There's pink toilet paper here, and I'm looking at the Eiffel Tower from my window.

So, I'm totally exhausted, and I still can't believe I'm really here. I'll start from the beginning.

The flight from RDU was delayed, and I was terrified I'd have to catch a later Paris flight and thus be forced to navigate le metro francais all by my lonesome. Luckily, the later connecting flight was still early enough that I caught the flight to Charles de Gaulle in Newark. On the way, I made friends with a girl about my age who had just graduated from culinary school in Charlotte and was on her way to her best friend's wedding in San Diego. We had fried chicken together for lunch, and I lamented that it would be the last time I'd have shitty American food for a long time. On the flight to Newark I chatted with the computer hardware engineer/Latin dancer sitting next to me the whole time. Interesting conversation about politics and the nature of passion; he was a nice guy, but we didn't agree on anything. Love it.

Finally I got to Newark, met up with four other girls from my program (they're all fabulous, by the way) and got on the looooong trans-Atlantic flight (a red-eye). Slept through most of it. Tried to have my first legal taste of alcohol but was tragically denied by the flight attendant. Apparently Continental is a U.S. carrier, and you have to be 21 to drink on board. Unfortunate.

We got to Paris and dragged our ridiculously heavy bags across the airport to the metro station (the airport had actual TOWELS in the bathroom, which was weird). We got on the blue line (although apparently the French don't refer to train routes by color, as in most other countries. Instead one must know the name of the line or its final destination to be understood) and headed to the Luxembourg station, where it was just a 5-minute walk to our dormitory, le Foyer International des Etudiantes. It's an international dorm in the heart of Paris (the 5th arrondissement dans le Quartier Latin, to be exact). The dormitory is just a short walk to the Seine (and all of the monuments that line it), and the Luxembourg Gardens are immediately across the street. We sat and ate lunch there yesterday and watched people shamelessly make out everywhere (park benches, street corners, in front of fountains, while walking down paths, etc.). Apparently PDA is no big thing here. Other things I've noticed about the French:

1. They don't wear colors. At all. Their uniform consists of deliberately baggy/nonchalant black, brown and grey clothing. Their hair is an artful mess, and they all look like they've stepped out of the pages of an American Apparel catalogue, which makes no sense, but whatever.
2. They don't smile at strangers. I've gotten some slightly suspicious looks from people I've glanced at pleasantly on the street.
3. They smoke. Constantly. And everywhere (this is NOT a stereotype). Even the high schoolers are blazing away outside their little lycee. It kind of makes me want a cigarette, not gonna lie; but I shall resist.
4. They don't have tons of patience for non-French speakers. It's not that they get mad if you try to speak to them in broken French, they just automatically reply in English because their English is guaranteed to be approximately 84920842 times better than your French, and it's more efficient that way.

More to come.

So today we had our orientation meetings and placement test, which was pretty difficult, but I suppose that's the point. I doubt I'll be placed in the beginner level; probably intermediate or possibly advanced if I somehow did a lot better than I think I did. Some English guy named Simon tagged along with us to lunch at the Resto-U (the student cafeteria for the Sorbonne).

In the afternoon Dr. Costello (program director and professor for our French lit class) taught us all about Paris--its geography, monuments and their locations, public transportation, etc., which was super helpful. Then we went on an hour-long cruise on the Seine, which was touristy & amazing. We saw a TON of monuments and landmarks (la Tour Eiffel, la Cathedrale de Notre Dame, le Louvre, le Musee D'Orsay, l'Obelisque, etc.). I took pictures; will post them soon (once I finally get Internet in my room..at which point I'll also be able to TALK on Skype; kind of rude to chat in the library)! I'm definitely not going to have enough time to see everything I want to while I'm here.

We came back from the riverboat ride and went out to dinner for my birthday (!). We ate at a little taverne, and I had some delicious salmon & vegetables. I tried Jenni's steak tartare, and it was actually pretty delicious. I'd thought it would be just an uncooked slab of meat, but it reminds me of tuna. It was nice to go out to eat; it's been such a weird day that it hasn't really felt like my birthday.

Later we went out to get our drank on (but very mildly; we're all still pretty jet-lagged). I asked some cute French boys how to find la Rue Mouffetard, since I've heard that's where the party's at, and we found our way there with their directions and, naturally, a map. The road was teeming with students, all milling around in the street. Cars drive through very infrequently, and there's a circle in the middle where people chill and drink cheap wine and beer they've bought at the tiny 24-hour supermarket (it kind of reminded me of TJ's on Franklin, except it actually sold food for some reason, too). I and the five other girls I was with each had a glass of wine at a bar (mine was white; I need to learn to like red wine, but it's hard.). We took pictures. Then we went to the market and I bought a 6-pack of Heineken. I drank one at the circle (had to ask a French guy if he had "une chose pour ouvrier cette bouteille"; it was opened before I even finished the query) and brought the rest back to the Foyer since we're most likely throwing a hotel party tomorrow night (three girls are staying at a hotel for a couple days since there aren't enough rooms at the Foyer due to education strikes & exams being postponed).

Well, I'm exhausted and it's almost 1 a.m. here. Tomorrow morning we're heading as a group to the city of Rouen and then going to Giverny, where Monet's home and gardens are (including the Japanese bridge from several of his paintings). On Sunday we're hoping to tackle the "Grand Axe," a straight route of significant sites including the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Jardin de Tuileries, Louvre, etc.

Bonsoir!