the boat-trip on Seine. The late dinner made a perfect ending for the day.

Sep 5
In the morning I met my netfriend Julien, a Chinese born in France at Renne station. We visted Musee d'Orsay and then had lunch at Hippotomus, a French chain restaurant. After lunch we looked around the Pombidou center and the street perfomers. At 15h30 I arrived at the Mande park. Featuring all the natural forest and meadows, with the beautiful sunshine, it made the best picnic destination. The only disavantage is there is no toilet around, only within the shrubs.

September 1

Finally this morning I moved into my new room in 21 rue d'assas, a 9 meter square room in a Catholic dormitory. The environment is much better than I imagined, even better than my room in Taipei. It is well-equipped and bright. There is a bed with the mattress and a table beside, a wardrobe, a desk with a shelf above fixed on the wall, a window. Even though it has only 9m2, I am still very grateful and satisfied. In the dorminitory there are also refectory for our breakfast, a coin laundary, gym, copy room, bar, TV room, and also music room equipped with a piano so that I can play when I want to. Hopefully I can have wonderful ten months here.

Aug 27- Aug 31

Aug 27
After dinner, I took a different direction for the walk. Passing the railway overhead, I arrived at Levallois, a commune next to Clichy. There is a supermarket here called E Clerec, much cheaper than Casino market, but the interior is not that inviting.

吃完晚餐後，我試著走不同的路。穿過頭上的鐵軌，我走到Clichy旁邊的小鎮Levallois。這裡有間超市叫做ELeclerc，比Casino超市要便宜許多，但裡面裝璜並不是那麼美。

Aug 28
With no metro card, I persisted on saving my money by going nowhere on Saturday. I spent the whole morning sitting in the park writing and reading, luckily the sun was pleasant so it was not too cold even it was no more than 20 degree. In the afternoon, I passed the Pont de Clichy and did a jogging along the Seine. The view is marvelous. I stopped by a graveyard for dogs, and le Parc du Robinson, the latter is a riverside parck providing work-out equippments. I ran and walk all the way to la Defense, it took 2 hours to go there and get back.

因為沒有捷運卡，為了省錢我堅持什麼地方也不去。整個早上我在公園裡寫文章看書，太陽很舒服，不熱也不冷，即使氣溫不到二十度。下午出門，穿過Clichy橋，沿著塞納河慢跑，景致十分優美。經過一個專為狗而設的墓園，在羅賓森河濱公園待了一會，裡面有很多戶外健身設備。之後我就一路走到拉德方斯，來回總共花兩個小時。

Aug 29
I went to Hillsong Paris this morning. The worship was cheering, but I didn't have much chance to talk to other people. After that I went to many places with Navigo. On Sunday most of the shops are closed so I have no choice but to have a 6.95 euro hamburger set in a fastfood chain. I also stayed in La Defense for near a whole day becasue it was the only few shoping complex that open on Sunday.

今天早上去巴黎的Hillsong教會。敬拜讚美十分鼓舞人心，但是可惜的是，我沒有機會跟其他人交流。作完禮拜之後，我拿著Navigo卡到處走，星期天大部分的店都關了，最後因為實在太餓，就到一家叫做Q的漢堡店吃午餐。我在拉德方斯待了一整個下午，這一區是少數星期天也有營業的。

Aug 30
The first day in Science Po was not bad, but not worth the 260 euro. The principal did a brief introduction of the history of the school and other departments and student associations also. After the class, I took a walk to Musee d'Orsay, le Opera and then took the train back to Clichy. To my amazement, there are many Japanese staff in Uniqlo and Bookoff in Paris, and they speak Japanese! It is clear that the influence of Japanese culture is really strong here.

Aug 31
Day two of Science Po Welcome It was a super long day. I started my "art of public speaking" class from 9h00. During 1h to 3h15, I went to the administrative office asking for student card and BNP for my bank account, but only for the information. I couldn't do anything until tomorrow. The afternoon sessions were composed of 2 hours of French class and 2 hours of methodology class. According to Yichun and also the teacher, the welcome program used to be several weeks, and the price was the same. However, the contents were quite good and my classmates are very intelligent and fluent in French (mostly European and Australian), so under the peer pressure, I should work harder to catch up with them.

August 26

Last night I did something really bad. Dominique and his sister Alice went out for a film, and he gave me the keys, which I promised to open the door when they got back from the cinema. However, I was in my deep slumber and did not hear the phonecalls they made nor doorbell for many times and they waited outside till 12h when I was asleep. They even thought I was lost, and contacted Taiwei to see if I was Ok. When I woke up it was almost 4h, and I called him right away then knowing that they were at Xiaofeng's. Without cellphone and metro card, it seemed to be hardsome.

They said they would come back in the afternoon, so before lunch I strolled around Clichy and tried to take some picture of this beautiful city, as Paris, the tree is everywhere lining the border of the sidewalk. I did a google research but still not sure the name of the tree which peeling looks impressionistic. The bulk peels into flakes of different nuances, forming an Impressionist painting. I have never seen this before elsewhere so I enjoyed it. The terrace and the balcony are all decorated with plants, flowers. The condominions are also in eye-catching modern design, with the lawn. Another remarkable scene is their construction site. They made effort to keep the traditional building and they renovate them. The condition of the workers are clean and orderly.

We took the train to Xiaofeng's appartment, it was a nice location with the metro right down and the view of Eiffel Tower. We also celebrated Catherine's birthday with wines, beer, baguettes and all kinds of hams. The birthday gathering was enclosed with a sweet chocolate cake. Then we went to a see a film called "Le Bruit des glaçons" at UGC, the ticket costs only 4.2 euro for youths under 26. The film itself was not that appealing, maybe it was because I did not comprehend what they are talking, but I did enjoy all the trailers and TV commercials spoken in French.

August 25

In the morning I visited the well-known Luxemburg Garden near the RER B station Luxemburg. It was cloudy and windy. Some were jogging with their MP3 player, some passing by with brisk steps, some sitting on the bench talking, and a male and female elementary school teachers taking care of their students around 8-10. Later I had lunch with two other NCCU students at university restaurant. No bank nor shops accept 500 euro here, so Alice paid for my lunch. One can only get the circulable money by saving into the account and then withdral the bills with smaller denomination or exchange the bills in some specific institution such as Bank of France.

Then I took the metro to Bastille for handing in my OFII (Office francaise de l'integration and l'immigration) form and documents. The clerks were a man and a woman, who both looked relaxed and carefree, they are actually really nice and the process went smoothly. After the OFII, I strolled around the Bastille plaza and into the discreet streets, there is a plaza featuring sculptures and shining green lawn near Maison de Victor Hugo, and then it rained. Seeing the couple fundling on the lawn was a pleasant scene to see just like in the films.

One thing I am really happy is that after two days of adaptation, I finally could write my journal on the train. The seat is comfortable, and the solitude within the crowd provides me with the best concentration I need. The passengers around me were all very curious because I wrote in Chinese but not in French nor English. However, I would like to keep my blog in English and write it every day.

August 24

The clock showed 5h when I woke up in the middle of the darkness. Filling my journal with French, flipping through a pile of French books beside the bed, I was able to fall asleep again. The second time woke up was 8h30. I put on my jogging shoes and the gray jumper, and walked out to the supermarket to buy the food. The morning air was fresh and chill, looking up is cloudless blue sky. People were going to work or do the shopping at this time, many of them look so stylish. However, it's still a typical city, don't expect the stranger will say "bonjour" to you.

In the morning I just stayed in the house using skype and connect We went out at 15h heading to Notre Dame des Champs, Clichy is located in the second loop of the Paris metro so it's very convenient to get around. Then we meet up with other exchange students from Science Po, and went to BNP to create a new bank account. Thank to the help of Dominique, the tedious administrative procedure was done smoothly.

In the evening, I had dinner at the university restaurant in the CROUS office with other Taiwanese Science Po exchangers. Even though I heard many complain about the food there, it was still satisfying because one can have a balanced and filling meal with only 3 euro. After the dinner, I headed to the Eiffel Tower alone because the other two NCCU students were tired. Without the guidance of anyone, to take the metro alone is quite scary, especially I could not recognize the direction of metro lines. Due to some accident, I spent 50 minutes to get to my destination.

Luckily, even without the cellphone, I still spot Dominique and Catherine standing on the pont waiting. To take the elevator to the top costs 16 euro, but to climb the stairs only costs 3.5, we chose the latter. That was Alice's first time, so did I. The view from the tower was good but at night I could hardly make out the spots indicateThe Tower itself with the orange lights lit up was splendid already, the dazzling 20000 strobe lights shone every hour for five mintues were even more please to the eyes.

August 23

On my arrival in Paris, to my surprise I found that the French vocabulary and structure I have learned for three years didn't serve me pretty well. I could hardly understand the language spoken by the airport staff and the daily conversation between French people. However I think it will be fine after a while if I just keep on practicinng to listen and to speak the language every day.

I am now staying in my friend Dominique's place in Clichy, a town situated in northern Paris. The weather is really agreeable here, totally different from the searing and humid Taipei. I also benefited from the sunshine in a park nearby till 20h. Sitting on the bench writing my journal, I saw the children playing, people passing by after work or walking back from the supermarket with their two wheeled shopping cart or just holding some baguettes. The baguettes here are much better than what we had in Taiwan, and according to my observation they cost around 0.6 to 1 euro.

I am not sure if this is kind of stereotype, the people Clichy smoke a lot on the road, in front of the entrance building, or in the park. Even the mothers taking care of their children there were holding a cigarette within their fingers. A shop called "Tabac" can also be found here, where one can buy cigarettes or some drinks.

At 21 o'clock I went to sleep, equivilant to pretty early compared with my living style in Taipei. But it may because I just had 13 hour flight and a long day in Paris which all made me exhausted. Anyway, I still feel so blessed that I arrived safe and sound, and have a soft and comfortable bed to sleep on.

Preparation for France

As a débutant to a western country, I am filled with excitement but also anxiety. Last night before sleep, I reflected on my year back, trying to retrive my achievements so far to lessen the unnecessary angst. Science Po was my first choice for exchange in 2009. Then, in order to improve my language proficiency, I started to study English and French more strategically to deal with the Toefl ibt and FLPT, the latter a foreign language proficencly exam only used in Taiwan to evaluate a student. Also, to realize my dream, I start to build contact with foreign students. Luckily, I met my friend Dominique on BBS, who then opened up all the other contacts that I appreciated later on. Taiwanese students such as Amy, Cindy, Jeanne, a politic major, French students such as Quemin, Hatoumata. These friendship are very important for me.

I would describe myself as a white paper, not knowing what is awaiting for me before me. However, I believe that the adventure to France is worthwhile. Be it a self-searching journey or and dream pursueing path. In Paris, France, a city that I have long dreamed of, the answer is unlimited. There will be many interesting people waiting for me to know, and lot of new stories.