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Let's see....it's been a super busy week! I haven't been home for more than a few hours, really...

Monday, orientation started. They put me in the beginner's French, which is completely ridiculous because I can hold a conversation in French! I was completely outraged, and I went to talk to the leader of the program who was talking to me, in French no less, and saying, "You're not in the medium level? You can hold a conversation with me an understand? This makes no sense....well, no matter, stay where you're put." I then find out that almost most of the class is in the same boat as me; where we are conversational in French, but being held back unexplicably. Luckily, we are the group with no homework to do, unlike Paz and all of my other friends who have presentations to do. A few days later things get slightly better, and we're told that we might be moved up a few levels. I sure hope so!
I am sick with a sinus infection. Be surprised.

Tuesday was fun. Classes slightly improved. The group of exchange kids went to the Restaurant Universitaire Mabillon, where I sat with my friends. The food looked pretty gross, but it was so cheap (2.75 E), how can one complain?! Lorena cut up Paz's chicken for him like a baby because he didn't like the look of it, and I laughed out loud hard enough that I had to stop myself for fear my nose'd fall off.
I came back for a run later at night to help me rid of my sickness. I ran to the Eiffel Tower (yeah, because I can do that here) and dodged traffic a bit. It's pretty amazing to just, on a whim, decide to run 10 minutes or so to international monument like that. Like it's no big thing.
I was going to say indoors at night because I felt really crumby, but Lorena persuaded me to end up with the other kids at Frog & Princess for student discounts. It is this little pub that holds maybe 50, but we managed about 80 kids in there at least. You literally had NO space. Arms down, didn't matter. No space. I stayed for an hour or two and left early to cough and sulk in bed.

Wednesday I met up with Brandon and we watched Auberge l'Espagnole. It was a pretty good movie, had more languages than the UN, and warned us of what is to come of our exchange experience. Apparently I'll run away from any normal job after my trip here in France...
We met up with Alex, Paz & Rahul after the movie. We concluded to go out for a falafel (after trudging about the Latin Quarter for something cheap, fast, and easy) and see the French movie "La Môme" about singer Edith Piaf's life (which was quite remarkable!). The accents were really hard to understand, so a lot of it didn't make sense at all. It took all 5 of us afterwards to put together the scenes and understand it more completely. But it was a very fun night with them all. Great kids, I love the people I'm studying with right now.
I helped Rahul clean his apartment afterwards (color me OCD).

Thursday, yesterday, after classes, we all went to Musée d'Orsay. It's this odd museum that was one a train station. The art ranges wildly, and the guys were complaining about the artwork the entire time. After a long (and slightly painful) trample through the museum, the guys and I went out for some pizza (imagine me eating pizza....it's rare).
Lorena called us up and told us to meet her at this club, The Mix. On Thursdays they have free entry for international students. We were in the beginning of the line, and the line by about 30 minutes into entering the place, it was mad chaos. Brazilian night, you know how it is. After forcing the guys on the dance floor for a good round of songs, we cruised out early because of morning classes. And just in time, too; the line was ridiculous.

Note: Yes, I have been eating out a lot. I have made a good group of friends here, namely men of course, who always want to go out and eat for lunch/dinner. Baguettes for lunch, something cheap for dinner. So much bread!

TODAY! After a long day of feeling like crap, and after somehow managing to offend the hot Dutch guy in my class, I bounced out around 5pm to meet up Dad's friend, Etienne, in the 3ème arrondissement.
Etienne owns his own perfume company/store. It has some pretty ridiculously named, and incredibly interesting-smelling, perfumes (14 total?). And he is one of the kindest men I have ever met in my life. He essentially told me that not only am I to hang out with his employee who's at Sciences Po fulltime, Juan, and his friends, but that I'm essentially a part of his family here. Need a dentist? Doctor? Need absolutely anything?!?! CALL HIM! And I will be eating with his family in a few weeks, perhaps getting drinks with them sometime. Stopping by whenever. He gave me free perfume. Amazing man. Adorable baby, too!
His assistant, Jerry (a girl), sampled the perfumes with me. Though I was mostly talking in French with them, she asked me to help her with her English. We both got drinks afterwards and talked in Franglish. We will be getting together later on to help her English. Wonderful girl, from Madagascar.
I then got stopped on the Métro by the RATP cops for having the "wrong papers". I got fined 35 Euros, and I'm still ripped about that.
I met up with the kids to go to a jazz club in some dive bar that MUST be from during the French Revolution, and I'm serious. Good music, good pina coladas, and good company. A good night overall.

And now, I sleep.