I landed in Paris on Tuesday and settled into my apartment! It was a hectic long flight so on Tuesday and Wednesday I was mainly just fighting jetlag and dealing with logistical concerns: getting cash, getting a sim card, figuring out the metro system, etc.
On Wednesday night, I met with the founder of the non-profit organization I’m volunteering at. We attended a speech on the importance of biking in Paris for sustainability at the Paris Climate Institute. Before that, I talked with her for an hour and got to know more about her experience, the organization, and the city! The event was very interesting although the speech was conducted in French, so I struggled with understanding some of the content. The founder, Xiao, kindly translated everything to me.
On Thursday, I met with the manager of business strategy at the organization to lay out specific ways in which I can contribute. We are still working on this, but it seems like right now I can do three things: 1. Help with the designing of workshops 2. Help with running the social media accounts for the organization 3. Help with website maintenance
During Saturday and Sunday, I had to full days of workshops on energy conservation and sustainability! It was super fun to participate and I learned a lot about European effort in energy conservation.
On Saturday night, I dined with the NGO founder Xiao and her co-founder Shawn. We made dumplings and gotten to know each other more in an informal setting.
I spent my time, when not working, frolicking around Paris. I had great food (pho!) and finished a book.