It was only my second morning, and I already overslept. I was supposed to meet everyone to buy phones! So I don't have a phone... which sucks. So I cried for about thirty seconds and then got over it. But I'm going at the crack of dawn tomorrow to buy one. Then I will feel at ease. I hope.

I wandered around Montparnasse today, because that's where the Tufts office is and the classrooms, etc. It's a very commercial area, but it was still fun. We were in our orientation session for four hours. Ugh. Again, my brain was on overload. I don't speak French that well. Oy.

We talked about la vie parisienne and how to deal with our host families, etc. They talked about how it is indeed possible to live like an American in Paris, but wouldn't you rather fit in? So they're trying to make us Parisians! We'll see how well that goes over.

Then we set up our bank accounts. Yay! Money! That's always good stuff, eh? So I have a French bank account now, and tomorrow morning (also at the crack of dawn), Chantel and I are depositing our checks. So we'll have money! Yay! Then we can finally eat lunch! Yay!

They also served us galette, which is an almond-paste-filled pastry, which is mm...mm...delicious. My family served me one yesterday for lunch. It has this whole tradition behind it, as it is the food of the king or something, and they eat it on the feast of the epiphany. Some Catholic thing. I don't really know. But the point is that it has a special treat or favor in the middle, and whoever gets the piece with the treat in it gets to wear the crown! I didn't get it today, but I got it yesterday, so now I have a crown, that looks like it's from Burger King. Love it.

Anyway, then I ate dinner at home. Mom, you would be proud. I ate a grapefruit. I eat so well here, it's incredible. She also fed me this chocolate fudge ice cream chestnut cake... or something like that... with English cream on top. It was quite literally heaven. My host mother now knows that I love chocolate, so she feeds me chocolate a lot. Hehe. I am so happy.

Anyway, then I finally asked my host mother all the questions that I should have asked earlier. So now there's no confusion over anything. Yay! I also watched the news with my host parents. I understood only one of the eight or ten segments, and it was only because it was about teaching English to five-year-olds. They have American or English teachers teach the French by webcam, because it's apparently very important for the children to hear a real accent and not a French accent with their English. Also, these French teachers are buying iPods for the entire class (keep in mind they're like five), and they have English recordings they listen and repeat. Crazy, yea? The other segments were probably more relevant, but I can't understand. Oh well!

I did read Le Figaro, and I found out the Nevada caucus results and other election news in French. I felt pretty good about that. My parents also gave me an easy French book to read. It's like a ten-year-old boy in a hospital who's about to die, and he's writing letters to God. Pretty uplifting, eh?

Did I mention that someone asked me for directions yesterday? I was just going into the metro station, and another woman was coming out, and she asked me where the cinema was. Luckily, I actually knew, and I actually told her where. I guess I look somewhat like a local. Granted, I don't live in the city, so it's a less crazy, more easygoing area.

So far I've been able to express myself at the pharmacie and at the cafes. It's just difficult to talk to my family for a long time. Tomorrow we start our French review courses. Then we're taking a mini-tour of Paris. So far so good!