Getting lazy, but doing well!

I figured I owe myself a post, but it's not quite going to be a real post just yet.

But here is part of an e-mail I wrote to a friend. Just know that I made it safely from Paris to Rouen, with SO much thanks to Hannah, Alexis, and Lia, who helped lug all 100 lbs of my luggage down six flights of stairs, onto a bus, and straight to Gare St-Lazare! I had such a nice time in Paris, but I'm excited to get everything set up in Rouen and to get settled into my new school!

- Trains are hard (but cheap and easy to sneak onto)

I took the wrong train from Paris, trying to get to Rouen. I wound up in Courbevoie, where there were no escalators or elevators to get me from the wrong side of the tracks (hehe) to the right side. I wound up hitting my ankle with one of my 50-lb bags and it is still killing me. =/ I finally took a train back to Paris and got on the right train, which was direct to Rouen. No one ever checked my ticket. However, I didn't get a seat because I couldn't lug all of my luggage up the stairs to the second level where the seats lived, and I wound up sitting on one of my bags in the hallway-type thing with two girls with actual seats (who either couldn't or didn't want to climb the stairs to sit in one of the many available seats- they were carrying no luggage).

- No matter where in the world you are, people who have disabilities and the people who love them are always the kindest.

Sylvie, one of my co-teachers, picked me up at the train station today after insisting that I shouldn't be going around by myself and that it would be nicer if I'd let her pick me up. She came with her son, Leonard, who has Down syndrome. She even took us all out to dinner for pasta (when I ordered pesto pasta, she asked several times if I wouldn't be happier with something that had meat in it, and that the expense was no problem), and Leo kept saying "Jamie" and looking at me with googly eyes and giggling until we were all in fits of laughter. It was absolutely priceless, and I will never forget that moment as long as I live.

I'm staying at a hostel now in Rouen for a couple of days, hoping to find housing on my own. I'm rooming with two other French girls, and they seem pretty nice. I'm headed to the school tomorrow with Sylvie to meet everyone, and then I'm hoping to adventure around Rouen a little bit and maybe even contact some people about getting a room somewhere. I have hit or miss internet at the hostel, and it's only available in the common areas, which is kind of a bummer, but that didn't stop me from calling Tara and my family (and consequently getting so frustrated when it kept cutting out or they wanted me to talk louder when I really don't want to disturb the other girl in here. I'll hopefully make it up to them soon with some AWESOME internet connection in my eventual apartment!!! *fingers crossed*).

Things I forgot to mention:

I passed through Copenhagen on my way to CDG:

I passed our old stomping grounds:

I went to see a free organ concert with Trevor at Notre Dame.

I went to have dinner with my host family where I used to live.

Things that I did in Paris today:

- Ate a delicious goat cheese and tomato sandwich from the bakery down the street

- Saw Michel Gondry at a cafe

- Shared a round of tea, Mister Yellow, and a cupcake at Miss Cupcakes in Montmartre

- Got lost in Montmartre and proceeded to finally find the longest outdoor flea market that I've ever seen (pictures follow)

On the street, when we were lost.

(Want to buy a hot doog?)

Walked to a park and saw a waterfall

Came home and had delicious ratatouille as the sun went down
(while watching Mystery Science Theater 3000)

Re-bienvenue en France !

Bonjour from Paris, everyone! I arrived Wednesday afternoon, and after a couple of hours in the airport, hassling the employees to stamp my passport (to no avail), I am officially in Paris.

I forget that the French can be kind in their own way. I think my experience was definitely skewed the first time around because I did have so many American friends with me. There is a specific kindness to American English; for example, hardly anyone says, "Have a nice day", and those that do would more likely say "bonne journée", the meaning of which is more akin to "Good day to you", which definitely doesn't have the same ring to it!

Anyway, the kindness I experienced while lugging my nearly 130 lbs of luggage up and down so many flights of stairs to and from all two of my metro transfers (though maybe more out of pity than anything else) was stunning. I never had to carry all of my luggage up or down the 15 or so flights of stairs that I experienced on my way to chez Alexis and Hannah. People were very kind, though I did take particular note of one guy, who, when he asked me which way I was going up out of the metro station and I didn't reply the one he needed, he gave me this look of disgusted incredulity that I can only express as lovingly familiar. It almost felt like home.

On another note, I can't even imagine having impaired mobility in this city. Those stairs really did me in, and my legs (and arms) are still howling. Though that was probably also from the 6 flights of stairs at Hannah and Alexis' apartment, too. No elevator. Awesome. =D

It is so good to be around Hannah and Alexis! My first night in, Hannah and some friends and I went out for an apéro of a very sweet-tasting beer-type drink down the block, and it was super fun to be alternating between Spanish and French and English again. Afterwards, we got back to the apartment and watched funny youtube videos and made delicious vegetarian carbonara. I fell asleep probably around 10:30 pm and woke up at what I thought was 9:00 am. I had looked at my laptop clock, but realized that it was still on New York time. Boy, was I surprised upon learning that I actually woke up at 3:00 pm! I know that I often sleep more than most, but those nearly 17 hours were exactly what I needed to jump-start my recovery from jet lag. Here's hoping it's gone for good!

Yesterday, we made spinach and goat cheese feuilletés, which were so good, but even better with the Sancerre wine that accompanied it (I thought of you, Chrissy!). Wow. Best white wine EVER. I'm not often fond of whites, but this changed my life forever. Just, wow.

Today, I'm off to my old stomping grounds. Going to see if I can figure out my old cell phone chez Bouygues, headed to Reid Hall to say hi to my junior Smithies abroad, and then making my famous petits gâteaux americains for dinner at my host family's house tonight! I am quite excited to be back.