Oh Galleries Lafayette how you taunt me...

For the first time since I arrived in France, we had bad weather. It rained almost all day. Perhaps the weather was simply reflecting the feelings of French children today: it was their first day of school. As I walked to class this morning, parents were walking their children to school. There are no school buses so everyone walks or takes public transportation. This morning all of the children, dressed up for their first day, were absolutely adorable.

Morning classes were relatively painless. I'm still adjusting to the lack of air-conditioning in our attic classrooms, but overall, the language classes are going well.

After class we had an hour and a half break before our group photo... No one was excited about said photo because it was raining, everyone's hair was frizzy, their clothes were wet, etc. etc. But the program had hired a professional photographer so the administrators clung to the hope that there would be a break in the rain long enough to snap a couple of photos of all of us sad-faced, drenched exchange students. So, while we waited, a couple of friends and I grabbed coffee and pastries. Reason #546 to move to France: pastries. I had aux framboises and almost died of happiness. We returned to the Institute in time for the picture, which, despite all of the stress and build-up, was over in about 2 minutes.

Since we had the afternoon free, a couple of girls and I went shopping. I had only planned on buying a curling iron (which is surprisingly difficult to find in France), but ended up with a pair of shoes (patent purple ballet flats... my entire wardrobe will soon be purple) and a blousy blue silk dress. Needless to say, I could not find the one thing I actually needed. And, after viewing the exchange rate, I need to remember that 1 Euro does not equal 1 dollar. I highly doubt, however, that I will be able keep me out of Galleries Lafayettes for long. I already have plans to go back later in the fall for winter accessories. They had a large collection of adorable cloches (I've been searching for the perfect cloche for close to a year now) and really lovely gloves.

On my way home from shopping I witnessed my first French protest. The professor for whom I do research stood on a baracade in 1968 and student strikes are a very real possibility this year (ESPECIALLY at the Sorbonne), so seeing a "manifestation" in person was really interesting for me. For the French, strikes, protests, etc. are a very normal part of life and a very valid form of political expression. Tangible results are gained from such actions. Very normal people with normal attitudes and opinions, not just the extremely political participate. It's very much a different attitude towards political participation that I find very interesting.

When I finally got home, I made a salad for lunch, relaxed a little, and finally broke out some comp exam books. I've made very little progress on my preparations so far. I've only gotten through 1 book out of 12. But I'm really starting to like Mrs. Dalloway so soon, it will be 2 down, only 10 more to go. At first, the book was a little intimidating to me. I didn't think I would like it as much as To the Lighthouse because the style seems more forcibly stream of conciousness. I found myself struggling a little with the rythm of the book, having to reread passage after passage, searching for the subject of the description. But as I get farther and farther along, that seemless flow between characters, between descriptions, between the future, past and present, becomes really absorbing. More and more, I'm starting to see that it's the sort of book that engulfs you, and once you enter that world, it's much easier to follow the flow of the text.

This evening, the Chidiac's had friends from South Africa over for a visit. We all helped make dinner and sat down together to eat. It was another beautiful French meal: tomatoes in a vinagrette, melon, roast duck, potatoes, wine, cheeses, and pleanty of wine. Tonight, the conversation moved more quickly than I am used to, as old friends got together to exchange stories, jokes, etc. I tried to keep up and succeeded for the most part, but had to have a few things explained to me. All in all, it was a long, wonderful, and entertaining evening. I'll sleep well tonight.