To whom it may concern:

I have a roommate!  Actually, I have two roommates for the moment, but the other is just temporary.  So, I have one roommate who is from China.  Her name is Xiao Lu, I think, but she goes by Gaölle in France.  I like her a lot.  More later, I suppose, but I think we'll get along just fine.  We've already had some laughs and that's nice.

Also, there is a woman staying with us, who has been away on vacation but now is back for one more week.  She reminds me lots of my host mother, Aline, from when I studied abroad three years ago, except she's a lot more... gravelly, or something.  I don't know.  We watched Cold Case, or something (it was a show about opening files that had been closed from many years before-- the one we watched was about this college history art teacher who murdered his student in the style of the painting Ophelia, from Hamlet.  oh la la!), in French voice over, on TV last night til midnight.  Not the most exciting night life, but it's basically the latest I've been awake since I've been here.  What a crazy life I lead! 

Now I'm going to go find a bank with Xiao Lu, and then hop online at an internet cafe to talk to Donnie, I think.  Maybe a movie tonight.  We have orientation on Friday and then a whirlwind of observation hours, and then a regular schedule with 12 hours a week of teaching.  How will I fit it all in?!?  (small joke)

xoxo