feeling like an american

So I promise I'll get to the Normandie post soon. If nothing else, I'll put a link up for some pictures. You will see. It's amazing.

Anyway, I've mostly been doing class stuff this week. Homework, buying books, "reading"... you know the drill. Wednesday night, I went to dinner with Caroline at a little restaurant called "Le Petit Marcel," just down the street from Beaubourg (Centre Pompidou to the non-locals). By the time we left, we concluded that we could probably never return to the restaurant without wearing some kind of disguise. Apparently, it's rude to ask a waiter who isn't your waiter for l'addition (the check). They'll just give you a weird face. And I'm not sure what the official rule is in French society, but I don't think shattering a wine glass on the sidewalk and proceeding to scamper away without saying a word to the management is looked upon nicely. Who knew?

My course on the European Union was canceled this afternoon, so I took a political sabbatical today after translation. While downloading the final debate between Obama and McCain on itunes, I filled out the local section of my absentee ballot. I decided to wait to darken the oval next to my choice for president until I had seen all of the debates. I have for sure been leaning heavily towards Obama for quite a while now, but I wasn't quite convinced yet. The debate was definitely interesting. It was really obvious that they were both trying really hard to convince all those non-committed voters out there watching. It always feels good to watch things like the debates online here. I'll admit it: I've been missing America lately. I like feeling like I'm still connected somehow -- like a real American.

So I made my decision, filled in the oval next to my candidate (No, I won't tell you who I picked. It's an anonymous ballot, you know?), sealed the envelope, and dropped it in the mailbox at the post office down the street. Honestly, though, I had a little bit of voter's guilt afterward. Did I make the right choice? Being so far away from home, is there anything I've been missing? I kind of felt like it was unfair that I had to cast my ballot so early. But I really had no choice, as it has to get to the Douglas county clerk's office before election day, or my vote won't count. Anyway, it's all done now, and all we can do is wait and see what happens come November.

After doing my patriotic duty, I went down to Gibert Joseph to buy a book on the European Union and a grammar text for my new Arabic class (which I think will go pretty well, despite the fact that it's in St. Denis -- fondly referred to by my host brother as "the ghetto"). Then I met up with Caroline, Monica, Melissa, and her friends from U of C to visit Nôtre Dame. I'm happy to report that I actually went in this time. Being a thursday evening in the middle of October, there weren't near as many tourists lurking around as there were when I last visited the cathedral. Next, we visited the Tour de St. Jacques (where pilgrims embarking on the Chemin de Compostelle used to gather), grabbed dinner in the Latin Quarter (again), and went to our favorite haunt -- Le Who's Bar. There was a duo playing tonight that did a sweet acoustic cover of "Time is Running Out" by Muse. Killer.

Reason to Love It : French university students. So far, they seem really cool. I talked to a couple of them in my Arabic class on Wednesday. They seemed intrigued by the fact that I'm an American studying Arabic in a French setting. Hopefully, I'll be able to make some friends this way. You never know.

Reason to Leave It : Commuting to class and/or my internship every day. It's a big city, so it takes a while to get anywhere by Métro. It really makes me miss having an actual campus to live on.

Happy Travels

-- Cody

Also: Don't forget to click the links to some of my friends' study abroad blogs in the left-hand column. There's some compelling stuff there, I promise. And remember-- just like nutrition, commenting is a force multiplier. Show me you love me, baby...