Bliss.

Look! My very own apartment keys!

I can't put into words my excitement about what I am going to be doing in the next few months. Here are a few highlights:
- I'm in France.
- I'm taking an art history class that takes place inside le Musée des Beaux Arts à Rouen.
- Anne-Laure and Benoît are coming to visit me in Rouen!!!!!!!!!
- I did all of my back-to-school shopping for 14 Euro.
- This art history class that I'm taking also involves working in studio art with an artist.
- My new bed is extremely comfortable and not infested with arachnids.
- My apartment is right above a patisserie (I don't know if that's good or bad).
- I'm in the most amazing city in the world!
- I get to speak French everywhere I go.
- All of my new classes sound absolutely amazing.
- Did I mention I'm in an apartment, with complete independence, in the city in France?!

I'm so ecstatic. I'm excited about everything in the world right now. I do have to read an entire book for tomorrow though (luckily, it's short and not difficult). But for now, I'm just relaxing after a long (but awesome) day walking around Rouen.

This morning, we all had to be at the school at 10am to meet with Prof. Dargan in order to fill out registration forms for the university. There, we heard about all of our classes (which sound amazing), and then had the rest of the day free to do whatever we wanted. Ariel, Emily V, and I came back to my apartment and had some tea (we're so typique française) and then took the bus into Rouen to do some back-to-school shopping. I bought the basics: notebooks, folders, a plan book, and a toothbrush, all for 14 Euro. We also got some baguette sandwiches (2.50) for lunch, but I didn't eat all of mine because of the insane amount of mayonnaise that was on it (though that did remind me of the glory days at Nadine's house).

After the shopping, we walked around for a little bit, then tried heading in the direction of the gare, and almost got it right. The first person we asked for directions asked me something about my toothbrush, told me I was charming, and then gave us complicated directions that I just didn't follow. So we kept walking up the hill until we came across Man 2, who gave us a better understanding of where the train station was (basically on a street parallel to the one we were on), and so we headed in the right direction and after asking one more woman for help, we successfully made it to the gare. There, we added trips onto our bus/train/metro cards, and then split up and headed back home. I walked with Ariel to the bus stop at the art museum, and then took bus 4 from there back up to Mont Saint Aignan.

And so here I am :) I'm back in my room now, where I will probably be for the rest of the night. I'm going to dedicate the rest of my evening to getting organized, unpacking, doing homework, and figuring out where all the food is in this house. Also will make it a priority to figure out how to turn the lights on in the hallway/stairwell of the apartment. At this point, it is extremely creepy and I feel like I'm in a horror film every time I am trying to unlock the apartment door in the darkness.

Other than that though, everything is just wonderful. La vie est belle.

Love, Josie