Class

Class started on Friday and they won't be too bad which is really good. I'm taking a sociology class about modern day France and then History of Paris (which has visits included to different places around the city) so that's pretty exciting! Not too excited to have to do homework when I would rather be going out every night, but oh well. I guess that's the reason I came here, right? To study? ;-)

So another thing I've noticed on the metro is that nobody...NOBODY brings coffee with them to work. SAD DAY. For those of us who don't allot enough time to get up early and enjoy a cup at home, what are we to do? I guess I could try to get up earlier...but it's just so hard. Dilemma. So I'm pretty sure that my French family really likes me. They said that the previous girl who lived with them only ate breakfast with them one time and that she never really conversed with them or anything. I, on the other hand, love being around them and talking and eating, etc. The middle girl and I read books (in English so she can practice) and then yesterday I went to a movie with the eldest in the afternoon. We saw OSS 117...kinda the French Austin Powers so it was goofy and easy to understand. But the girls like having me around and the mom always is asking me if I'll be there for dinner the next day...so I think they like it when the students they host spend time with them. Why wouldn't you? The reason you go to France is to learn French and then you don't hang out with your family? Doesn't make sense...just live in an apartment if you don't want to have to deal with anybody, n'est-ce pas?

So I've taken a bunch of cool pictures...mostly of the Eiffel Tower at night and of little kids in the Jardin du Luxembourg. I'm trying to get candid shots of couples walking around together or sitting together in parks, too. It's pretty fun...I've never really been into taking pictures until now so we'll see if I keep it up when I come back home. It was really funny, the other night some of my new friends and I were on the Eiffel Tower and it was around dusk (which here is at like 10pm...which is so awesome but pretty disorienting. It's easy to forget how late it is) and after dark they turn on these flashing lights on the tower on the hour for like ten minutes at a time. So we were on the Eiffel Tower when the lights went off for the first time and there was this collective "OOOOHHHH!!!!!" followed by the frantic clicking of cameras. It was hilarious.

So this weekend I have a field trip to Fontainebleu and Vaux le Vincomte (sp?) and then Friday afternoon I think I'm planning a trip to Strasbourg with some people. It should be really fun! I should be on before that to write another post if something interesting happens...I have no doubt interesting things will happen daily. Bisous!


Ann