Life at Université Charles de Gaulle: An update

I've been somewhat derelict in my blog-writing duties lately. The past few weeks probably deserve more than a bunch of pictures of Paris and an angry couple of paragraphs. I realize that this thing is a self-imposed responsibility, but I really do want to keep you all updated on how things are going with me.

Some good news: After pouting for a while about having neither an oven nor kitchen supplies I've come to my senses. What does one do in this situation? No-bake recipes. Duh.

So I bought some breakfast cereal and marshmallows and did what any American girl would do.

I used corn flakes instead of Rice Krispies, but that's not the point. The point is that I melted marshmallows and butter together and turned them into delicious treats.

At one point, a guy who I suspect is Spanish was also in the kitchen and kept glancing at my project. This is okay because I'm pretty sure there's some sort of international norm stating that an American's judgement can't be questioned with regard to marshmallows.

More good news: You won't have to read any more posts in which I gripe about coffee. I now have a kettle, etc. 

I'm set. Bring it on, France.

I also thought it would be nice to put up some more pictures of my room, now that I've decorated it some. It's definitely nice to have some things up on the wall. Especially because everything in my room is white or some neutral pastel shade. I mean, I'm all for simplicity and white walls, but my room is furnished like a hospital. It just doesn't have any cool gadgets or handsome doctors, à la George Clooney.

Hey, look, birthday cards!

I also located a drying rack. It hangs off the radiator, a fact that I'm a bit skeptical about. Although, they still haven't turned our heat on so we may never find out whether it's a fire hazard or not. At this rate, we're more likely to find out how many clothes I can wear to bed before I'm willing to buy another blanket. Last night I added a hat and gloves. 

Finished with my residency requirements - a story I will not be going into. So, OFII? Check.

Oh, and I got my ticket for Handel's opera Orlando. It's about a knight who falls in love and goes mad. I'll need to do more research on the story than that, though, because the opera is written in Italian and the subtitles will be in French. I'm pretty excited about my ticket because I got a cheap seat - only 5 euros! - but the ticket salesman got me a fantastic place. While I was at the opera house ticket office I also picked up tickets for four of the Wednesday evening concerts. If anything, I might be even more excited about the chamber music. Let's face it, they're all going to be fantastic.

And we had our international student soirée. I got a dress, so now I actually have something dressy to wear.

Admittedly, I've spent most of the day cleaning and researching train tickets and hostels (read: I should go do homework). Progress has been made on making travel plans, but I need to talk to Lucinda about our plans to get together before I can pick dates and make reservations. 

In the meantime, fall break is coming up. I can't wait to see Aunt Widdy and Aunt Dede - and show them around. We're going to have a fabulous time! 

I'll leave you with this: yesterday morning was really pretty...