Je suis ici!

In Angers, finalement. It's beautiful, as I'd hoped, overwhelming, as I'd feared, and shaping up to be quite the adventure.

Mum and I arrived in France early Monday morning, more jet-lagged than we could handle, but happy. Anne-Marie, our wonderful, fabulous French friend greeted us with big hugs and many bisous at the airport. We put my obese luggage into her car and drove off to Chatou, a beautiful suburb just west of Paris. The French do suburbia a little differently than we do. We spent the day, not admiring the sights of Paris as one would think, but rather shopping for school and house supplies. Just your average pre-university shopping excursion, bien sur. Then we went back to her house, passed out, and woke up in time for a lovely French dinner with Anne-Marie and her equally wonderful husband Jean-Pierre.

On Tuesday morning, after a breakfast of bread, cheese, and hot chocolate (pas mal du tout) we left for Angers. The drive is about 3 hours long, but the views of the countryside more than made up for the length. Sherwood Forest-type trees surrounded the highway and tall cypruses lined the fields. Every once in a while we passed by ancient little towns settled snuggly together, each with a steeple or bell tower overlooking the houses. It's such a fairy-tale; it's impossible to think that people live their regular, daily lives in these hamlets.

By lunchtime we reached Angers and the warm welcome of Eliane, a close friend of Anne-Marie. She lives in a 200 year old converted farm house, with the original exposed beams and whitewashed walls. We had yet another mouthwatering meal, followed by more cheese. Cheese seems to be served after every meal here. I'm going to have to find a method of exercise that will keep up with my eating habits, because noo way am I embracing moderation in this country. After lunch we did a bit more organising and some exploring of the city. We tried to figure out what sort of phone and credit card I would need here, a surprisingly complicated process. Everything here requires papers that prove who you are, where you live, and that you're a student. Even to get a bike!

Most importantly, we met my famille francaise. They are a lovely family of 6 (two sets of twins!) who live about a 30 minute walk from the school. But if I can get a bike, it shouldn't be a problem. My room is lovely and colourful, and the two other students who live here are great. Melissa and Jamie are both from Michigan, and it's a huge relief to have people I can speak English to! It gives my brain a rest.

We spent the night at Eliane's (apparently I dreamt in French, Mum said I was speaking it in my sleep), and then got up first thing to get a bike. We met up with Laura (one of my friends from X), and waited in line for a while only to find out that the girl just ahead of us would get the last bike available that day. Merde. So off we went to organise the phone and bank stuff a bit more, followed by another lovely lunch and rest at Eliane's. By late afternoon, it was time to say goodbye to everyone and go spend time with my famille. We had a delicious dinner of these crepe-like things filled with cheese, ham, and tomatoes. I think it will be a little tricky trying to fit in with an unfamiliar family and their daily routine, but everyone is very kind, so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle.

And now, I'm absolument fatiguee. I must must must get some sleep. This post is completely unedited, so please excuse anything I've said that's ridiculous. And please comment! I want to hear from everyone. Keep me in the loop ok?

Bisous!
Love, Annie