Too many things going on.

What a hectic couple of days it was...

After we got back to the hotel on Saturday night, I spent a bit of time preparing myself for the day ahead (packing, counting money, etc) and got off to a rocky start when the toilet in our hotel room malfunctioned and I had a fitful, sweaty sleep (it was really freaking warm in the room, so my roommate opened it, but closed it again in the middle of the night when it was too loud). Also, apparently I snore. My parents could have told you that, and she was like "you never told me you snored..." but 1. I think I only snore when I'm super duper tired (Michelle never complained the entire time I lived with her in SB) and 2. I didn't think to tell my roomie that because I didn't think I actually snored anymore. (Then again, my adenoidectomy - which stopped my snoring for a long time - was thirteen years ago.) THEN, for some brilliant reason, we had to get up at 6.45 AM to get ready for the trip over to AUP at 9 AM. T_T Even with that, my roomie and I were almost late. (It was probably my fault, even though I got up at exactly 6.45 AM.) Then after the housing session, my new friend Joanne Chu and I decided to move in. I got hella nervous trying to speak in French to Madame Fabregat (my host mother) but she was understanding and I moved in right after. Even with the early move-in I got back late to AUP, which is horrible because the thing I was coming back for was the placement test. Since I was late, I probably didn't do as well as I could/should have and will probably get an easier class than I really need. >_< After that, though, I had a whole block of time to kill and was kind of bummed out by my poor test performance so Joanne and I decided to explore the seventh arrondissement. We had lunch at a cute little cafe-brasserie-bistro thingy off of Rue de Champ de Mars - I had a croque-monsieur, fries, and a Kronembourg (yum). It cost 13 Euros, though, so I was kind of freaked about that. I tried to find affordable things, but Paris is a fricking expensive city.

I also had quite a nice conversation with Joanne over the meal. Apparently, we have a frighteningly large number of similarities: not only are our names Joanne C., but she is Asian (Korean), bookish (and bad at math to boot), a UC kid (LA), Protestant (Baptist), and uptight (according to a friend of hers, who bears a ridiculous resemblance to a friend of mine who made the same comment). We also wear thick black-framed glasses. I've found my twin! XD She looks nothing like me, though - she's got straight hair and typically Asian features, while I've got curly hair (no. really.) and looks that get me mistaken for Mexican or some other ethnicity not Filipino. However, when I tell people straightaway that I'm Filipino, they usually respond with "I thought so. I have a Filipino friend." (I don't really believe them. XD BTW, Madame Fabregat brought up "Mexican, Spanish, Italian?" when she asked my "origine," and didn't expect me to answer "Filipino.") After that, we went to the Eiffel Tower (yesssssssss) where I took the very first picture of myself in Paris - at the Eiffel Tower, doing my signature pose. JUST AS PLANNED! XD

After that, we crossed the bridge and walked along the quai for a bit (at which we got holla'd at by this skeezy dude - he looked OK enough but he tried to get our attention by "pssst"ing at us, which is skeezy to me. Christian, you'll be proud to know that neither Joanne looked back at him - we both knew what he was after and would not give him the satisfaction of a glance).

At the Place des Invalides, Joanne got kind of cold so I said ok, let's go back. Also, I had a seminar thingy in 30 minutes so we went back. After a lecture that I fell asleep during several times, there was a reception with wine (this is France, after all) and some other beverages. I had red wine (which I sipped at for an hour and discarded with 1/3 left in the glass... I still don't like red wine) and a Kir (creme de cassis and white wine... yum yum yum). Then the student body president gave a slightly tipsy speech ("Take advantage of us... in a good way, not in the bad way... but take advantage of Paris because there is so much to take advantage of..." etc., etc.) which was met with raucous cheering. So far, I like the slightly eccentric atmosphere of AUP - classes are held in these 100-year-old buildings, professors speak to you in highly informal language, the student advisors are VERY enthusiastic about their jobs, wine flows freely at student functions, there are a whole bunch of rich people running around, etc. It's kind of like Ouran, but in much smaller buildings. (The grandeur of the buildings, however, is not lost in the smaller scale. After all, this is Paris.) One friend called it "Camp Paris," and indeed, it does feel like that. I don't really feel like this is a school - it feels too fun and madcap to be one. After the reception came dinner with student advisors. My advisor, Jeff, took our group and another person's group to 7eme Sud, a Mediterranean restaurant off Rue de Grenelle. I had tagliatelle with smoked salmon and alfredo sauce (YUM YUM YUMMMMMMMM) and water (I had a bit of white wine, but I am still not used to the taste). It was nice and cosy, and the portions were HUGE by Paris standards. I hope I eat a bit less when I eat out here, cos if all the places were like this I'd never ever lose weight. Actually, Madame is trying to see to it that I don't. XD)

Then we went to the Freedom pub, an American pub (the irony of an American pub in Paris being named "Freedom" is not lost on me) off the Champs-Elysees. As with most things off the Champs-Elysees, it was expensive. (7 Euros for 50cl of beer?! That's like 11 dollars!) It was fun when it was just our two groups and some advisors, but then THE ENTIRE CROWD FROM THE RECEPTION came. It was HELLLLLLLA crowded. One bright spot, though, was the cute British bartender who gave my similarly cute friend (female), our other female friend, and me one free shot each (a 4 euro value) of caramel vodka. Yum (both to the shot and the boy). I definitely did NOT get drunk, though, as I was supposed to take the metro home by myself. I did (while desperately having to go to the bathroom because I had walked around for half an hour waiting for someone to go to the 16th arrondissement) and my anxiety/frustration was further exacerbated by my inability to open the door (I have a bizarre door system). After much deliberation, failed attempts and swallowing of pride, I knocked on Mme Fabregat's door. I expected to find her really, really pissed at being woken up, but while she was bleary-eyed she was much more patient with me than I had expected. I apologised profusely and she taught me how to open the door (which I have successfully done since). However, Abby (who is an indispensable liaison between Madame and me) revealed to me earlier this evening that Madame was upset because she thought I was drunk. As I have said before, I was very, very scared to get drunk and so I was not; as in many aspects of my life I was just very, very inept. We explained to her that I was not drunk (trying to help Abby, who had difficulty explaining in French, I used the term "bourree"; Madame was shocked that I knew this expression, as it seems to be very unladylike. In my defense, it was taught to me by a somewhat inebriated French boy in Santa Barbara on Halloween weekend) and so I hope everything is cleared up now.

AND THAT'S JUST THE FIRST FULL DAY. 0_0

TODAY, I woke up at noon, still thinking it was dark and that my phone was not on the right time (although it had adjusted automatically once I got to France); it was only my industrial-strength blinds. So I showered, ate breakfast, and missed a couple of sessions (which I can reschedule for the most part). The shower is kind of weird; it's a showerhead with a hose on it that doesn't have a hook to hang it, so I spent the entire shower session trying to balance the shower head on one arm while soaping up with the other. >_< Moreover, the shower only has a curtain and not a door, so I kind of got the floor wet. However, Madame had laid down both a towel and a bamboo mat, so it wasn't too disastrous. I fell asleep during lecture again (OHMYGOD) and later on got a sim card for my phone. (Since we got it unlocked in the Philippines, it now works everywhere in the world. YAAAAAAAAAAAY.) Then after taking a detour to the Eiffel Tower, my friend Serena and I parted ways at the Place du Trocadero to go to our respective domiciles. (She's still in a hotel.) Once at home, I met Marlene, Madame Fabregat's daughter; Abby, the girl who stayed with the Fabregats during fall quarter and is helping me settle into Paris; and Miriam, the lady upstairs who is hosting Abby for a week since I'm already here and Abby wanted to stay for a bit longer. Abby helped me with some issues, and afterwards came the long-anticipated and much-appreciated dinner. I had green beans ("haricots verts"), a fish filet, salad with lots of dressing (just the way I like it), and a baguette with cream cheese ("fromage blanc," Madame's favourite). After that came homemade chocolate cake (EEEEEEEEEEEEEE). Madame was glad to know that I ate well, because Marlene is very weight-conscious and is always complaining to her mother about her weight ("It's impossible to diet with all the food Maman cooks!" she says, according to Madame... I have to agree with Marlene there). Then, we watched TV: a bit of news, MTV's "Dismissed" (during which we both expressed how stupid the show was) and a sordid Mexican soap opera about killer women (also the title of the programme). This episode featured a restaurant keeper who cheated on her husband and killed the man who she cheated with after he wouldn't end the affair. She ended up strangling him, hacking him into pieces and making him into empanadas. (Very "Sweeney Todd," but without good songs, awesome puns about cannibalism, Johnny Depp, or Josh Groban. To which I say, "what's the fricking point?" XD)

Abby came down again to help me settle more (she really is a big help) and then we worked out rent and such. Madame is SO nice - not only did she refuse the security deposit, but she's also doing my laundry and planning to cook lots of food that I like since we have the same tastes (no pork, lots of seafood, lots of chocolate and LOTS of carbs). After the first few faux pas on my part (example: yesterday, when she smoked, I thought she was asking me whether I minded her smoking in the house, and when I said yes and tried to explain that my entire family had asthma, she put out the cigarette and later told Abby that it was quite insulting when I gently expressed my distaste for cigarette smoke) I am hoping that we will be OK; things are looking up because we ended on a good note tonight (she loved the postcards I bought, since she likes San Francisco, and the Chicago magnet I got her, because apparently she likes America quite a bit; she prefers American actors, movies and programs over French, and loves American-British musicians over French. Quite amusingly, she likes R&B; while she was cleaning the house yesterday, I heard the smooth sounds of Ne-Yo through the door. XD).

It's too early to tell, but I think I'm going to have fun in this homestay.