First Day of Classes!

This is my beautiful city! Located right on La Seine.

I didn't post a picture of my university because it is hideous. Not that I don't still love it.

Anyway, am I currently sitting in my room eating taboulé and watching If I Can Dream on Hulu? Maybe. But you can't say it's not a great way to relax after spending all day walking around beautiful downtown Rouen. (And If I Can Dream is the only show that Hulu will allow me to watch overseas.)

So today was my first day of classes. Well, it was just one class, and we didn't do anything in it. But I guess it still counts. Kind of. It was a grammar class, and we spent the whole class taking a French grammar placement test. But after class, Emily and I walked into the city, and met everyone else there (they took the bus). Emily and I accidentally went a different way, and ended up finding this crazy shortcut through a small and extremely steep hill that led us right into Rouen. Once we met up with everyone, we went into Monoprix (that place is amazing), and I bought my taboulé and three apples (two of which I ate immediately) for lunch, all for 3 Euro.

After Monoprix, we walked around downtown a lot - did some window shopping, visited Ariel's host family at their jewelry boutique, etc. I grabbed the bus to Mont Saint Aignan at the gare downtown, and rode it up all the way to my apartment while listening to Ingrid Michaelson through my new orange headphones. Also, I figured out the stairwell lighting situation thanks to my new Swiss flatmate (we're so European), so unlocking the door doesn't feel like a scene from a horror film anymore. Yes Papa - it was a small button low on the wall, just like you said it would be. Merci :)

So now, I've just finished watching this week's episode of If I Can Dream (embarrassing) and am thinking about doing some reading for class. It's not due until Thursday though, and it's not in my character to get a head start on school work so that may or may not happen. Maybe I'll try to find somewhere to watch the first season of Psych online.

Soon I need to figure out what I'm going to do about bus passes. I have what is basically a public transportation card that I can use for the bus, metro, or train all around Haut Normandie. I just have to pay for however may voyages I want added to my card, and they will automatically be added once I pay. Yesterday, I payed 6.80 Euro for 10 voyages (I figured I wouldn't be riding the bus very often since I live right by the university). One of my classes, however, is at the Musée des Beaux Arts right in downtown Rouen. It's only twice a week, and I can walk one way each time, but still, it might be nice to have more bus trips on my card. Espeically since Rouen is where everyone hangs out after classes. So there's an option for a month unlimited for 20-something Euro, and I think this is what I might do next time. For now though, I'm going to walk as much as possible and see how far these 10 (well, now 9) trips take me :)

Also, can I just say that I LOVE living in a city like this one? It's not insane like Manhattan, and it's not boring like Annapolis. It's a completely perfect mélange. I am so happy here.

Love, Josie

PS. You know you can write comments on my blog entries even if you don't have a Blogger account, right? So if you have any questions/comments/suggestions/words of encouragement, you can comment here instead of having to go through the trouble of writing me on Facebook. I don't mind either way; it's just a thought :)

Bisous!