le tour eiffel?

i saw the eiffel tower for the first time ever today. oh, wait, i just lied. i saw it in a cab two days ago (er...yesterday? shit). but today was the first REAL time. it was amazing (dur). but it was surreal...i still feel like i was just looking at a replica in disneyland or las vegas or something. i haven't gone up yet, but when i do, i think i'll try doing the stairs (presuming i'm in my running shoes...no way i'm doing that thing in my flats).

today was the first real day i had in "real" paris (aka not the crappy fiap). isabelle took my on a brief tour of the neighborhood this morning, just to show me where to get money and credits for my cell phone and groceries. we ate dinner together tonight (3 crepes...how french am i?) and i really enjoyed her company. she studied history at san jose state a while ago, which is why her english is so good. she proposed to her husband in new york, which to the parisians is more romantic than doing it in paris (so much for hte eiffel tower cliché). but then...she broke the news to me.

starting in a week or two, we'll be speaking french all the time. i looked at her incredulously. WHAT?! wtf mate. i didn't sign off for that. well, no, i guess i did...sorta. i know, i know, it'll be SO good for me and it'll make my french ten times better. but right now, conversation will be slow and difficult. that means getting to know the family will be slow and difficult. christophe and paul don't speak any english, so i'm prepared for some tough conversations. this will definitely be something to blog about.

speaking of paul...today he colored in a papillon (butterfly), knocked on my door and gave it to me. he was SO adorable. he's got his blonde hair parted on the side and gelled down, with the cutest glasses. i'll teach him english words, he'll teach me french.

oh, gosh, i was supposed to put pictures on fbook tonight...but i didn't. i got distracted by other fbook stuff (as usual).

i'm on a french wifi network now, so google and blogger are displayed in french. c'est dificil pour moi lire.

i love this city. there's history everywhere, which i never though i'd be so in to, but i really love it. so many other people have taken the same walks and snapped the same pictures as me. i'm amazed.

i'm tired, too. i'm about to fall asleep in the comfiest bed ever. mucho amore! er... beaucoup amour!