ninth update

So yesterday after class, i was doing homework in my room. Usually i can hear the family talking upstairs cause they talk really loud, but tonight the mom, and i assume laura were yelling at each other hard core. Usually they yell but i can tell it isn't angry, but they were def really upset that night. There were sobs in between yelling. I really have no idea what was going on but i just hid in my room and worked on my homework the whole time which lasted maybe 15 min. Then there was silence. Yesterday was the day where we got fed. Usually dinner is right at 8 but it was twenty after 8 and Courtney and i started to wonder if we were going to be fed, and if we were, how tense it was going to be. finally the little bell was rung for dinner and we headed upstairs wondering what we were going to find. It was just the dad, Tiphini and Lidwin there with us. they all seemed quite cheerful. The interesting thing was that dinner yesterday was the least tense and awkward dinner courtney and i have had with them yet. The dad was joking the whole time and they actually laughed during this dinner. they were talking about how they've been to San Fran and i told them that that's where i went to get my visa. They asked if it was dangerous living there because of the earthquakes which i found amusing. I told them that it's dangerous everywhere, for example, i lived by a huge volcano. I also said that they needed to visit Yellowstone. We ate some really yummy pasta with mushrooms in it and i was trying to ask how to say mushroom in french. The best i could come up with was "what are the vegetables in,.. that" and the dad was like... "those aren't vegetables, that's pasta" and i laughed and tried to clarify. He finally understood and joked about how pasta is a vegitable and how it hangs from trees and how beautiful it looks. It was pretty funny. He asked if there was any good news from home and they were all amazed to hear that dad baught an airplane. I explained that usually the drive from wyoming to Utah is 8 hours but on a plane it only took two hours. I realize now that the fact it took 8 hours to drive from one state to its neighbor is probably really shocking to them. I mean, i bet it takes them about that long to drive to Nice or something. Then we had crepes for desert. I decided i really like crepes with butter and jam. I ate probably around 8. The dad kept asking me if i wanted more and made a contemplative face and he said "that means yes" and plopped it on my plate. Lidwin ate more than i did, i think. at least she has the excuse of still growing. They asked Courtney and i how to say crepe in english and we said it's the same but most americans say "crape" and they all laughed and tried to immitate. "Crip." Well, like i said, without the mom or Lauren there, dinner was way more relaxed and fun. Courtney agrees with me. I quite enjoyed it.

I went shopping yesterday, too. I only went through the super sale racks for things that were around 5 Euros. I got a shirt and a scarf :) i'm pretty happy with myself. I saw the CUTEST dress there but i resisted cause it was 45 Euros... I forgot what it was like to shop. after i get over the initial overwhelmed feeling, it's pretty fun trying to find cute and cheap cloths on sale. there were tank tops there that were 90 Euros! I really don't know how the french afford to cloth themselves. i really appreciate how cheap stuff is in the US. I'm modeling my new cloths in one of the pictures. There's also pics from the louvre and pictures of my school/church.

The new french class is working out pretty well so far. As usual there are still those darn concepts that i just can't understand for the life of me! And i have serious problems trying to remember all the gender agreements, little rules and exceptions, adverbs, etc. I really hope i can get it down. i won't be able too... it's too much for my little brain to pack. The other day i realized that i'll never be proficient enough at French to raise my children bilingual and it really depressed me. At least i know enough to communicate somewhat effectively with french people. and there's always norwegian! haha

i had my French civ class today and art history. French civ was interesting. I was supposed to talk infront of the class about what our group discussed and i did a really horrible job. oh well. we just discussed the book we've been reading. we haven't had a lecture in that class yet. It's pretty chill. I also had Art history in the louvre today. It was kind of boring again. Our teacher is really interested in somewhat boring paintings and i have a hard time knowing what i should be writing down in my notes. Next week we go to versailles, though! i'm super excited about that. But i decided that i don't understand art. I always feel like we're overanalyzing paintings. I suppose i'm more into more modern paintings that are weird and creepy like Dali's. I'm thinking i'll be able to understand or at least appreciate what classical, realistic and impressionist french paintings have to offer. I must also be way to litteral of a thinker to really see all the little things in these paintings that make them cool. Yeah, i'm not really sure what i'm trying to say right now.

On the way home in the RER train, it as so so crowded. It's set up basically just like a metro train with the seats and the poles inbetween areas for you to hold on if you don't get a seat. People just packed in there and some of them were really stinky. I got a little pukey and courtney was feeling a tad ill today. It was not super fun.

I'm trying to make an effort to make friends with the other girls in the group, too. I pretty much like everyone on the trip. i just feel like i'm in highschool again which makes me laugh. We're all basically in the same classes and see each other all the time. there are the cliques already. Small classes again... it's pretty fun.

my diet is going better... ate a rubarb tart today, a piece of chocolate mousse cake, and the last two pieces of chocolate that i brought with me from the US. (i had a massive chocolate craving).