Another week of classes has come and gone (I don't count Fridays because I don't have class!), and I'm feeling a strange mix of emotions - like I've lived here forever/just got here and have no idea what's going on/realized that I only have 3 more weekends in Paris/realized that I'm about one-sixth done with my time here. The fact that I'm going to be gone for so many weekends I think will speed up the passage of time a lot, especially because I leave for most of the trips on a Thursday or Friday. Upcoming this month are a trip to Amboise and the Loire Valley with my program next weekend, then a free weekend, then JULIA MILLER comes to visit the last weekend in October. I die a little from excitement when I think about that last one :)
I'm really enjoying my classes, minus the fact that I have to wake up at 7am on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 9am language class (that lasts 3 HOURS). Mondays and Tuesdays I've been going to Cafe Ducet to get a mocha from the one man in this city who seems to understand what they are; I need the caffeine badly before my 4-hour afternoon classes! Tuesdays especially - I have class from 9-12 AND 2-6 so I'm dragging even with an espresso... He recognizes me now and last time I went we chatted a little about what I was doing here and where I'm from ("Near San Francisco? I have a friend who lives there!"). I very much look forward to sitting at the bar with a friend sipping coffee for an hour, because no one gives you dirty looks or impatiently brings you your check. After an hour, you have to ask to pay! I need to find out his name or something so I can legitimately say that I know him - and I'm going to get him a box of chocolates when I leave because he's the only reason I'm going to pass my classes!
My fashion class is absolutely hilarious - the teacher, first of all, is a very flamboyant and skinny Frenchman who wears very tight and fashionable clothes and spends a lot of time on his hair. But he is so friendly and funny and obviously very passionate and knowledgeable not only about clothing but about the history and art behind what he's lecturing about. The girls in my class, however, have yet to show such brain power... the other day we were learning about the origin of women's underwear (late 1500s, courtesy of Catherine diMedici) and had been anchored firmly in the Renaissance for the past 3 hours of lecture, and one of my classmates raised her hand and asked, "Wait, so, when did French women start wearing lingerie? Like, La Perla? Because France is so famous for it and all?" Wait. Really? The teacher looked very confused for a while and then managed to answer, "Uh, well, that was in the 1950s after World War II..." Apparently there is a common misconception that Marie Antoinette was wearing lacy bras and panties underneath her iron and leather paniers... now we know.
Sunday night we went out to Parisian sushi, which was a lot of fun. The crazy fancy roll thing must be very American, because most "cuisine japonais" restaurants just have sashimi, simple maki rolls with just tuna, salmon, or cucumber, and yakitori (grilled meat skewers). We tried a little bit of everything, and it was quite delicious! It was a very nice change from bread and cheese, and I'll definitely be going back :)
Last night I went to go shopping and then see The Informant at a movie theater, which was also a very cool experience. We had won the tickets in a contest with our program, so we saved 7 euro on admission :) The movie was VO - "version originale" - which means it was not dubbed but just had French subtitles. I basically ignored the bottom foot of the screen and it was just like being at home! It was fun sometimes to compare the English and French though, because a lot 
was lost in translation, or maybe French speech doesn't follow exactly the same patterns usually and it would have been awkward to translate word for word. Anyway, the movie was great and I highly recommend it. And I love Matt Damon, even with an extra 30 pounds... Afterwards we went to get dinner crepes from a place our friends rave about. Mine had sliced ham, olives, grilled mushrooms and lettuce and it felt rather nutritious and was definitely delicious! And only 4.50 euros :) P.S. please ignore my hair and shiny-ness, we'd gotten caught in a surprise thunderstorm...
Today I barely made it through class and stumbled home to sleep for a bit. But although it would be easy to have spent the rest of the day in bed, I feel like napping in Paris is a sin because there's so much that I should be doing! I dragged myself downstairs and woke up on the pleasant 5-minute walk to Luxembourg Gardens. After strolling around the grounds and the outside of the Palais de Luxembourg (a government building judging by the police guard at every gate) a bit, I made my way to the Musee de Luxembourg. I had seen huge posters advertising a Tiffany glass exhibit there (the first exclusively Tiffany exhibition in Europe?) and wanted to feel somewhat intellectual and independent, so I bought a ticket. I asked for a student ticket, which technically they don't give to non-EU citizens, but the lady gave it to me with a scowl. Yesss saved 2 euros!
Fun water features of the Jardin de Luxembourg
The exhibit was fairly small but absolutely beautiful. Louis Comfort Tiffany's company operated in the early 1900s and made all kinds of glass from stained glass windows to lamps to vases and everything in between. He was influenced a lot by nature and by the Orient, so the colors and shapes are what make his work so special (the techniques were pretty typical of the time period). I'm very very drawn to color, and so was not disappointed with the collection! I felt rather accomplished reading all the informative plaques and information about the history of the company in French and understanding about 90% of it! It's also the first time I've gone to a museum by myself so I felt very artsy and sophisticated. The only downside was that we couldn't take pictures!! I was really disappointed because A. it would have made me feel like the money was more worth it and B. I wanted to put up pictures so everyone else could see it! Guess you'll have to buy a ticket...
After the museum I picked up some groceries (which is still a fun experience for me because literally everything in the store is somehow different from what we have) and dropped by the friendly neighborhood boulangerie. Apparently most boulangeries get bread dough delivered from distributers nowadays and so don't really have a hand in the creation of the bread. However, when a sign says "artisan boulangerie" it means they make it on the premises. This artisan is literally 3 doors down from me and has amazing stuff for slightly more expensive than the others. He's a youngish chubby guy with a head of crazy dark curls who greets you with a "bonjour mademoiselle!" ten times more enthusiastic and genuine than I hear elsewhere. He often makes things with a twist, including pear-filled mini pastries which I sampled and loved. Expensive habit though, so I'll have to stick to the necessary whole wheat loaf ("pain complet") for sandwiches if I want to keep visiting!
I actually have a little bit of homework (shocking!) for the weekend so I'm going to work on that a little and catch up on TV shows before heading to the cafe for a glass of wine and jazz! Love to you all <3
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