Quick, I need to get rid of these pounds!

Number of currencies in my purse right now: 3
Amount of money I plan to be spending this week: As close to zero as possible
Time it took me to be in a whole other country and culture: 1 hour
Paris rocks in terms of getting around to other places, it's so well connected.

Now I am back from Bath and nearly pound-less or as close to it as possible. I'm pretty sure it's just Euros from here on out. As per usual, I feel like a list is a good way to sum up what I did this weekend: 1 rugby game, 1 pint of Guinness, one camera in said pint of Guinness, 3 people seen in Jane-Austen-era clothing while visiting the Roman Baths, thanks to the Jane Austen center's festival that weekend. (Jane wrote Northanger Abbey in Bath and lived there for a little while.)
several drunk brits in the club below the flat I was staying in.. and one plate of greasy fish and chips! So, obviously as you can see, I had a great time.

Still think it's odd that I'm in classes. I don't know if I'll really get use to it, it doesn't feel like I will.

I have finished planning my mini excursions for the semester! They include the following:
One weekend in Milan
More than a weekend in Brussells Bruge and Luxembourg
One weekend in Amsterdam

Can't wait!

First week of class down and I am now off to visit Meggie in Bath! For some reason I feel like I'm not going to get there, I don't know why, it's weird. It's like I don't believe that I'm actually going to England this weekend. Maybe I have too many other things on my mind or something. Like wondering if I can manage classes in French as well as I manage classes in English... We'll see.

When will I stop worrying? I'm looking forward to it. Not worrying. Just another thing I don't believe will actually happen.

And now, I am sick

Classes started on Monday. It finally feels like I'm studying abroad now. Before I was just hanging around not doing much of anything. Now I'm back to homework. School is a bit odd in France because teachers don't tell you exactly what is expected of you or exactly what your homework is, there are just texts you should read, and then I guess they expect you to just know everything. I don't know. Hopefully I'll figure it out. I guess now I won't have to try to find things to occupy my time since I'll be reading all these texts professors mildly hint I should be reading.

I felt really sick on Monday, thankfully I have a bunch of medicine from the states I can take to try to knock the sickness out of me.

Odd thing about French stuff I learned this week: Pharmacies don't sell tissues. Apparently when they're sick their nose doesn't run, it's just us Americans. Luckily I know where a grocery store with tissues is and it's not far from my school! It's the little triumphs that are truly exciting.

Lunch on La Tour Eiffel, oh la la!

That's right, today I had lunch with all the IES students on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, It's funny, from far away it seems silly to think there are restaurants and bathrooms and things in the Eiffel Tower, because the structure doesn't look very solid, like there are places for people to sit and eat. And how does the water and pipes and everything drain from the structure? I just don't get it. Those French architects are very sneaky.

After that I thought it would be a really good idea to scale the steep streets in Montmartre where Le Sacre Coeur is, a beautiful church on top of this very high hill, after only sleeping last night for three hours and being hung over. I survived.

Since I can't watch French tv for increments longer than 30 min and I don't have homework because classes begin Monday, and I can't download tv off of iTunes because "My C drive is too full" which is a load of bull crap, I read. I went to an English book store and bought The Hobbit. It's a great book to read on the metro because every morning and afternoon I escape the hum drum normality of the metro and get kidnapped by goblins, party with the elves and get bailed out of tight situations by Gandolf the Great, who is probably one of my favorite science fiction characters ever.

It feels very Never Ending Story, you know escaping the mediocrity of life and falling into fantasy adventures. Except no one beats me up here, unless maybe if I get mugged and I have a feeling when I'm done reading the book I wont have a large mystical animal who I befriend during my journeys to take me on a scenic ride flying over Paris.

It's just a hunch. At least I can dream.

Why does it say I took out 40% more than what I took out of my account? Stupid exchange rate!

Just realized how much money I am spending here and realized I need to not like spending money as much as I do. This exchange rate sucks, and I doubt it will get better with America's fantastic economy. Just ate dinner with my host family, we had ratatouille! It was great, until the son jumped up from the table and ran to the bathroom, after which I expected to hear horrific purging sounds, but I don't know what he was doing and then he just came back to the table and muttered something I couldn't understand in French. Who knows what's up with that. I actually have some homework to do for this French class we've started taking at IES. The rest of our classes don't start until Monday.

I went to this book shop that sells used books in English, I bought the Hobbit. Since I can't watch TV and I have trouble downloading from iTunes I need something to keep me busy, and I can read it on the train.

Tomorrow, I'm packing my lunch. I'll just buy a half baguette to eat my tomato and brie cheese with and I'll refill my water bottle...see? I can be resourceful!

We'll see how long this lasts.

I am not suppose to know what you look like in your underwear

Didn't get to see the Pope Saturday morning. Watched it on tv. Went out in search of fun times and drunk dancing and came home dissapointed. Also paid 20 Euros for the cab ride home and got locked out of the apartment and had to wake my French mom's son in law up to unlock the lock which can't be opened from outside and got a great view of him in his faded boxer briefs with a huge English flag on it. Oh what a night.

More success Sunday, washed jeans, watched Smart People and ignored homework.

Last week of "freedom" before my actual classes start.

Let the games begin!

By my lonesome in my bedroom. No one wanted to go out tonight, they're all too tired or "have things to do at home" which I don't understand when you're living with a family. I didn't go out to have dinner in Levallois, I'm not particularly hungry, which is hard to believe, my ear hurts and it's raining outside.

I did kill a bug, hopefully it is the same little bastard who's been biting me.

J'ai mal aux pieds!

More bug bites are appearing on my neck/face, this is not a good sign, hasn't the bug died yet? Christ!

Thinking of going down the street for some Sushi but the thought of walking is pain-inflicting. I can't believe how unprepared my body was for all the walking I do every day. I visited the Musee D'Orsay today and I could barely appreciate Dega's dancing ballerinas (personal fav) because my feet were screaming: "What the hell are you doing to us? You squashed us into those boots all day and you couldn't even put us in sneakers the next day because you are too scared of looking like an American? Shame on you! We're the only ones you have, you know!"

Well, my accent is enough of a give away, I figured I should at lease try to look the part of a Parisian. That's so annoying when you speak to someone in French and they respond to you in English. I have very chatty feet. Go figure. Everyone's feet talk to them every now and again, am I right or am I right? Don't give me that look.

Flights booked to countries outside of France: 2 (Milan & Bristol)
People on Metro this morning who gave me weird looks for (heaven forbid) eating some toast: 2

There is no such thing as snack on the go in France. I am trying to deal, we'll see how I do.

Dinner: 1 baguette, 1 round of cheese, 1 little basket of strawberries and some grapes.
Dessert: biscuits with chocolate on top
Some wine perhaps? Maybe while I watch the new episode of gossip girl.. I can't believe I have to wait till the end of October to watch 30 Rock again. :(

Feeling like I'm expanding even though I walk everywhere and everyone says you loose weight when you study in France. Maybe I have to get a little bit bigger before I can get smaller. Yeah, that's probably it. Well then, more chocolate biscuits couldn't hurt.

Thoughts from a far

Life is so much easier once you've sat at a cafe for a couple hours with a glass of beer and talked about it.

I can't believe how jet lagged I still feel. I thought I would be over it by now, but this morning I was so tired I could barely form sentences in English no less French.

I did it, I bought a pack of cigarettes and I officially feel like a Parisian when I smoke them. Which will not be often since I'm really not a smoker. Just at key moments like sitting outside at a cafe or basically when ever I find myself standing around outside.

I think that there is a bug in my room or something because I am finding little read spots that look like bites on one side of my face and on my hand. I thought there weren't any bugs really in Paris and that's why there aren't screens on the windows. Maybe there are very few, and it just so happens one in particular has it in for American students who speak French with an intolerable accent. I asked a crossing guard a question today and he was making fun of us and spoke to us in French with an American accent, I was like finally! A guy we can understand! I don't think he saw it that way.

I just want so desperately to be French. I obviously have to work on my accent.

I love Paris every moment

Number of cafes called Indiana spotted: 3
French people who spoke to me in French and I'm assuming expected me to respond in French: 3
French pigeons who pooped on me in French: 1
Free meals with dessert from awesome restaurant on a little unassuming side street: 1

Today I decided after sleeping in until noon, to embrace being a tourist and visit some sights by myself. Totally not phased doing things by myself, it's nice, no one to worry about. Also no one to take your picture by famous monuments, but really those shots are so over done, who cares really? Right? Up and down the champs-elysees, and not a euro dropped. Except on some postcards to send to friends.

I feel like Fall has suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks, (thanks a lot for that) it's been about 60 degrees and windy everyday.

Tomorrow it's the Centre Georges-Pompidou and hopefully Notre Dame! Now I think I might have a little late night snack, the left over food from lunch/dinner earlier... maybe the cheesecake!

This is right next to the Jarin des Tuileries and It is the beginning of Les Champs - Elysees.

Two full days in Paris. I got around on the Metro by myself, which really isn't that great of a feet after conquering the subway in New York. The Paris Metro is much cleaner and clearly marked. I went to the IES center today and met some of the people on my program. I can't believe how tired I still am. I think I'm going to try to nap before I meet some of them out at the Bastille Metro stop tonight. It's weird not having anyone to talk to that you know in your time zone. I can't wait for class to actually start. I think I'm going to see what American television I can find online. I can only listen to the news en francais for so long...

I have arrived!

Currently in Paris. So tired. Did not sleep as much as I needed to on the plane. My ear hurts. The one that got punctured by the q-tip. I am hoping the pain will cease after a good night's rest. We shall see.

About the previous note- got reply back from woman and is not weird at all, very nice, I have obviously met her now and tasted her cooking. Very happy. ok must sleep now...

To call or not to call

Deciding whether or not it's a good idea to just call the French woman I'm staying with. This could lead to two possible outcomes in my mind. Either I suddenly regain all knowledge of the French language I have otherwise possibly lost over the past 3 months and have a clearly understandable conversation with her and let her know when I will be arriving.
Or, I suddenly get really nervous that I will be talking to a real French person, that is from France, lose most of my knowledge and confidence in the French speaking department and try to resort back to English, but because of her lack of knowledge in the English department we have a very awkward confusing conversation which I don't know how to end because of our lack of a ability to communicate and nothing gets achieved and she now thinks I am a pompous disgusting American.

Actually she is probably right now assuming she is going to be stuck with a pompous gluttonous American. Hopefully I can change that. Hopefully.