f.u.s.a.

well well well
here i am.
the flight here was really long and i got so confused turning two days into one. i left at 8:15am and got to paris at 7:55am.
i immediately got totally lost and some very nice people took me under their wings and taught me how to buy train tickets and not to get caught in the door of the subways (which of course i did anyway) and carried my heavy bags and felt bad for me for being all alone.
i took 2 trains to the train station where my new friend and luggage carrier hassan found another boy to carry my bags and get me very lost before finding the lockers and eurostar train. i ran around in circles for a while and then finally got all of my bags in a locker except my backpack which i took upstairs to the eurostar gate and got many more stamps in my passport. i then took the train to london and slept the entire time drooling all over myself pretty much comatose. when i got to london i called sam 3 times and spent about an hour walking in circles thinking i saw him and chasing strangers. sam apparently did the same thing calling other girls lucy and then running away when they werent me. finally i paged him and we found each other and he taught me how to ride the tube.
all the trains in europe use tickets that you slide through a machine and then run through little gates before they close on you. i got stuck more than once.
we took a small tour through what sam called the Times Square of london and then got some drinks. sams boyfriend cqme and met us for dinner and then we went to a different train station and picked up sean. it was late at this point and so sean and i split ways from sam and kamil on the last tubes of the night and found our way to our hostel.
we stayed in the sketchiest part of london but it was so charming. on our block there were three fried chicken restaurants.
i fell right to sleep.
the next day we were pros at riding the trains and tube so we went into town and met sam for touring the city. we went to a beautiful park and ate blackberries and looked at a petting zoo and then we went to buckingham palace and made fun of the guards. there were only two of them outside of that entire palace and they are so silly with all their rituals and stomping and stupid hats. then we went and saw big ben and some street performers and then walked for at least two hours trying to find what we thought was a resonable request for lunch: soup, sandwiches and outside seating. im pretty sure we are all just dumb and bad at navigation. we finally found it and ate to our hearts content and then proceeded to see the worst movie i have ever seen: hellboy 2. i slept through at least half of it and still had a bad time, except for the delicious cider we drank in the theater. then we went to dinner with kamil and then out to this gay bar with barbie dolls and disco balls all over the ceiling.
the next morning i woke up really early because i was so nervous about going back to france and getting lost and speaking so poorly. in the kitchen of the hostel where we ate our complementary breakfast i watched the first half of i am legend which is SO SCARY and really good. i cant wait to see the rest. but THEN i was really nervous and scared with little sleep and zombies on the brain.
we got on the train and then the tube and got to the train station and i said goodbye to sean and got in the queue for the eurostar back to paris. due to fires on the eurostar on sept 11th this year (i know, right) qll the trqins were delayed so i had to wait 2.5 hours more than expected to leave. i knew i would miss my connecting train to angers and tried to buy a phone card to call my site director. of course, because its me, my card was declined. i had to use another and then when i called the director (a million or so times) she didnt answer and couldnt help me with anything. so i called my mom. i read a lot of my book and then got on the train. when i got to paris i had to take the underground to the other train station which i have gotten pretty good at now but when i popped up from underground where i believed my train station to be were signs that said "actuellement le gare du montparnasse est" followed by three different sign with arrows pointing in three different directions. i asked three different people for help and looked at 7 different maps before a young french boy pointed me in the right direction telling me that it was behind all the other buildings i had been walking around. i had to speak with two different info booths before i found my train and then had to go through three different conductors before they would let me use my ticket that was originally for 4 hours prior. so i got on the train and again someone helped me carry my luggage and put it in the way of some important looking business man who cared but wasnt about to mess with me because i was so obviously confused and tired and stressed out. so i got to the train station in angers (my final destination) and called sue right as she was walking out the door to meet my host fam and try to come get me if i was there. they picked me up and i mme charlotte (my host mom) made me some tomatoes and fishy sticks? maybe? and bread and tea. then i went up into my beautiful room with a queen sized bed and horse pictures and a big window looking out on the garden and i fell asleep.
the next day, yesterday, i got to sleep in and SHOWER (for the first time in three dqys) and then i met the other student living with me. her name is alex and she is awesome and from seattle and we are going to be very good friends. we had breakfast and then walked to school.
at school we met the other students and one of the professors and had a bit of orientation and then took a small tour of the city where we saw the castle for a minute and also went inside the huge and gorgeous cathedral. then we got a drink with our prof and had dinner at the university cafeteria. we get 200€ a month for food but if we eat at the cafeteria we can spend our money on shoes and going out. so im starting to like the cafeteria.
so then we went home and watched a mini series about this french author françois something who was a drunk and got in a car accident and thats all i could get really. then i went to bed.
this morning we came to school and took a placement test that was really scary and we dont find out the results until monday. for now i am going to eat lunch and then do more orientation and get my french phone activated so i can texto.
i miss everyone very much but the us has nothing on france.
ill post pics tomorrow or so to go along with all this but thats about that for now.
wow.