First Day In France!

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I’m writing this while in France ! Finally got here after a long day of traveling. I left at 1:30 from Boston Logan Airport. Had an hour long flight to Philadelphia, then a three hour layover in Philly. For the first half of it, I watched Sex & the City movie on my laptop, and then when it was about an hour before the flight I kept meeting other assistants who are doing the same program as me, that were on my flight! I was talking to five other girls, all whom were from different parts of the country, and doing the program in all different parts of France. Such a small world! But, it gets better. My boarding number was called before the others so I went to get in line and saw a girl who looked really familiar….and this sounds creepy, but it was from facebook! We have an Angers Assistants group on facebook and there is only like 10-12 members and we have been talking a lot in the past month as we have been preparing to leave, so I thought I had recognized her. It turns out it was her, and that she was even just a seat over from me on the plane! So the man sitting in between us noticed we were talking before the flight took off and offered to switch seats. I just love when the world seems small.
Flight went well, I flew US Airways. It was probably my least favorite foreign flight I have taken, but still not too bad. Upon arrival to Charles de Gualle airport, we waited in a line for at least 40 minutes to get through the passport check. Got through that, got our massage luggage’s (I had a huge carry on, and two overstuffed suitcases totaling 99.5 pounds.) We trekked through the airport to get on the shuttle that brought us to the SNCF train station. After a couple stops passed on the shuttle, I suddenly heard my name, and it was April! I was so nervous about not being about to find her at the train station and she had just so happened to get on the same exact shuttle as me! That worked out so well, we then picked up our tickets and using the French language began. Not as successful as I would have liked it to be, but the man at the guichet was really friendly! (For a Parisian French!) he actually kept speaking French to me even though he knew English but knew I was trying and wanted to practice. We then had like four long hours to wait and just sat in a café completely exhausted until our train finally came at 13h16. And because of elevator complications, we almost missed the train even though we have four hours.
When I arrived at Angers St. Laud train station, April helped me throw my bags off the train in the chaos that is unloading, and I went to meet the French English professor who was waiting to pick me up. He was extremely friendly and we spoke a mix of French and English together in the carried. I am not as close to centre-ville as I thought I was going to be, I am in a part of Angers I have never been to before (though that is a lot of it!) It’s a nice part and there is even a mall here! When we arrived at the school he gave me a quick tour even though I looked horrible and greasy and sleepless. I met a few people in administration at the school. The principal type man said “this girls speaks amazing French!” and they English professor was like, “yes, she is pretty good” and I laughed and was embarrassed but had to tell them that Jules (my friend from Paris) helped me write the emails, so my perfect French emails had them fooled! They both took my bags and showed me to my flat, which is soooo much nicer than I was expecting! Its big! And there is a full kitchen, a nice tv, three nice size bedrooms with sinks and a nice size closest in them. Only 150 euro a month with no utilities…I love it! And my roommate, Eva, from China, is great! She knows some English but he only speak French together, which becomes interesting since there are many words that neither of us know. She had me try her dinner she cooked, and it was AMAZING. She said she would teach me how to cook Chinese food and I’ll teach her how to cook Amercaine. So, I will have to show her how to cook a cheeseburger haha! I am going to make Mexican Burritos tomorrow though, and she’s never had them, so this will be fun.
I need to pass out, I am exhausted and haven’t slept in like 48 hours. Bon soiree 

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