Thursday, September 13, 2007

Nouveau message


In France, my computer speaks French. So now I am in the tab labeled "Publication d'un message." Je cree un nouveau message. Tres bien.
I only get wireless in the living room of my host family's apartment, so here I am, sitting on the couch, hoping nobody noticed that I unplugged an antique lamp so that I could power up my computer. The room is cluttered, but with a very French, intellectual, elegant sort of clutter. There are not dirty clothes and unwanted catalogs and used plates, but old embroidered tapestries and unframed paintings and dusty books and brass bowls etched with intricate patterns and dried flowers and a disconcerting amount of pieces of wood painted with the image of the Madonna in muted, faded tones. Bertrand, my host father, just came home. "Ca va, Kate?" he said, and I stuttered back some nonsense about what I was doing on the computer. What I was doing on this computer, before I started writing this, was looking for cheap tickets to Munich for Oktoberfest. Not that I've found anyone to go with me--people at IES probably think I'm verging on desperation, because my first conversation with any given student goes like this: "Hi, I'm Kate...I'm from Boston, I go to Pomona...hey do you want to go to Germany with me next weekend? Or the weekend after? Whatever works for you, I'm cool." They usually smile and nod and say something about how yeah, in theory, Oktoberfest would be fun. Would it be a horrible idea for me to go to Oktoberfest by myself?
Today I spent almost 20 euro on a pair of tights. As I spoke with the woman at the pharmacy, and she found the right size and color for me, the French words just rolled off of my tongue, my accent sounding impeccable--at least to my ears. So when she rang me up, I just couldn't ruin it all by saying SHIT NO I'm not paying you 25 bucks for some see-through spandex to wrap my legs in. My face must have betrayed my surprise, however, because she began explaining why they are so expensive (they have a control top to keep in excess stomach fat, and they help varicose veins--two issues that are extremely relevant in my life). But whatever. I needed tights.
I realize I haven't even gone over the basics of my first few days in Paris. Details seduce me.
Family--four kids, only three of whom I've met, I'm not sure where the fourth one is, I know I've been told, but I can't really understand. He might just come home really late at night. Or he might be in Scotland. It feels weird to ask now.
Classes don't start until the 24th, but IES is making us go to lots of meetings about how to not kill ourselves or offend French people.
I've been to the Tuilleries and the Champs Elyssees and the Musee Rodin and the Place des Vogues, to enumerate my tourist-y outings.
My bed creaks when I move, but it is comfortable.
I have a balcony.
Alors, je vais vous quitter maintenant. Je pense que je sort pour le diner ce soir, parce-que ma mere d'acceuil est a Normandy. Alors il faut que je m'habille et fait des choses comme ca.
Laissez-moi des commentaires, s'il-vous-plait!!!

2 comments:

breebelle said...

for one thing, Justin is going to oktoberfest, you could seriously meet him if you wanted (!!)

for another, my french host family had a son that didn't seem to come around much and then i eventually figured out that he had passed away...so yeah, you should figure that one out someone. do some sleuthing.

anyway can't wait for more seductive details!!!

Jenny said...

I enjoy that your computer speaks to you in french while mine says, :"haga su comentario." The internet is my hero. You must remind me to thank Al Gore. Write more things in your blog. It's great, it sounds just like you.