Paris, le premier soir

I went to the doctor today. I've had a cough for the last month or so (although it got better for a week in October). I've been diagnosed with tracheitis, a non-serious bacterial infection. I'm on a course of amoxicillin for a week. Worse yet, I can neither exercise nor drink for that week. My evenings were just canceled :(
On the bright side of things, I should be ready for our volleyball game in Dublin next week.

But on to Paris. I had planned on couchsurfing my way through Paris. However, I wasn't able to find a host for Saturday or Tuesday night, so I would be in a hostel both times.
I should probably explain what couchsurfing is. It's kinda like a facebook for people looking to meet people from other cultures. But you actually meet up in real life, so there's more of a sense of community. You can either be a host or a surfer. If you are a host, you offer up a couch / bed / sleeping bag in your house for the surfers to sleep on. Although hosts don't have to do anything else, most hosts try to show the surfer something about the city. One of my favorite parts about surfing was that my hosts were able to show me cool parts of Paris - hole-in-the-wall restaurants, music shows, and cheap bars. (It's important to know where you can get a three euro pint in Paris, where most places charge six or more euros. Paris est tres chere.) The hosts can act as free tour guides, either showing you around the city or suggesting where to go. You get much more than the typical tourist experience through them. And the hosts are genuinely happy to meet you, spend time with you, and learn about you and your culture.
And it seems really safe as well. There is a farily elaborate reference system on the website, so you can check out a person before you host them or surf with them (really important for dealing with strangers).
Another bonus is that it's much cheaper as well :) I spent less than two hundred euros for nine days in Paris, and sixty of those were for two nights in a hostel. That really works out to about fifteen euro per day for Paris - not bad.

Anyways, I took Ryan Air over to Paris. Ryan Air is notoriously cheap, but just as inconvenient. I was able to get a round-way flight for 70 euros (plus thirty for the shuttles). Of course, the plane left at night and landed an hour away from the city (Beauvais airport). I didn't arrive in the city until midnight and made it to my hostel around one o'clock (I got lost on the streets only once :)
I must admit I was a bit nervous then. I was walking around an unknown city at night, and everyone speaks French. Although I've been improving my French for the last month or so, I still was far from fluent or even converstational. Before I say anything, I'd have to think for half a minute or so. So before I wandered into St. Cristopher's (my hostel), I had my conversation lines well-rehearsed (J'amapelle Josh Galecki. J'ai un lit ici ce soir.) Unfortunately, or fortunately, the hostel clerk was English. I'd have to wait until tomorrow for my first French "conversation." I stumbled up the stairs and promptly fell asleep.