Comme une vache espagnole: Captain's Log: Day 1

Hello friends, Romans, countrymen (and foreigners). I am finally in France! I have a lot to say for not having done anything yet, but first let me start with an explanation of the title. For those of you non-French speakers, "de parler comme une vache espagnole" (to speak like a Spanish cow) means to speak French terribly. It is my hope that by the end of the semester I will no longer parle comme une vache espagnole, but for being a Spanish cow I didn't do too badly on my first day!

So far this is what I have done since leaving home:

> Made a new friend at the airport Cleveland

> Met a lady who was going to Arizona to dance before she got too old because she was a retired ballroom dancer

> Met a woman who’d just visited her son in Lakewood (small world)

> Got off in Dallas and saw my friend from Cleveland!

> Landed in Paris: got my bags, got money changed, took taxi to hotel

> Got settled in hotel

> Finally got a call back from ACCENT so I went to the Internet café, where I bought a phone and set it up (it was in German at first which was awful and I had to look up every word on Google translate on the computer I rented time at at the Internet café to switch it to English)

> Went back to room to nap. Should really have eaten because now everything is closed and I am not very tired.

> FINALLY figured out the Wi-Fi by talking to the front desk (thank the LORD)

But I would like to note I did this ALL BY MYSELF in a foreign country and no one seemed to speak much English except the people at the money exchange counter. Everyone seemed to recognize that I was American (or in one case Canadian - I was flattered) by my halting French and presumably my accent, but only knew "thank you" or some other phrase in English so I actually used my atrocious French. Which is good because that's the whole point of my being here!

I'm pretty well set for the short time I'll be at this hotel before meeting my home stay family (which is on Tuesday). I noticed on this street there are many cafés (including a nice looking Turkish one), the aforementioned Internet café, and a pharmacy. There is also a sex shop! So there’s that.