Apartment Hunting in Paris

I have finally settled on a place. My Annapolis classmate Dave & his wife Randi came to my rescue with a great apartment recommendation. They suggested a place where they had stayed last year on their Paris vacation. I contacted the owner and secured the place for my trip. It's actually a 1BR with all of the amenities and is located in the desirable Marais district (Arrondissement #4). The only real downside will be my daily 45 minute metro ride to get to school. This is a picture of the building.

I wanted to answer some questions that have been asked regarding the school and the curriculum. Le Cordon Bleu offers many courses but the heart of their curriculum are the pastry and cuisine programs. I am in the Cuisine program. The cuisine program consists of 3 courses (Basic, Intermediate, and Superior). Each course is 2 1/2 months long. Upon completion of all three, a student is awarded the prestigious "Diplome de Cuisine". Twice a year the Basic and the Intermediate courses are offered as "intensive" courses which essentially cram the same 10 weeks of info into 5 weeks. In the intensive course, classes are held 5 days a week instead of the normal 3 or 4 days a week. This format is designed for people like me who don't have the luxury of time to saunter through the program. I am enrolled in the intensive Basic Cuisine!!! (not a lot of free time) The routine is the same every day. The first 3 hours are spent watching a chef demonstrate in French (translated to English by a translator) several recipes and/or techniques followed by a 3 hour practical session (French only, no translator) where the students go to a kitchen and perform what they have just been taught. The session ends with the student presenting his/her plated "product" to the chef for tasting and a grade. The grading is very subjective and takes into account use of technique, presentation, sanitation, uniform cleanliness, etc.. Each student gets to bring home what they have made. This could help with the food bill:) The course ends with a final exam where the students cook one of the 30 or so taught recipes from memory as well as demonstrate a technique (like filleting a fish, or a rabbit). I know my friends Allen and Leslie who are strict vegetarians and huge animal lovers will disapprove of me hacking a bunny rabbit. Sorry guys...C'est la vie en France.

That's a lot of info for one day. Thanks for tuning in.