"you'll need a flashlight"

This was how my roomate described the possible hike we might go on this weekend.

"You're not afraid of heights are you?"

"Well, what do you mean, how high?"

"Like, if you are on top of the Eiffel Tower, are you afraid of (literally) the *emptiness*?"

Wow--to fear emptiness on top of the Eiffel Tower, how French. I don't think that would happen to me, though I never have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower. At the same time, for this hike, we will need flashlights because you have to go through dark tunnels apparently?

The organe bikini situation turned out okay, so I have confidence in my roomate. And it is a beautiful area to go hiking in, so I think I shall confront the emptiness.

Today I showed my roomate my pictures of friends/family from home, when she saw Ben's picture she just said: "blue. eyes." Yes, in English! Haha...

The other day I woke up to the Mistral wind humming through the entire apartment. It was like I was on a pirate ship or something, but my roomate said, "Oh but it wasn't very strong."

TOMORROW then is the day of 60mph winds, weee! I love watching la meteo on TV--rainclouds all over France..EXCEPT...haha the one sun going strong in the south.

I DID eat a croque monsieur today....burned. Man, I will never be a French chef. All you have to do is let it cook in the poele for a few minutes and I completely burned it...sigh. This has been part of my frustration here--not knowing how to do anything exactly right. I am constantly fumbling to open doors, turn on the oven, set the dishwasher correctly..etc. Today my roomate and I cleaned.

She said, "Well I didn't show you how to use the vacuum, but I'm sure it's pretty much the same as in the U.S."

"Oh sure--certainly I'll have no problem with a vacuum! Ha! Pfft!"

...2 minutes later...

"So wait, HOW do you turn on the vacuum???"

She just started laughing and showed me the button that I HAD already pressed. Mais non, you must press it this way and wait for a second, THEN it works. Argh! Photocopiers ONLY take dimes, so you can't put in any other kind of change. The cold faucet turns one way to turn on, but you have to do the reverse for the hot faucet. Nearly burned myself figuring that one out in the shower. ;-)

Buuuut it's okay--it has been quite an experience having EVERYTHING explained to me. A. because I need it and B. because my roomate is a pre-school teacher. She really very thoroughly explains everything--which is adorable. :-) We went grocery shopping today and she explained how microwavable meals work, how they put promotions at the end of an aisle, how the generic brands are cheaper than other brands. Part of me thinks, "Well duhh, bien surr." But then again, I couldn't even work the vacuum cleaner so I don't necessarily want to reject any advice she gives me.

And in fact, she is incredibly nice. She arranged so I could stay at her daughter's appartment in Marseille next week for a night. She treated me to the movie "Sicko" last night at the movie theater too. Apparently everything they say about France IS true in it. Although every country has their own problems too...long story I guess.

I am reading Daudet's "Lettres de mon moulin," children's literature apparently. But it's about this region so that should be good. I started reading a book about a guy from a fictional place in Africa who goes to Paris and writes letters back to his girlfriend in "Africa." At first I liked it because it was kind of a cute story, but then there were just too many references to stereotypes for my liking. "Oh if I was at home we could show these Parisiens how we do animal sacrifices in the forest..." Uhhh...yyyah. Anyway, so I had to put that one down pour le moment.

I'm feeling more and more comfortable, but then I really haven't had to do that much yet.

Favorite french of the day: "coucou" (i gather it means "hiya") and "ciao ciao" (catch ya later, alligator)