It's October?

It's been a while since I wrote anything, so I guess it's time for a little update.

I'm now signed up for my two Sorbonne classes which start next week. I'll be taking Intro to Linguistics and a French literature class called "Le Mentir Vrai." I'm not really sure what to expect, but I guess we'll see next week! Tara is in my linguistics class, which is nice because it means I'll have someone I know on Monday in my first real French class.

This past weekend, my aunt and my grandma came to visit me from Finland. We had a lot of fun together and it was so nice to see them after such a long time. We hit all the main tourist spots: Louvre, Tour Eiffel, Jardin de Tuileries, Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame, Orangerie, Sorbonne, Jardin de Luxembourg, Sacre Coeur, etc. Needless to say, our feet were extremely tired after each day, and I was always exhausted when I got home. Unfortunately, I have been having some trouble falling asleep (even when tired), which I think is a result of my whacked out sleep schedule. Next week, I'll need to get up early on 3 mornings, so that sleep schedule really needs to change fast. But anyway, I really enjoyed showing Sari and mummu around Paris, even if the men who worked at their hotel were huge jerks (I got yelled at for going up the stairs in the hotel). We also went to a TON of tourist shops (those places are addicting) and cafés. Great weekend, and I was sad to say goodbye. I feel better about it now though because I'm trying to make plans to go visit them and other relatives in Finland in December. :]

Today, Tara and I went to the Musée d'Orsay, which was absolutely beautiful. I don't know a whole lot about different artistic movements, but Impressionism is quickly becoming my favorite. I especially love Monet, and Orsay had tons of his paintings which was great. I really feel like being here has given me a new appreciation for art and art museums...I have never been one to go to a museum just for fun, but now I've really started to enjoy it. And Impressionist painting in particular--it makes me feel peaceful and calm but at the same time very alive. It's something about the colors, the technique, the subjects. It's hard to describe, and I'm not doing a good job of it at all, but it's a new experience that I'm glad I've started to embrace. The only problem with liking art is that it makes it difficult for me to not buy things at the gift shops--even if they're just post cards, I would love to have some kind of reproduction of all my favorite paintings.

On Monday, Nathan and I had our 2-year anniversary. Although it was sad to not be together to share it, he gave me what could quite possibly be the best anniversary gift of all time: he is coming to visit me in Paris. :) I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself. He'll be here for 4 days in November! It's hard for me to believe that he is actually coming since he worked so hard to convince me that there was no possible way he could. (He wanted it to be a surprise.) But yay!

Some things that may be coming up soon:

-Seeing a ballet at the Opera House

-500 Days of Summer at the movies

-Sushi dinner on Saturday night

-Concrete plans for London/Belgium

That's about it for now! I'm off to watch another few episodes of Gossip Girl (I think it's an addiction) and then to bed. Wish me luck for classes next week. :)