1/17/11
Today I arrived at the airport. I got my bag, thank goodness, and IES was there to welcome me. I also saw Francois and he was able to help me to a cab. We rode it together and he also paid! He invited me to a wine expo and to his birthday dinner on Sunday. I am looking forward to those things. I was really nervous when we got to my home stay because I did not know if they were going to speak English or not. I was welcomed by Henry. He was very nice and spoke English. I got to pick rooms first because I was the 1stto arrive. I got the bigger room with a balcony that faces a main street and you can see the effiel tower!!!! Its so nice to have my own room, let alone a room with an amazing view of the tower and the Siene. Once Grace arrived he fed us lunch, which was just baguette bread with ham and cheese. It was very filling as well as healthy. He also gave us wine and pickles. I actually like the pickles, but I doubt I will be eating it a lot. The wine was cool, but will also take some getting used to. He then let us unpack and took us around the street to show us some main building and cafes. He then brought us to the closest subway and we got our weekly metro pass. Me and grace then went by ourselves so find the IES center. The subway is the easy part, but we got lost on the street because we went the wrong way. We came back and we napped and then showered and had dinner. Dinner was once again very healthy and very filling. We had cucumbers, tomato, salami and bread as a first meal. Then potato, green beans and chicken. We then had cheese and bread. And then pear pie. All was delicious. I am already learning a lot because Henry has taught many table manners and or just facts about how the French eat and their customs. I am also listening very closely to how him and Florence talk to each other. I am able to catch certain things but I cannot wait until I can become fluent.
Tomorrow I will be looking into getting a phone. I will also have orientation. I am nervous about meeting everyone else and starting to see what work I have to do.
The Eiffel Tower from my balcony!
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This is the first of many posts from my journal I wrote during my semester abroad in 2011. I will not change anything in the post unless noted here.
*Francois is a family friend of mine. My father has been working with him for several years and we have been to each others houses several times.
*IES is the school I attended and Grace was my American roommate. She was also from New Jersey, but she went to American University in DC.
*I never had pickles until this day!