Sorry For the Flurry

Thank you Starbucks (Stahrbooox en français). Thank you ever so much for the free wireless internet access and the fact that you are located in between la appartement and la metro Cour St. Emilion which I have to take every day to school, and the fact that the frappacino chocolat moyen I am drinking is delicious and full of French cream. So I haven’t got too bad of a setup here. It’s been a rough week adjusting to the city, and not being able to speak English, and getting around dans la metro, my suitcase handle broke on the second day, and orientation and all that jazz. I don’t think there’s anybody near me, so I dunno, I’m kinda lonely and having difficulty making friends because we are all so separated, but I’ll manage I think. Speaking French is actually easier than I anticipated, and it is really cool to go into, for example, a Starbucks and order something, and have them not know that secretly I am an American. People seem to understand me, and me them, but I really don’t know if they can detect the American accent at all. People come up to me randomly and speak French, and I can answer them as if I actually live here. Or maybe that’s what I’m thinking? But its weird, people in the L’auberge where I stayed Monday (Tuesday?) didn’t think I was American, rather Canadian or English. Interesting isn’t it? The IES program looks really well run, and the courses look interesting that I want to take. Still don’t know whether I can join an orchestra, but I asked my academic advisor, and she said she would make some phone calls to see about it.
So its my 21st birthday. And I’m sitting here in Starbucks with a frap and piece of chocolate cake and singing happy birthday to myself. Pathetic, I know, but I’m having dinner with my host family tonight, and then afterwards I don’t know. There was talk of going out to the Quartier Latin with some people at lunch today but I can never be sure. We were told today that if you drink in your room, you can be considered an alcoholic by French standards, so maybe I’ll go out to a bar and drink myself happy. In any case I’m here for my Birthday, Halloween, All Saint’s Day, Thanksgiving, Kathryn’s birthday, Christmas and New Year’s, so I probably can’t or shouldn’t worry about BIG days too much. Anyway, à bientôt.