La Manche.

It's 8pm. Why are we not eating dinner?!?!?

To be fair, I guess everyone else ate lunch today. I, on the other hand, was offered a cheese and butter sandwich on a baguette. Cheese and butter. Cheese AND butter. I kid you not - I couldn't tell which was which by looking at it because there was probably a full stick of butter on the sandwich. Needless to say, I did not consume that sandwich. I would have diabetes now. And diabetes is not something that I would like to add to my "bad stuff in France" list. Speaking of, here is my "bad stuff in France" list. Enjoy:

1. Having a cold day 1.
2. Being horribly sick day 1 of my homestay until now.
3. Taking antibiotics to fight this sickness that make me sick. They also leave me more prone to sunburn. Which brings me to . . .
4. Horrible sunburn. On my face.
5. I got stung by a bee today and, hours later, it still stings.
6. CHEESE AND BUTTER SANDWICHES.
7. The host family blasting the TV all night long. Literally - I woke up at 3am last night, and could still hear it loud and clear.

I think that's all for now. Minus the obvious: missing my friends and family. But I'm happy to be here overall. I've seen so many beautiful and amazing things already, and I am so excited for my French to progress over the next few months.

So, today I went to La Manche (the English Channel) in Dieppe. I went with Elizabeth, Charlotte, Kyle, and their host families. It was the most beautiful beach that I have EVER seen. The entire beach was covered in stones, and the water was a clear and radiant turquoise. I felt like I was back in Capri on the Mediterranean! (I would say Belize in the Caribbean, but that water was like being in a bathtub, while THIS water was like swimming in the Arctic). Needless to say, I jumped in as soon as possible and loved every second of it. (Pictures to come)

Tomorrow, all of the Americans have to be in Rouen at 11am to meet with Madame Dargan for a check-in. After that, I have no idea what I'm doing. BUT, I am happy to say, I can understand almost everything Nadine says! This could change at any second, but as of now, I am happy with how my French progress is coming along :)

I'm going to go steal some biscuits now so I don't starve to death.

Love, Josie