Kebabs!

First of all, today was a long day. 


Second, I'm extremely glad I bought that 12-25 discount card for trains.


Third, kebabs are awesome.


Fourth, I can't wait 'til Mommy and Dan come visit!


Alright. I had 5 hours of class today. All the same class, not 4 or 5 different classes. And it was really 3 hours of class, a break for an hour and a half, and then two more hours.  It was tiring but somehow I actually survived. Yay!  I don't think classes are going to be bad at all. I'm just glad I can comprehend people a lot better now than I could when I first got to France. Though, there was the guy at the bus stop tonight... I'll get to that in a minute.


So today after classes Jennifer and I went down to the train station to get train tickets to Paris and also train tickets to go to Toulouse tomorrow. The art history class is required to go, but anyone can tag along if they want.  I decided I want.  Some girls told me it wasn't cheap, 46 euros for a round-trip (hey, that's not that bad if you ask me) but it turns out that since I bought a discount card I got my round-trip ticket for 30 euros. And then the train to Paris was 33 euros. I feel like that was a huge bargain.  Turns out tickets are definitely cheaper if you buy them with a 12-25 card, and in the actual station (online the cost for the round-trip tickets to Toulouse on the same trains are 40 euros).  I'm taking my first ever train ride tomorrow! I have to leave at 7:30 in the morning and I have Jennifer's tickets so I can't be late (Jennifer is actually in the art history class. She has to be there).


So we actually managed to find that kebab place today. It was awesome. Positively excellent. Stephanie and Jennifer stood there looking at the menu and I knew neither of them would know what was good (and neither would I) so I asked the guy at the counter, what's the best thing on the menu? And he told me. And asked if we wanted three of them. So that's what we got. They were just regular kebab sandwich things, with lettuce, tomatoes, onion and kebab meat, and then he asked us each what sauce we wanted.  Stephanie and Jennifer got mayonnaise and ketchup (respectively) and I decided to try the traditional stuff rather than the American condiments, and I had this weird red picante sauce. It was very, very good. Nice and spicy, too. We also got a decent-sized pile of fries. We only payed 4,50 euros for the whole thing. It was such a good deal, and so delicious.  (If you don't know how kebabs work, they thinly slice the meat off of something that looks like this and stuff a pita-type bread full of the meat and other ingredients. So good.)


So, now that I've bought my ticket to Paris I can't wait to go!  Well, I couldn't wait to go before either but now I'm even more excited. I get out of class at 16h30 and the train leaves at 17h36 so I think I'll have plenty of time. Jennifer didn't buy her ticket yet because she didn't have enough money on her at the time (and somehow I feel like she might not even buy one? But it'll be okay with me if she doesn't).  And I can't wait to show Mom and Dan around Pau.  I think there are places here that they'd really like. I'm going to ask my host family if it'd be okay to invite them over for dinner one night, something tells me my host parents would like that.  Also, Dear Mom: I need to know what day you guys are leaving France, please, and I have Wednesday afternoons (after 11am) completely free if we want to try to go to the French Basque country (and the beach).  I'm so excited!


In the bus stop downtown, understandably, there are always some very questionable characters hanging around. It's a little unavoidable because the last bus from the university leaves at 19h49 and the last bus from town leaves at 20h26 so it gives me a little more room for doing things in town with friends...  Tonight there was this weird guy with a euro-mohawk there, he had two manga books and he asked me for cigarettes. I told him I don't have any, I don't smoke.  He decided to sit down next to me to read his manga books (after he offered to sell them to me for 5 euros) and he popped open his beer and talked to himself a little. I was singing because I decided I don't care what French people think, and after a few minutes he interrupted me to ask me what my name is, tell me I have a pretty voice, and ask me where I'm from. I know I shouldn't talk to people like that but oh well. I talked to him until the bus came.  He wasn't there to catch the bus though, he was just there for who knows what reason, so thankfully he didn't follow me home or anything.


I would like to thank my mommy's friends Char, Tammy, Stacy and Kim for the cards (though they probably don't read this. I decided it's the thought that counts).


Also, in regards to numbers and times.... In European numbers, the comma and decimal are reversed. When I talk about 4,50 euros for a kebab, that's 4.50.  When I say there are 5.000 people somewhere, that's 5,000. Also, in France time is written, for example, 10h00 rather than 10:00 (the h stands for "heures" or hours, of course) on a 24 hour clock.  I'm probably going to be writing my times and numbers like that from now on so there's your explanation for that.