First real day (and night) in Orléans

For anyone who cares, I did not need a pencil. I only needed my passport and a pen. I don't like carrying my passport around, but it's the only acceptable ID I have here.

At 7h30 du matin, I met Kay and Dee in the courtyard. It was fairly cold, and if I have classes early in the morning than I'm buying a winter coat within a week. We were supposed to be there at 8h50. We got to campus around 8h10. So we stopped in a little café to pass the time. The guy that worked there was hilarious, I won't even try to explain because it's something you'd just have to experience for yourself.

Around 8h40 we went in search of the amphi-Péguy, in the fac de lettres, where our French test was. A little explanation. At American universities, there is the university which includes everything and everyone. Then there are colleges. For example I'm in the college of human sciences and services because I'm an education major. However your college does not necessarily have it's own building, or if you're in two colleges (I'm also in arts and sciences for French), then you may have classes all over campus. Here, there is the university which is everything. Un collège is actually like a middle school. In the university there are facultés, or les facs. here I'm in the fac de lettres; langes et sciences, but everyone just says le fac de lettres. Tina is in Polytech. So all of my classes this semester will be in the fac de lettres, all of Tina's will be in the Polytech. Personally I think it's smarter this way. End of explanation.

First we took a written exam, three questions for a total of 75 points. I think I lay have gotten 6 wrong, But I wouldn't be surprised if I got them all right. It was like a test from French 3 or 4 in high school. Then we had to wait a while for the oral exam. by now a kid from Michigan joined us, so we were quatre. We walked into the commercial part of campus (kind of like the Emporium but not) and found a place 'Restaurant Bunny', as in Bugs Bunny. We sat under a big pictures of the cartoons (Bugs, Daffy, Elmer Fudd, etc);

The nice things about cafés and restaurants in France is they're not rushing you the door. you have to ask for the check, so you can sit and chill for awhile if you want. Then we went back to the fac and waited for the oral exams to start. We met two kids from Germany lugging their bags around because they had just arrived. I was first, it was less than ten minutes, very conversational, and therefore easy as shit. Then Kay, then Deni, then Michigan. While waiting for each other we met two girls from Turkey who are doing volunteer work for a while. It's kinda cool that we can meet people from practically every where here, and it's almost certain that we can communicate. most other countries learn two other languages, and often one is English. So if they're not comfortable with French, we have English.

Well after this test the four of us were done, and we also had nothing academic the next day. After a little repose we went to the centre commercial. I finally changed my cash over, at the shitty rate of 1.445. I mailed out my first stuff: a letter and a postcard. Don't worry people, if I said I would send a postcard, I will, it's only my first week in Orléans. If you want one, I need addresses and you can leave them on here or on facebook or email me. They do cost 0,85€ so I'm not gonna go crazy. Also, I'm not in Paris, I don't know if I can get Eiffel Tower ones here.

Enough about you, let's go back to me. After la poste, it was back to Carrefour for more food and such. We bought way too much. You cannot take the carriages out of the centre commercial. So we had to buy extra bags, cram our stuff into them, then walk to the tram. We most likely looked absolutely ridiculous on the tram with all of our stuff. Then we had the walk from the tram to our building. Holy shit. I never knew that walk was so long. Again, I'm fairly certain we looked ridiculous: hefting these bags, and huffing and puffing and giving ourselves pep-talks. "Ok, just lake it to the next cross-walk, then rest;" We broke open a bottle of juice and a baguette on the way. Big baguette by the way, that costs like $2 at S&S, 0,39€! Definitely a new staple. Needless to say my neck and shoulders killed the next day.

After ranging our affaires (like the franglais?) I had dinner with Kate. Ravioli cooked with garlic and red pepper...so delicious. i cracked open my bottle of Old Nick. It was only 4,85€ fora good-sized bottle. Pineapple and papaya white rum. Nasty. Not incredibly horrible with orange juice chased by baguette.

Around 10 we went down to Dee's room, where Michigan had to stay for the night because he lost his keys on the tram. Too bad because he gets free wireless from someone else in his room. He and Dee had two bottles of wine, Kay had one, and I had Old Nick. Fun night. All I'll say is that I think we know each other a lot better, and I didn't get back to my room until 3h30am. Oh and a great quote from Kay, "I like to shit in Nordstrom's 'cause they have nice bathrooms." Haha, I love it. I think we may have scared Michigan a little...

I got to bed around 3h30, woke up around 7h. My first thought, "oh god I'm glad I stopped drinking when I did." Water and a croissant got me through the morning, every time I woke up again. I didn't actually get up until 11h. It was a slow morning.

A funny note about French. Bachelor party translates from French to English, literally, as 'interment of single life'.

Savez-vous pourquoi j'aime cette langue?