Intern Diaries: Lane at Paris

For some, summertime doesn’t mean downtime. It’s just another opportunity to travel, get an internship or otherwise move up in the world. But since you can’t do it all, INsite tracked down a handful of students in places from Thailand to Miami, New York to Paris. Every week, we share their experiences with you. Last week, you read about Allison’s excavation adventures. This week, we bring you Lane all the way from Paris.

They say New York City is the city that never sleeps, but Paris is a close second. There is always somewhere to go, whether it be an all-night discotheque near the Champs-Elysées, a crowded bar at the Bastille or a stroll through the streets to take in the nightlife. After spending two weeks in Paris for a study abroad course, it already felt like home. There was so much to do and not enough time to do it. I took a sociolinguistics course (through the University of Florida), so I visited cafés and markets around the city, listening to how people communicate in different settings. When I didn’t have class, I tried to see as many museums as possible, in addition to squeezing in some shopping, of course. One of my favorite parts of the city was the Marais, the Jewish quarter. Mixed in with the temples and kosher stores were some of the cutest boutiques, like Merci and The Kooples. I also discovered the “best falafels in Paris” that were loaded with all sorts of toppings. Delicious.

The food in Paris was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Most dinners were three courses and the wine was even cheaper than soda—well, at times. I wanted to experience “real” French food, so I had escargot (which I loved), foie gras and steak tartare (which was raw and looked less appealing than it tasted). And, of course, I had to go to Ladurée, a bakery known for its macaroons that were in the film Marie Antoinette. I tried all sorts of flavors, like rose and orange blossom, but my favorite was a seasonal flavor called mimosa.

Everyone knows about Paris’ unique, romantic and artsy culture, but we don’t hear enough about its nightlife. The discothèques have dancers that come out to perform choreographed moves in crazy ensembles. I also went to a bar called Footsie that works like the stock market. The drink prices change every couple of minutes, depending on what drinks people buy. Crazy, huh?

One thing is for certain, I’m going to miss walking around the city and seeing famous monuments at every step, but I can’t wait to see what my New York City internship has in store for me!

-Lane Nieset

If you missed out on Sarah’s intern experience/self-doubts/panic attacks (the first of the Intern Diaries series), you can read about it here.