And so my journey into pre-dissertation work begins...

Bonjour! And so my journey into pre-dissertation work begins... I'm in Paris and it feels great to be back. It was quite an ordeal to find my apartment. It turns out that in order to hail a taxi one must wave her arms frantically, as if she was a windmill or certifiably insane. After fourty-five (!!) minutes of politely extending my arm, a taxi stopped and I arrived to my place for the next month. This place is a real treasure. Unlike last year, I am greeted by a certain peace when I enter the apartment and not the smell of piss and must. The lady I'm living with is Australian and she teaches movement. We speak in French (she's lived here for 14 years) and will speak in Spanish tomorrow (she says she needs to practice). The place is very airy and light, with minimalist decoration that is just right. I'm including some pictures: The neighborhood is also very cool. I'm in the 14th Arrondissement. As I went on a stroll last night, I saw an artist's studio complete with a class full of painters, natch, a man in African attire talking on his cell-phone, children with headscarves speaking perfect French, and two older women discussing Sarkozy over a glass of wine. Now I'm going to Sciences Po to get my affiliation. More to come!