Day 2
Rencontrer la Famille
After a deep and much-needed sleep in the hotel I got up the next morning around 8:30 and had a small breakfast of bread, cheese, cereal and a cup of apple sauce that was so smooth it was like baby food. Then, after wrapping up a baguette and some cheese for my lunch later, we went to the BYU apartment by the Ecole Militaire (down the block from the Eiffel Tower, which you can see from the apartment window) to organize ourselves and take care of class business. We got our cellphones (one per pair of roommates) and then we at a small lunch while walking through the park at the Eiffel Tower. While there myself and Paige were approached by two black men from Africa selling friendship bracelets. He came up and asked me to hold the string for him, and I'm not dumb, I realized what was going on, but for some reason I took it without really thinking and then I ended up paying for it. Ha. Oh well, its actually kind of cool even if it is a rip off. I won't tell you what I paid for it.
Then we saw that nearby the rest of our group was talking to two men who had a camera and Giles and Betsy were interviewed on TV. They were being asked about their reaction as Americans to the value of the euro dropping that morning. An exciting day at La Tour n'est-ce pas? After that fun experience we walked back to the apartment and took the metro back to the hotel where we were to leave for our families. Those who were staying with families in Paris took taxis from the hotel. My roommate and I are staying in Croissy Sur Seine about thirty minutes outside of Paris. We all took a coach bus out there, which took longer (about an hour) because its not as fast as the train (called the RER). We were the first stop at Croissy at the Hotel de Ville. Betsy and Paige and the two Sarah's got picked up first and then our "Mom" picked us up a few minutes later. We live in a cute little French house near the center of town and about a 15 minute walk to the train station (when we don't get lost).
Our mother is an older woman (she's a grandma) who has had BYU students stay with her for several years now, so she's well-acquainted with the Mormons and BYU. In my room there are several Book of Mormon manuals, books on the temple and Book of Mormons (all in French) on the bookshelf. I have my own room, a cute little thing with a little bed/couch and a desk, bookshelf and window. Marissa and I share our own bathroom and we can keep our own food in a little refrigerator in the adjacent garage. We each get our set of keys and we will eat dinner with her three times a week (we worked out to do it Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7:30).
She prepared us a lovely dinner that night of chicken, potatoes, salad and, of course, bread and cheese, with chocolate cake for dessert (although it was more like a thick fudge brownie). Tres delicieux! It was a little awkward that first evening because I hadn't really spoken French with anyone yet and it was all a little overwhelming still. I had trouble coming up with something to say and when I did try to respond to her questions the words came haltingly. However, she was very understanding and helpful. She knows English I think but she explained to us when we got there that we can only speak French with her. Which is good because the students aren't really speaking French with each other right now. I hope this will change because I'm with my peers for most of the day and I need to practice! After dinner we were able to go up to our rooms and relax and go to bed. It was really nice being in my own room again and having my bags unpacked. I've been living out of a suitcase for a week now (since finals ended). And so ended the first night with my family.
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