A Small Update on My Mundane Goings-On

I have bought a new coat. It is delightful. Everyone here wears a coat like I have. I love these coats. To bad you have no idea what I'm talking about. I suppose you'll just have to wait until next winter to see how wonderful it is. The point is that 35 of the 50€ I found on the métro stairs (yeah!!!!!) have been well spent. Aren't you jealous? Plus, the coat was supposed to cost 40€, but pretty girls get discounts. Rawr!!!

On girl in my class told me my coat was "trop fort", which is basically the French way of saying that I am wonderful and she wants to worship golden idols of me ... either that or she thinks my coat is cool. But I'm quite sure it's the first option. Her name is Sarafina. Crazy name!! I like her ...

Now all I need are a few scarves and leather gloves and I'm all set for winter ... which doesn't really exist at the moment ... thank God.

Last Sunday (the day after I bought my fabulous new coat) I went to the theatre with the Moisonniers (future host family). We saw a comedy play about the goings on amongst an army captain, a sculpter, a nurse, and her patient in a hospital in post-WWI France. It was hi-larious. What do mean "You mean you understood it?" I am affronted! Naturally ...

But your offensive words are not the point. It was very very funny. Plus, I like hanging out with the Moisonniers. Or am I just saying that because one of them reads my blog ... no. I really do like them.

The next event in my series of goings-on was Wednesday, when I went to Paris after school to hang out with a Canadian exchange student. He said to meet me at the "Café au mètre" or something, so naturally I went to the "Café au métro." And naturally he wasn't there. So I was all "Jesus, Taylor, where the hell are you?" I sat myself by the window and shooed away the waiter, telling him I was waiting for someone. I browsed the menu for a few minutes, then I happened to look up and what did I see? ... I boy, about my age ... standing outside ... in a bright ... red ... Rotary jacket.

I left the café, much to the irritation (or I imagine, anyway) of the waiter.

Me and Taylor exchanged our stories and got a good, hearty laugh out of it. Ha-ha-ha! Like that. He said he figured I'd be here ("here" being where I was) since the names of the cafés were similar. I told him I had just figured he'd spelled it wrong. Cool.

And thus began our great Parisian adventure of ... nothing. See, it's wonderful to hang out with someone who (like yourself) does not get bored easily. We were both content to wander aimlessly around Paris until our feet got tired and all that blah-blah-splee stuff. Actually, we did go to the Arc de Triomphe because he had never seen it. Loser. He lives an hour outside of Paris and I live ... six kilometers? We weren't sure, but we thought we were maybe supposed to pay to see the Arc de Triomph from ... just under it. But instead we followed a policeman up a staircase labeled "interdit" (forbidden) and we got in free! Suckers ...

Well, seeing as he lives an hour away from Paris, he did not know the secret of the arondissements (however that's spelled) and I did. Therefore, even though I never knew exactly where we were, I always had an idea, because the arondissement number is labeled above most street signs.

Arondissements ... how do explain? I don't know, so I am going to plagerize the explanation from my Larousse dictionary. Hang on a sec.

Excuse me. "Arrondissement." It's got two r's. Here we go. "France's three largest cities (Paris, Lyon and Marseilles) are divided into arrondissements. They have no historical meaning; in Paris for instance they were named following a spiral starting at the Île de la Cité ..."

Anyhow. Unfortunately, he saw how it worked because they were labeled on a map. Damn! My Parisian mysticism was ruined!

Anyhow, shortly before he solved this mystery, we were walking (surprise, surprise) and he stopped, quite lost (the poor thing) and asked, "Do you know where we are?"

Well, first of all, I cannot just say "no" to such a thing. Second, I had the arrondissements on my side. I glanced at a nearby street sign. 4th arrondissement.

"Yes," I said, "I know exactly where we am."

We didn't move for another five minutes because we were laughing so hard.

I am losing my English, my friends ... losing my English ...

Good.

The last notable thing that happend was yesterday.

Two things, actually. Sorry.

Me and Sayaka went to Paris yesterday to see her friend Leonore (on the way we came across some American girls who didn't know if two different labels for the métro line 14 were the same because the shades of purple on the labels weren't exactly the same ... silly Americans). Oh my gosh. Leonore lives with her boyfriend in Paris and their apartment is smaller that my bedroom at the Petiot's house. It is tiny. I'll bet it's expensive as well! I'll probably go back sometime. Sayaka said Leonore wants to "talk to me a lot more." I'll take pictures. She'll understand. She (Leonore) takes pictures all the time.

Also yesterday, me and Sayaka went with Myriam (of the Moisonnier family) to a dance show by an Israeli dance company. I wish I could explain it, but I cannot. It was incredibly unique ... modern ... ballet ... Tim Burton ... I kid you not. Tim Burton MUST have been a source of inspiration for the choreographers. It was called "Oyster" ... I don't know why.

Well, sorry for the not-longest-or-highest-quality-post in the world. Just thought I should give my New Year's Resolution of more frequent updates a lifespan of more than one month.

Cheers!

Leah