I Smell French Toast!

What HAVE I been doing all this time? Well....lots.

Thursday
I was supposed to get lunch with Dad's friend, Etienne. But, when I got to his perfume boutique, Juan informed me that there was a death of a friend, so Etienne was in the country. Juan took me out to lunch, instead. This itty bitty Italian brasserie hidden on some side street near Pompidou. I didn't know WHAT was on the menu, so Juan agreed to order for me. We talked in French for most of the time, and I felt awesome about it. He's more nervous about talking in English than I am about French! That was encouraging. Unfortunately, he was called back early to the office for an interview with Elle Magazine or something, so he left me (luckily with a paid bill) with half of his meal to finish.
Feeling encouraged about my French skills, I concluded to go join the Sciences Po Chœur. I get in, and realize that my French actually DOES suck. They were talking SO quickly that my head was spinning! I didn't know WHAT was going on, let alone what I was singing or how I should sing it. The group is almost completely women. The leader of the group remembered that I emailed him about volunteering for the tenor section, so I was with one other guy (who sings like an opera tenor diva) on the tenor part. He was laughing at me the entire time because I looked (and felt, and was) completely lost. Nice guy, really. His name is Etienne. Aaaand apparently I have a concert in about a week or two. That wouldn't be such a problem if the chorus wasn't "bad" and if I knew how to access a piano somewhere in this city!!! (Thank god Juan today volunteered to let me into his dorm at the cité to use the piano.)
And THEN, after chorus, I brought 2 of the other exchange students (Liisa from Finland and Bastien from Germany) out with me to meet up with the gang (being, Rahul, Paz, Peter, and Brandon) for dinner at this Mexican joint. The food was WAY overpriced, so we left a bit peturbed...but the conversation was full and fun-filled.
We ended up walking to this club event that Sciences Po was throwing...called Black Out. Sketchy Mc-Sketch of a title, yes. But fitting. It was SOO packed...I swear, if there had been a fire, we would have all been done for. But the music was loud and intense. And there was a lot of dancing. A lot of dancing. Lorena and I tried to teach Paz how to dance. Success to be determined. It was funny because you could tell who were the exchange students and who were French; the French kids wore white shirts under the black lights, and the foreigners wore other colors and had their lint showing up everywhere.

I got home at 3am, to sleep a few hours before my class.
Friday
Well, my international marketing class is a joke. No one in the class (save Paz and me) have ANY marketing experience in any way at all. I'm the only marketing major, so my teacher has pegged me as the class TA type thing. What's worse, the class is MARKETING 101!!!!! I mean, Paz pulled up notes from his Stern class from 2 semesters ago, and they were the same! Word for word...This is my major we're talking about, here. Oh sweet lord...
Lorena joined up with us later for lunch at St.Michel. After we walked around, and after I bought two RIDICULOUSLY shaped brioches, we concluded to go back home.
Pierre and I met up to go see a movie "La Vie Des Autres". German movie, French subtitles. Not easy. Whatsoever. Luckily, I had Pierre next to me explaining bit by bit the plot of the movie. I think with all 3 languages, I was able to understand the movie as much as I fully could. Interesting movie about East Germany before the wall fell, and how the communist government would spy on people.
We hit up Paz's place later on and hung out for a few hours. Lorena and I tried to encourage the boys to dance, but they were quite opposed to the matter. Paz gave in a bit, but Pierre was being stubborn. Pierre WILL dance one of these days. Oh yes, he will...
Paz kicked us out to talk to his girlfriend back at home. So Lorena, Pierre and I went back to the Cité. Pierre and I ended up showing pictures to each other and staying up all night talking. I crashed at his place. ...and this is when I start exercising my diplomatic abilities...

Saturday
I was exhausted all day. I didn't want to do anything. I went for a run anyways.
I talked to Ido on the phone for a little while to figure out his visit to Paris.
Later in the day, Brandon gives me a call and talks to me about having people over for dinner. I mean, it's fine, I love my friends, and I love to cook, so I said yes. But when six other kids showed up (including one I didn't know?), that's when I felt a little flustered. The boys bought the materials for cooking, and I ended up cooking 3 different type of dishes (a chicken stirfry, some pasta, and cous cous...). It was intense. Everyone running in and out of my itty bitty kitchen to grab things here and there. Dinner was good, though. LOTS of left overs. And our conversation, as always, was bountious.
Brandon ended up missing the last train out, so he spent the night on my pull-out couch. After counselling me in some current events...

I woke up remembering I had a lunch date with Juan and his girlfriend, Patricia at one. So I bolted, leaving Brandon stuck in my place.
I met up with the two Spaniards by Pompidou at this place called Les Marroniers. At first we talked in English to improve their speaking skills, but I could tell after a while they were getting tired of it (they aren't fluent...), so we switched into French. They are such delightful people!!! Wonderfully accepting and kind! We potlucked our meals together and discussed Spain and America and France and everything else we could discuss with a limit of words and understandings.
We ended up going to the Musée Picasso afterwards. Every first Sunday of the month is free in any French museum, it's fabulous! We walked around the museum for a few hours. I ran into a lot of Sciences Po kids there somehow, too. I actually am starting to appreciate Picasso a lot more now, too! I like some of his art more, discovered some new favorites, and talking in French the whole time! It was lovely.
I got home to see how Brandon was fairing. He ended up cooking me french toast for dinner. Not to mention he had cleaned my apartment while I was gone! Gosh, that kid is going to make a great wife someday.
I talked to Nate on Skype for a few hours. He helped me sort out some things I've been fretting about. And we joked about our secret feelings towards Stephen Spielberg....something about volleyballs and rope and a yarmulke? Nevertheless, a much needed conversation.

I have to go to bed. Brandon and I agreed to go running in the morning.