List

Things about the French that are Way True:

They wait in line all the time. It took me an hour and a half to get my tram pass. And they won't talk to you if they don't know you.

Sometimes they won't even try to answer you in French if you sound foreign - they switch into perfect English mode. At first it's embarassing to be so patronized, but if you can get over it then it's very helpful.

Real people carry around baguettes to eat later. It isn't just some cruel stereotype. I haven't seen any berets yet, though.

They do smell bad sometimes. It's true. Usually it's not noticeable, but when you're on the tramway squished next to three people, it's a Monty Hall problem to figure out which one of them is the offender. It can get pretty nasty.

They don't shave, really. I haven't been able to find many razory items in the stores. Instead, they wax. No thanks.

The French guys are way metro. If they were in the United States, they would be beaten up after school and have their lunch money stolen. Feminine scarves are way in.

Assimilation

I know, I know, I have to post the pictures that everyone has been clamoring for. But internet here is hard work! It's a matter of finding somewhere that has internet (no mean feat), being able to use that internet, praying that the browser is recent enough to handle all the crazy xeb pages you need to use, et cetera. So it will be soon, but not now. I have to before Sunday because that's our trip to the Pont du Gard, and I'll want to be as hopelessly touristy as the rest of them. "Bring your bathing suit!" it said, so I can only imagine the wacky activities in store.

I keep having funny, blog-worthy encounters, but it is so long between internets that I always forget them. Hopefully once I'm more settled in it will be better.

Haha, I just switched the language of the keyboard to English. Take that, you stupid French lettering system! I'm writing about five times faster now. I felt like a slow child before.

There's an official welcome tomorrow at the Hotel de Ville in town, apparently with refreshment and foodstuffs. We're being greeted into the city by the offically titled Director of Foreign Affairs. We have another meeting tonight, but they called that more of an inter-program 'mixer'. Will there be punch? Are the boys and the girls going to separate to opposite sides of the room? Will I giggle myself all the way to the bathroom? Oh god, I haven't posted the picture of the bathroom yet. It's enough to make you hold it. It's not gross, just . . . you have to be limber.

Mina got harassed by some West African boys the other day. She was in the Shoppi (dumb name, I know) and they shouted, "Hey, American girl! Do you like KFC? Do you like to eat at McDonalds? Is your name Jenny? That's an ugly shirt!"

I think that last comment took things a bit too far. Her shirt wasn't that bad.

I really wish that I had photo documentation on this computer for things like my dorm room and the old-skool telephones they have.

Snakes on a Plane!

I'm in an internet cafe now, which only costs 75 euro cents per half hour. I have about nine minutes left, but I have to upload at least one picture. This goes out to T-doggy:
Serpents! Dans l'avion! Oh, it seems as if the French too are swept away by Samuel L. Jackson fever. I've seen these everywhere. It doesn't premiere in theatres here until tomorrow, so I feel like I have the hip edge. I have to work at not spoiling the ending for anyone. I wish this would have been our in-flight movie.

Here At Last

I can't write much, since class resumes at 11:00, but I figured that people would want to know that I'm alive. I am. Can't promise the same for this keyboard, though. You have to hit shift to type a period. Why??? I need to start finding alternate forms of punctuation. Also, the 'q' is in the 'a' spot. You can't reach this site if you type "qlqinqgoesqbrqod".blogspot.com. It just doesn't work.

Au Revoir

Oh, dear. It's 3:09 in the morning and I should be sleeping. The cold medicine must have finally worn off. Goodbye, Mt. Lebanon! Goodbye, Mom! Goodbye, Mrs. Foss! Goodbye, bowl of mush!

I think it would be best for all if I were sleeping right now.

Itinerary

Here's my lineup of travel fun for Wednesday:

7:30 AM: depart from Mt. Lebanon.
12:00 PM: meet Mina in State College, hopefully leave soon after that.
~4:00 PM: arrive in Philadelphia; check baggage, get boarding pass.
7:15 PM: flight leaves; dinner is served.

8:45 AM (France time): flight arrives in Charles de Gaulle airport.
11:25 AM (France time): depart for Montpellier.
12:50 PM (FT): arrival. Thank god!

Air France

I just called Air France to confirm my flight, and my call was directed to an actual French person, which I wasn't expecting to deal with. I couldn't really understand her, but I think she got what I was talking about since she said that we were in seats 48 J and K, which is next to the window. I then asked her about whether or not I was allowed to take my backpack as my second piece of carry-on luggage, and we completely lost each other at that point so I think I'll call back later when more English people are manning the phones.

Visa

Good news - my passport with visa intact came in the mail on Friday, and I bought an adapter plug with settings for the U.S., the U.K., Europe, and Australia. I feel prepared. The program people totally lied to me when they said it would take up to two months to process the visa. It was a little over a week.