Happy Birthday to the Chef!

Before I begin my actual post, I would like to draw your attention to the donation button at the right. I put this up at the suggestion of a friend who thought it would be a good way to experience more of the finer things in life here, like CHEESE! Alternately, if there is some particular place or activity you're anxious for me to blog about, such as riding up the elevator on the Eiffel Tower, remember that these things cost money and we are poor college students.

Also, today is Charlie's 27th birthday!  Happy birthday, my sweet! (A donation will certainly help fund a fancy French birthday cake for the nicest guy in the world).

Two days ago Charlie and I practiced riding the metro to two out of three of our schools. First we found our way to Alliance Française where I began French classes yesterday. I forgot to take a picture while we were there, and it was closed anyway, but here is what it looks like. Thanks, Google Street View!

After that we headed over to Charlie's school, Le Cordon Bleu, for a quick look. Here is our excited chef now:

Both of these schools were easy to find, being just a couple blocks from metro stops on the line that runs nearest our apartment. Le Cordon Bleu is the furthest and it only takes about 20 minutes to get there. We decided not to stop by my actual school - The American University of Paris, for those of you who don't know - because it was raining, we were tired, and the trip was a little more complicated. We hadn't bought a map yet and I hadn't worked out the route in advance so we probably would have just gotten lost anyway.

If you're wondering why we didn't really stop to explore the neighborhoods we were in, it is because they are pretty much deserted right now, as is all of Paris. August is the month that Parisians pack up and leave on vacation for weeks at a time, closing up their business and leaving a sign on the door to that effect. When we go out it feels like siesta in Spain; everything is dead quiet except for the occasional car passing by. When everything is closed it is kind of hard to tell what's around, especially in terms of stores. Most of the shops here have large garage-type doors that come down over the main store front so unless you are reading every single sign (which are usually directly above your head because the sidewalks are so narrow) or what you are looking for is flashy and obvious, you can easily miss the fact that you are even walking by a place of interest. In a couple weeks everything will change as the locals return from their vacations. From what we understand, it will be utter chaos. We'll enjoy the peace for now.

In other news, I started my very first French class at Alliance Française yesterday. A few weeks ago when I registered for it I took their placement test online and, thanks to my background in Spanish, was able to read, understand and respond to a good amount of it. As a result I placed into a class that is just a smidgen from being over my head. I had to pay very close attention at all moments to stay on top of what was going on, which was no easy task on a mere five hours of sleep. I pretty much had to stare directly at my teachers mouth the entire time so that I could follow along. It was an exhausting four hours, but my vocabulary probably tripled. Hopefully, life will seem less like this soon:



Charlie left this morning on a short road trip to Firmi with an old childhood friend, Nic, that he hasn't seen in about 15 years. They are going to spend a few days there with Nic's family and then Charlie will be coming back alone on the train. It just occurred to me that I maybe should have sent the camera with him, but then I wouldn't have it for my escapades here. I plan to try to get out at least once a day to explore the city, most likely to places that Charlie has already been, such as the Eiffel Tower. Other than the major tourists sights I'm still pretty ignorant about what's out there to see, so I welcome any suggestions. After all, you all know how I feel about tourists and how little time I prefer to spend around them.

Okay, time to do homework and then we'll see which way the wind blows...