lucky.

getting crazy with umbrellas

wet boots and tile floors

on the way to school

cute group shot!

today's classy outfit

just after we got off the metro

imprisoned below the arc

the ultimate adventurers

more doors (mind the suspicious substance nearby)

the arc's beautiful ceiling

little me, large scantily clad men

you know life is good when a less exciting day includes a quality shopping trip and a little stop at the arc de triomphe. school was good today, it ended nice and early, at 12, so we went on a little shopping adventure. we had a grand old time in this little boutique where there were all kinds of good things. we tried on these crazy high waisted jeans, cheetah print genie pants, super huge sweaters, and extra furry hats. they also had some really cute stuff as well, and i ended up buying this really french black lace blouse with a zipper down the back. neat.

after that we headed to the BHV which is like the target of france. but because it is france, it is obviously classier. it has about 7 floors of anything you could ever want. i was in search of a towel (the ones we have here at the home are a little sketchy) and i needed some envelopes too. we found everything we wanted and more. although - french lined paper is not the same and envelopes are totally different sizes. but hey, it is fun! our friends jamie and allison got a little lost in the depths so emily and i took a seat near the front of the store and waited for them. when they got back i stood up and my mom's super cute fossil watch that she leant me for this trip just fell to the floor! no way! i picked it up and the band had torn, luckily there was a watch repairman right on that very floor so he directed me to get a new band. i almost got an ostrich leather band but in the end got this super cute yellow one. sorry mom!

on our way home we realized that the stop where we change metro lines is near the arc de triomphe so we decided to take a little detour and see how close we were. as we took the escalator up to the street i was completely surprised to see the arc literally right there. it was glorious and huge and beautiful and breathtaking. it really hit me right then that i live here. in PARIS! in such an amazing place where you can take a five minute detour on your ride home and see something absolutely amazing. how lucky am i.

home is good. i fell asleep for a while and lost track of time but i awoke in time for another delicious dinner with Nannick. this is how dinner here works. my place is next to nannick and across from emily. we each have a napkin and napkin ring that we always use. mine is the bananas (les bananes). we start with soup (le potage) every night. tonight was tomato. then we have our entree. tonight was lasagna (le lasagne). after the entree is the salad, cheese and bread course (although there is a constant supply of bread throughout the meal). she buys different cheeses every meal so we can get a little taste of them all! lastly we have dessert, which is usually just fruit, but that is fine with me. dinner lasts at least an hour and a half, we always have seconds, and i always finish feeling very full. conversation is always good too. tonight we discussed the minimum wages in europe verses in america, and i talked about my experience doing folk dance. its always a good time at the pucheu family table.

i am so blessed to be here. it is such an amazing experience. it really is a completely different world over here and everyday i get a taste of so many new things. (like a delectable sugar brioche today. mmm) i love it. i appreciate your comments, its good to know people are reading! so thank you. much love from paris! au revoir!