Bonjour de France!

First off, may I just say that everything associated with Google is in French -- including this blog. How funny! Just typing something into my Google toolbar takes me straight to google.fr. Only one of many culture quirks (no shocks yet) which has come up.

Obviously, I am now in la belle France. I think I sent you a hasty email yesterday, but that was before the man at the cybercafe sold me an Internet cable and I could log on from the privacy and convenience of my own laptop.

So yeah -- that's what happened. Here's what else happened, in as Campbell's Soup-y format as I can:

I got on the plane in Philly and waited an hour on the runway to leave.
I didn't sleep at all on the plane, and was also extremely bored for about 1/3 of the time, as my little television was broken and the flight crew took about 2 hours to fix it.
I got to the TGV station at Charles de Gaulle about 40 minutes later than I'd hoped, and found out that the next train to Lyon was at 1 p.m. -- which would mean missing my deadline of 3 p.m. at my apartment building.
I opted to take a train at noon from Paris -- so I had to ride the metro into the city, switch trains and then wait around for an hour at the Gare de Lyon.
I got on my train, sort-of enjoyed the 2-hour ride (I was feeling nervous about making it on time) and got off in Lyon.
I got a taxi (no dispatcher!) and it took about 30 minutes to get to my place from the train station, partly because the tunnel we needed to take was closed.
The taxi charged for lifting my bags in and out of the trunk, so I only tipped him a euro. :( I did not feel that bad, although he was an old man and he did listen to Frank.
I rang the bell at my apartment -- no answer. Again -- no answer. This went on for three minutes, as I panicked and tried to think of what I could do -- until someone came out and I got in that way.
I met a New Zealander named Fergus, who told me that the landlord was showing someone their room. I waited and the landlord came back -- he seemed as stressed as me, although at least he'd slept the night before.
I got my keys -- but only after finding out that I need a French bank account, cash for this month's rent and taxes and some piece of paper from the university ASAP.
I came in, sighed with relief, and got down to business -- out to the Monoprix to get toilet paper, etc. and to the cybercafe to tell everyone I was okay. Thank goodness they sold me an Internet cable, because otherwise I'd be screwed -- I can't figure out French keyboards and couldn't log into my UNC email account. Oy.
I ate some chips, Cheerios (so expensive! But the other cereals looked like crap) and a bottle of jus d'orange (just 50 cents at ED, the discount grocery store!), took a bath (weird bathtub with shower-on-a-cord thingy), poked around online, and then went to bed at 8 -- and I only woke up at noon! Lovely.

Then today I went downtown (over the rivers? Under them, at least) to the Manufacture des Tabacs (I guess they once packaged cigarettes or something here), where the university is located. I didn't find it, but I did find a Franprix! So I stocked up on needed items like juice, cookies, tapenade and some of those cute pre-packaged salads (like tabbouleh -- yum!). Some teenagers outside the metro tried to bother me for money, but I put on my meanest New York blank stare and walked on by. The metro is so cool! It's very short, but the cars are nearly all window, so I could look straight out the front or the back! They also have weird butt-seats to lean onto (but too high to sit on), in addition to regular seats -- and no poles or straps but the occasional waist-high pole thing (not very useful, I'd think). I also never had to wait more than a minute for a train (although, granted, I only rode twice today).

Tonight I'm going out for dinner/drinks with Fergus, the New Zealander, and some other international students. I am sort of nervous (my French really is not that good), but I am also excited. I like my new hood (I'll send pics when I can), it's kind of Queens-like in the sense that there are no shady vagrants and the park is a bit run-down and there are a lot of interesting little shops about (like the afro-americaine beauty parlor down the block) and it's not snooty like perhaps the center-city would be. My apartment is really small (bedroom, living room, bathroom) and my roomie hasn't moved in yet -- I imagine it will seem even smaller when she does. But it is home, and it has a balcony (right over a busy street -- reminds me of Astoria!!), and I like it. :)

I miss you and the fam and Sunjay like crazy, but I am excited to start my year here! It will be even more exciting when you come -- though my bed is so narrow, you may have to just take the floor. Or the balcony! Hee hee. I love you -- hope the Thai date went well and the guy's not a lunatic!

xxxAnnie