Je suis arrivée!

Bonjour à tous! Hello everyone! I am now officially about halfway through my second day in Paris and so far most everything has gone very well. My home-stay mom Chantal is super nice and her and her daughter Marjorie are hilarious. There is also another American student living here named Rhonda - she's been here about a month and is looking for her own apartment right now so she'll be moving out again around the end of the month. Yesterday was spent mostly in settling in - Kaellen met me at the airport and helped me navigate the metro and purchase my own Passe Navigo (metro/rail/bus pass) which I can recharge as needed. Together we found l'Institut Catholique (or "la Catho" as the students here aparently call it!) and figured out the right metro line/stop for me. I also got to meet her home-stay family - well some of them... Both of the daughters were out of town - one on a ski trip with friends and one I think staying with a family in Spain to practice her Spanish. I did meet the parents and the two young sons who are all adorable. I then successfully navigated my way back (alone!) on the metro and through the series of keypad coded doors and stairs and elevators back to the apartment where I'm staying. After some relaxation and reading - but no napping! - I had dinner with Chantal, Rhonda, and Marjorie. They kept me awake with their stories and jokes even though the jet lag and delicious food tried to put me to sleep. After dinner, Rhonda helped me to log into the wifi network here and I was able to get on skype for a few minutes before going to bed to assure my parents that I was alive.

So far today, I woke up at 7h - at which time most of my American friends were probably still awake (7h = midnight central time). I got ready and had delicious breakfast with mint tea Chantal made for me and was out the door and at the metro by 8h20. After asking a few different people I finally found the office I was supposed to go to in order to register and take my placement test. After signing in and receiving a blank schedule sheet I went upstairs with the other étudiants étrangers (international students) to take the written portion of the test. After the written section we were all sent into the next room to peruse the course catalogue booklets and pick out classes we might be interested in taking. Out of the room full of students, I was the last to be called, so I had to wait a bit. When I was finally called, one of the teachers there went over my score and my niveau (fluency level) and helped me figure out my schedule. The good news is I have no class at all on Monday or Friday - so hopefully I will be able to do some traveling and enjoy my weekends! After formalizing my registration and receiving my new ILCF student I.D. I decided to explore a bit in the area. I was able to explore Saint Sulpice - a gorgeous cathedral that predates Notre Dame according to Chantal and Marjorie and eat my "sandwich club" (tomatoes, lettuce, ham, bacon, cheddar cheese, and hard-boiled eggs) in the square in front of the cathedral that had a beautiful fountain. After that, I took the metro back to Les Halles (the stop near my apartment) and explored the area and another beautiful cathedral - Saint Eustache. Then I wandered around the enormous shopping center Chatalet Les Halles that's right across the street. I was able to find shampoo and body wash without too many difficulties - now I just need to buy a cell phone and a hairdryer and I'll be set! Now I'm going to relax a bit before dinner and then I'll start making plans for the rest of my week - I don't start my classes until next week Tuesday, so I'll have a lot of time to explore! That's all for now - grosses bises à tous!