The fruit of my labor this afternoon!!! Two notebook with LINES - actually a very rare discovery in France. Instead, every notebook has little squares, essentially like graph paper in the U.S. I don’t get it. Do French students use that for notes and everything? Or are they all geniuses who don’t take notes in class?! I’m still figuring it out. I decided to go downtown because I was bored. I figured out the right bus to take and the right bus to take back - after taking the wrong bus a few days ago I learned to carry around a bus guide at ALL TIMES! Haha. Anyway. I ended up walking around and window shopping. Everyone was downtown this afternoon, in cafes and in stores. Everything is closed tomorrow, so today is the day to shop!  Before I left home, I picked out a book from my bookshelf: Emma by Jane Austen. Former USAC students left a lot of books because they didn’t want to take them all the way home. I brought it with me downtown and sat at a cafe and read for a while, which was really nice because I was in the shade and drinking some delicious coffee at the same time. :] However, after finishing my coffee, I wasn’t sure if it was proper in France to sit for a long time, so I decided to get up and walk around, and that’s when I stumbled upon a “deux euros” store - everything inside is 2 euros. Woo! I found these two James Dean notebooks, and then on a whim I decided to buy a pack of 25 colored markers in case I want to draw some pictures to send home to my family. Ha, ha. If you know me well, this choice will be particularly amusing. I never draw, unless stick figures count!! But, I was feeling creative and I thought that this might be a good time to try all sorts of things I’ve never tried before - after all, I’m trying to live in a new country!!! The time is now.  After all that, I came home. While I was waiting for the bus back to my house, a woman was standing next to me and smoking, but I didn’t really notice. Then she started speaking to me, and I definitely heard the word “cigarette,” and I could tell she was asking me a question, but I couldn’t figure it out!!! I know this sounds ridiculous, but for a second I thought she was OFFERING ME HER CIGARETTE, because she had to leave or something and it was only half-smoked!!!! So I said, “Pour moi? Je ne comprends pas,” which means, “For me? I don’t understand.” And then I said, “Je suis désolée” - I’m sorry - and she said, “Non, I understand!” and she moved away and started smoking in the other direction, so that the smoke wasn’t going toward me. Then I realized that she said, “Est-ce que ma cigarette vous derangez?” which means, “Does my cigarette disturb you?” Haha. I felt silly after that, because she was being really nice! I guess when I said, “I’m sorry” she thought I meant, “Yes, please move, I’m sorry!” Hah. It always takes me a second when someone catches me off-guard, and then I always feel bad afterward, because I already lost my chance at having a good French conversation!  Also, I know how completely stupid it sounds to think that she was offering me her cigarette - but lately, I can’t rule anything out! There could easily be customs here that are completely different from the U.S. But then again, the French aren’t just like, completely unhygienic. I know it sounds ridiculous. But, you never know!! Haha. Living in another country makes you feel SO stupid sometimes! :] And now, I’m going to go to sleep. I’ve already finished dinner, and clean up, and I am too lazy to shower this evening, so I think I’m going to sleep now and shower tomorrow instead. Perhaps I will read some more Emma… hahaha. The least French book EVER!  Missing everyone!

The fruit of my labor this afternoon!!! Two notebook with LINES - actually a very rare discovery in France. Instead, every notebook has little squares, essentially like graph paper in the U.S. I don’t get it. Do French students use that for notes and everything? Or are they all geniuses who don’t take notes in class?! I’m still figuring it out.

I decided to go downtown because I was bored. I figured out the right bus to take and the right bus to take back - after taking the wrong bus a few days ago I learned to carry around a bus guide at ALL TIMES! Haha. Anyway. I ended up walking around and window shopping. Everyone was downtown this afternoon, in cafes and in stores. Everything is closed tomorrow, so today is the day to shop! 

Before I left home, I picked out a book from my bookshelf: Emma by Jane Austen. Former USAC students left a lot of books because they didn’t want to take them all the way home. I brought it with me downtown and sat at a cafe and read for a while, which was really nice because I was in the shade and drinking some delicious coffee at the same time. :] However, after finishing my coffee, I wasn’t sure if it was proper in France to sit for a long time, so I decided to get up and walk around, and that’s when I stumbled upon a “deux euros” store - everything inside is 2 euros. Woo! I found these two James Dean notebooks, and then on a whim I decided to buy a pack of 25 colored markers in case I want to draw some pictures to send home to my family. Ha, ha. If you know me well, this choice will be particularly amusing. I never draw, unless stick figures count!! But, I was feeling creative and I thought that this might be a good time to try all sorts of things I’ve never tried before - after all, I’m trying to live in a new country!!! The time is now. 

After all that, I came home. While I was waiting for the bus back to my house, a woman was standing next to me and smoking, but I didn’t really notice. Then she started speaking to me, and I definitely heard the word “cigarette,” and I could tell she was asking me a question, but I couldn’t figure it out!!! I know this sounds ridiculous, but for a second I thought she was OFFERING ME HER CIGARETTE, because she had to leave or something and it was only half-smoked!!!! So I said, “Pour moi? Je ne comprends pas,” which means, “For me? I don’t understand.” And then I said, “Je suis désolée” - I’m sorry - and she said, “Non, I understand!” and she moved away and started smoking in the other direction, so that the smoke wasn’t going toward me. Then I realized that she said, “Est-ce que ma cigarette vous derangez?” which means, “Does my cigarette disturb you?” Haha. I felt silly after that, because she was being really nice! I guess when I said, “I’m sorry” she thought I meant, “Yes, please move, I’m sorry!” Hah. It always takes me a second when someone catches me off-guard, and then I always feel bad afterward, because I already lost my chance at having a good French conversation! 

Also, I know how completely stupid it sounds to think that she was offering me her cigarette - but lately, I can’t rule anything out! There could easily be customs here that are completely different from the U.S. But then again, the French aren’t just like, completely unhygienic. I know it sounds ridiculous. But, you never know!! Haha. Living in another country makes you feel SO stupid sometimes! :]

And now, I’m going to go to sleep. I’ve already finished dinner, and clean up, and I am too lazy to shower this evening, so I think I’m going to sleep now and shower tomorrow instead. Perhaps I will read some more Emma… hahaha. The least French book EVER! 

Missing everyone!