Paris has been amazing so far. I arrived very early on Wednesday and was extremely jet lagged. I mainly just stayed in the homestay. I walked around a little bit and bought some of the things I needed. I am staying with a very nice lady in her apartment which is near the Arc de Triomphe.
On Thursday I went to Eusa for the first time and got to meet the rest of the Americans doing this program. There are 3 from UVA, 1 from Wake Forest and another girl from Pitt whose posts you are probably also seeing. We had an orientation about just a general overview of the program. We then went to lunch and took a boat tour of the Seine. After that some of us went to walk around the Champs Elysees and ate dinner over there. We then went to the Eiffel Tower and watched it twinkle and shine.
On Friday we met at Eusa again. We had another little orientation before we headed over to Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur. We went on a 2 hour walking tour where we were told all about the history of the city and shown where a lot of famous artists used to live and paint. We then went into the Sacre Coeur and it was gorgeous. After the tour was over we walked around the area a lot and we got a snack over there. We went over by the Pantheon for dinner and ice cream. After we went back to the Eiffel Tower and walked around there.
On Saturday we went over to Versailles. We walked around the palace, the garden and the petit trianon. We also had lunch at Versailles. Afterwards we just explored the woods and properties around there. They were so cool and had so much history. A couple of us then went shopping on the Champs Elysees. I bought shoes. We then went home for about 2 hours before we met up again. We explored more areas.
On Sunday it was just a chill day. I went to the mall with Elise (the other Pitt student) and the wake forest student. We went to a giant mall and walked around the area. I bought 5 shirts and a pair of shorts. The mall was really nice. We went to Zara and H&M. We went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch, but it had a lot more seafood than Mexican food. Afterwards we went to the Champs Elysees because I wanted to get a Longchamp bag. All of us went out to dinner that night at a pizza restaurant to talk about what trips we want to go on.
Today was my first day of work. It was a little bit a lot and was kinda crazy. I was reading PowerPoints about the company all day so that got a little tiring. My coworkers were really nice. During lunch they taught me how to play a card game and gave me a tour of the place. It was a little weird because my boss wasn’t here today, when I thought he would be. It was still fun but just a little more confusing. The work culture is also so different from the US. In France it is expected to take an hour or longer lunch break and socialize with your coworkers.
I am working in the FinTech industry. My job more specifically is I am doing communications for them. I am going to edit their pamphlets and slides that they share. I am also going to make Linkedin posts for them. Towards the end I am probably going to also help them start to find a communication’s agency to spread their name into other countries. Currently I am learning about all of the technology and processes they have and how they compare to their competitors. One of the key skills needed in this industry is knowledge. It is very important to know everything that is happening and how to predict what your competitors are doing. Another key skill is sales and selling ability. You want other companies and industries to use your technology and how you sell it to them is very important. I don’t think that this industry is very different as to how it is made or sold in France vs the US. Overall the technology is adaptable to multiple countries. Also how to get the word out about the company is the same too. The only main difference is how day to day life is at work.
I can’t wait to learn more about this industry and keep working here.