last bit of solitude

Ahh. It's another cloudy day in Paris, but I'm at the top of the Georges Pompidou center with a panoramic view of all of Paris, complete with free wireless internet. Meagan left today :( but I guess I've gotta start looking towards the semester. We ended up having fun in Strasbourg, and we had every intention of going out hardcore (which we did...for an hour), but it's hard to get in the mood when it's 7 euros for a pint of beer. We had fun pregaming in our room though with 2euro bottles of wine, but we didn't feel like indulging too much. I think that trains are the coolest form of transportation. You can move around, you've got tables, and you can watch the countryside pass you by while lounging out with a book.

The book I'm reading is perfect for me right now. It's called, A House Somewhere, and it's a collection of excerpts from books about life abroad (ie A Year In Provence, Under The Tuscan Sun, etc.). They're all about the same, the authors start out freshfaced with glorious expectations of starting over in a culture/environment completely different from the world they've always known. Some of the stories surpass their expectations, and some are disappointed, but none would ever give up the knowledge that grows with them in their cultural immersion. Either way, my experience will be like none other.

My program starts tomorrow. I've gotten emails this past week from my program director with explicit instructions on how to handle the Parisian airport experience. I reread the email, and it seems I missed the part about everyone writing something about themselves to each other. I figure it's too late, most of the people in the group are already on their way to the airport by now. Those that aren't can wait another night to meet me. I've now been in Paris almost three weeks, and I can't believe I'm about to experience the sightseeing..again. I saw the sights with my family, again when I had nothing else to do by myself, again when I showed Meagan around, and now I'll see it with 15 other people my age. 3 guys, 13 girls. Should be interesting.

I got my cell phone number, and I should be getting the phone tomorrow when I meet up with the program.
06 86 28 57 59

To call from the United States, you dial:
0 11 33 6 86 28 57 59

Don't waste your minutes, though. Download Skype, and talk to me for free! I downloaded it and I have no friends on it yet, so go for it!

I'm excited. I'll take my placement test in a few days and start classes I think on Friday. Three more nights in Paris, then I say so long to the city of light.