Internet finally!

Hooray! After a 45-minute phone call and trying to follow instructions in a language I sure don't know, I finally have internet access at my apartment!

Yesterday I had an oral test and confirmed my advanced status, so we'll see how all of that goes! I did a lot of wandering afterwards, around the school in the morning and around the area between my apartment building and metro stop (about 4 long blocks away) in the afternoon. I never feel lost here, especially since if I do lose my way, there is sure to be a metro station nearby that I can hop on and figure out how to get back. Transportation is so much easier here than any other place I've ever been, and I love it! Even the buses are easy--there's a schedule, they all go the places they're supposed to, they announce what stop you're at (there are specific stops!) and they all charge the same price! That's a shocker after trying to figure out the micro system (there really isn't one) in Chile! It's true that there's a cafe (or boulangerie or patisserie...) on every corner, and the coffee and pastries here are everything they're cracked up to be. The bread is great, the cheese is great, we had crepes for dinner the other night AND I had quite a lengthy conversation with Madame Boquet over dinner tonight about differences in our educational systems. So pretty much life is great! Ask me again in a month and I may not think the same, but everything is going splendidly right now!

Last night I aaaalmost slept through the night. I feel like a child. Every night so far I've woken up at 4 or 5 a.m. (9 or 10 p.m. back home) and haven't been able to fall back asleep for a couple of hours, and then all of a sudden it's time to get up. It is so bizarre, but I've talked to a couple of people who are having the same problem so I guess it's normal jet lag? I've also been really tired in the mornings but awake in the afternoons, which makes much more sense. Today wasn't so bad, so I have high hopes for tomorrow. :)

This morning I met up with a few friends (Judy, Maggie and Michelle) and we went to l'Arc de Triomphe, which is my favorite thing I've done so far! But then again, I haven't seen the Eiffel Tower up close yet or been to any museums... I'll post some pictures soon! Then we went shopping all afternoon and actually found a couple of decently priced things that I liked! And a whole lot of other things I liked but definitely couldn't buy!

Last night we took a boat ride (the Bateaux Mouches) along the Seine at dusk and it was beautiful! My first sight of the Eiffel Tower was on the metro on the way there. I stayed on the top of the boat for most of the ride (until we turned around to head back) and it was FREEZING. I could barely move my fingers afterwards! It was kind of misty so I didn't get the best pictures, but it was a really great trip! We even got to see the Eiffel Tower lights come on and then sparkle later on.

Well I'm probably going to go to bed soon (I'm bound and determined to get a good night's sleep one of these days and it's definitely not going to happen over the weekend) so au revoir!

Kristin