Last night, I went with Juliette and my host dad to see the musical FAME at the Comédie Théâtre in Paris. It was very entertaining! I couldn't compare it to a Broadway show (seeing as how I've never seen an actual B'way show) but it was pretty good! It's a good thing I saw the movie in English before the live version in French- it helped me follow along a lot easier. I still didn't catch everything, though, because there were several differences in the script that weren't part of the movie.

I feel like my spoken French is improving loads- especially after having spent so much time with my host sister and brothers. The other day, Yohan (Juliette's older brother, Samuel's younger) helped me bring my things from Luna Park to Laurent's apartment, where I stayed one night before moving to Arlette's mothers' apartment. He was very helpful and I hope he knows how grateful I was for his help. That day while we were waiting to meet up with Laurent, we went to Champs Elysées and walked up and down the strip, stopping at random boutiques here and there. We stopped at a Starbucks to treat ourselves to a Frappuccino before going to the Ciné to see yet another American film, Penelope. Very cute film. It was dubbed in French, so again I had to pay close attention to follow along, but well worth it.

Thursday- May 2nd
I'm leaving in thirteen days. I succeeded in moving the date up to May 15th at the steep price of $95 (the ticket price for the flight stayed the same, which is unfortunate because it would have been over $200 of a difference!) But either way, it's worth it because I'll be home in time for my little brother's birthday. He was happy to hear that. But now, since I'm quite pressed for money, I'll have to check out what events around here are cheap/free. Tonight there's a music festival on campus, and I was invited by Samuel. Should be interesting! Until then, i'm spending time on the balcony (with a beautiful view of Centre Ville) listening to music on my computer. I really enjoy the quiet here at Arlette's. Last weekend Yohan and his cousin, her boyfriend, and another guy all stayed over. It was pretty loud, sometimes a bit hard to fall asleep but the piano/guitar duets didn't last too long into the night.

Saturday- May 5th
Today is gorgeous. I'm laying on the grass by the Doubs. There are a bunch of people already here that had the exact same idea. I adore this spot- it's like a beach without the sand. It's nice to be able to take advantage of the sun for at least a few days (I heard it's not going to be as nice tomorrow :-/ ) (Post-France edit: I think I spent more time outside in Besac because it was the French thing to do! Also, it helped that I was so close to Centre Ville, and you didn't have to go far in any direction to have a beautiful view of the river, the Citadelle, et cetera.)