Je voudrais être un gendarme.

Yesterday I didn't leave my house, and it kind of seems like everything I did was eat. I woke up and had tea and toast. Then my family went to church but I stayed home to take a shower and try to type up an assignment for class (but it didn't really happen).

Then we had a super extended brunch, starting with champagne and appetizers. It was my host mom's mother's birthday, and she and my host mom's grandmother were visiting. (The other day I made an interesting observation. I am closer in age to my host parents (about 10 years) than to my host brothers (about 15 years). So we had presents-one for my host mom's mom, and a couple from the mother and grandmother to Calixte, whose birthday it was last week. So after all of that, we moved to the table, where we had several courses of fabulous food-white asparagus, filet mignon with green beans and these potato(?) ball things. And of course bread and cheese (goat cheese with this gray stuff around it--my host mom's mom said it was ashes). And then chocolate tart, followed by café.

I really liked my host mom's mom. She would randomly quiz me/tell me new vocab. We were out in the garden and I learned the words for shovel, rake, mole, mole-hill, hoe, and some others. And unlike my host parents, she would correct me when I'd mess up grammar. She was really nice, and spoke some english too, like my host father. They left at around 5:30, when I was able to go back upstairs, do my homework that I'd tried to do earlier, and submitted it about two hours late online. Oh well, I don't think it should be a problem, and I was downstairs being social and learning from my host mom's mom. (Who also told me to read to Maxcence, the 4 year old, and ask him to explain words I didn't know. Which could be useful for basic vocab, but I don't think she realizes I'm reading Molière in the original French.)

Today was pretty sweet. I woke up and I think it had snowed just a touch because there was some melty snow out my window. So that was a little odd. I met Anna and we went to buy our grammar workbooks, and then headed over to the Louvre. It took us a while to really get started, because we had to get these special ID cards that let us go into the Louvre for free, because we had our CUPA cards. But it was worth it. Then I ate the first thing here I didn't like, but it was from one of the Louvre food places, so I guess it's understandable. It could have been good, if it were actually all the way heated (it wasn't) and maybe made with quality food? (It was a croque monsieur, which has like cheese melted over this ham sandwich or something). So we went to find the Mona Lisa, saw that (they've given up on the no cameras rule that they had the last time I was here, in the Mona Lisa room). Then we went through some French paintings, which were cool, because some of them I actually knew about from our art class.

Then we went outside, because the olympic torch was going to pass by the Louvre! We got out way early though. We chilled on the street for a while, and then all of these Gendarmerie vans pulled up, so we got all ready. But it became apparent the the torch still wouldn't be here for a while. We spent a ton of time taking pictures of the Gendarmes (seriously, I want to be one. Or at least have their uniforme. It's freakin' sweet. Their vests have about a million pockets, and they have shin guards, and crazy arm things, and sweet hats.) I was super sketchy taking pictures of them, but it passed the time. Police cars and caravans would intermittently pass, raising our hopes. We probably waited for a good hour and then some for the torch, but it was worth it, and fun to see the gendarmes. I have something like over 50 pictures from waiting, and two of the actual torch. Oh well, a good time was had by all.

Then we went back in the Louvre, looked at some more paintings, and as we were leaving Anna saw someone she knew from back home, so that was a little crazy. And then I went home. Which I'm really glad of, because it's now raining a ton, and I'm glad I don't have to be walking back to my house from the Metro.