There’s not much to report from Paris today.  I had my first day of class at the new school.

I arrived promptly at 9 am.  I was the last new student to get there!  I’ve been told that competition in school is tough these days, but this is ridiculous.  I was on time and already I couldn’t keep up.

I took another test and was assigned to a group.  I was directed to go up to the 2nd floor–which is actually the third floor, but I’m not going to quibble with the way French people count–and told to wait with my group.  I found the classroom and went in.  The room was empty, but I figured that the rest of the students were just milling around.  The teacher walked in and started to teach.  Wait a minute!  Where is everyone?

It turns out that the 5 Japanese students didn’t show up.  That’s right.  I was put into a group with all Japanese students.  Can you imagine me trying to understand French spoken with a Japanese accent?  I couldn’t even understand it when my friend, John, talked to me in French with his heavy Australian accent.  Shoot! I can’t even understand French with a French accent.  I’m in trouble if they show up tomorrow.

As it turns out, I had a private lesson for 3 hours.  I thought I was going to cry.

My brain is completely fried, and I’m afraid to go back to school tomorrow.  Just like those too tight pants that I bought this afternoon, I don’t know where I’ll stuff one more piece of information. I’ve begun talking to myself as I walk down the street. I keep trying to solidify the words in my mind by repeating them over and over.  I realized this afternoon that I was moving my lips as I marched down rue St. Honoré.  Pitiful!  There’s no telling what I look like to the people I’m walking towards.

But, I’ll tell you what I will look like when I’m wearing those new pants and walking away from people.   A huge overstuffed sausage.  But, by golly, I’m going to be stylish. I just need some 4″ high wedges to complete the look.  They’re not practical for walking around Paris, but that’s not the French way, anyway.  Oh, and I need a cigarette.

A bientôt!