Impressions from the first week

Arrived in Paris last Sunday, the 4th, so been here exactly a week now. First week has mostly been consumed with setting up the daily necessities of life: moving into my new apartment, in the 15th arrondissment, getting a cell phone, etc. As Anna describes it, because of the language barrier, accomplishing even the simplest task is a moral victory. Choosing the right pricing plan at the cell phone shop, for instance, could induce a feeling of sheer joy. Of course, language barriers have their upsides: a panhandler just walked up to me in the McD's where I was typing, and I managed to avoid the awkwardness by explaining that I didn't speak French. Ignorance has its uses.