Lille!

Today was fun. I feel kind of guilty sitting here telling you about how great things are going when half of you aren't even in your houses anymore. Today the flood was on the news on every channel. I heard a report on the radio, too. On the TV, though, I saw some footage of the houses and everything and AHHHHHHH! I'm so worried for youuuuuuuu! Please stay safee! I really wish I could somethinggg! :(

Anyways, my day went well. I had DS this morning, and the subject was English (as well as Spanish or German, but I'm not in either of those, so I just had English). For the first time, I was able to respond to every question thouroughly. I wrote a tonnnn, too. I didn't mean for it to seem like I was trying to be a jerk and show off how good I am at English, I was just really excited to know the answers AND know how to respond!

After school, my host mom picked me up and we went to the ATM so I could get some cash for this afternoon. We came home and ate lunch. Then I got ready to go to Lille.

At one thirty, Hillary, Marina, and I met up with two AFS volunteers at the gare. The five of us drove to Lille together. The ride only lasted a little over a half hour. After parking, we got out and walked around the city a little. We met up with another AFS volunteer outside of a café near the Voix du Nord building. Then we took a little tour of the Old Quarter of the city. It was super pretty! There are a ton of artists there. Some of them have studios you can look into and watch as they paint. It's really cool! The city's arcitechture is really pretty as well! I took a bunch of pictures, which I am currently trying to upload. It wasn't really the nicest day out, so after walking around for a while, we went to this hugeee indoor mall. There were 4 floors of clothing shops, and we chose to go to the grocery store! lol! I FOUND OREOS THEREEEEE! Ahh! I bought 4 boxes! hahaha! I also bought a bag to put them in, because you don't just get those with your groceries. It only cost me 10 cents, though, so it didn't set me back too much. haha. I was SO SO SO excited to find Oreos, though! You have no idea! At my house back in Fargo, we ALWAYSSS have a package of those around, and I haven't eaten one since my mom sent some for Valentines Day!

Anyways, after that, we met back up with the adults and another AFS guy from New Zealand who is on a year-long program. The seven of us went to a café for a drink. We also filled out a little survey thing about how we've been doing so far and how we like our families and schools and everything. I think I am the only person who has not been homesick at all, yet. I kind of wish I could just get it done and over with, because I'm sick of wondering when it's gonna hit me. When it does, though, I hope I get lucky like Hillary and it only lasts a couple days. I don't want to waste much time wishing I was back home, because I'm sure when I finally do return, I'll wish I was back here. I've already decided that I want to live here. I'm not sure exactly when or for how long, but at some point, I will move to Arras.

After we finished talking at the café, it was getting late, so we said goodbye to the New Zealander and the AFS volunteer in Lille and then made our way back to Arras. At the gare, I talked with Marina's hostdad a little. He complimented me on my French. I actually got THREE compliments today on my French :D! That made me really happy. I can really notice my progress, too. Speaking French is seriously becoming second nature to me, now. Sometimes I'll be talking and I won't even have to think about what I want to say in English, first. The right words will just come out in French. It's kind of cool when that happens, and I hope that by the end, that will happen more often than not. I'm pretty proud of myself and how much I've learned. I just wish I could speak it when I get home, too, because I'm afraid I am going to lose it just as fast.

Anyways, I got home around 7. My host mom told me that there was a vendor selling fries and burgers in front of the town hall. Pierre and I went to go check it out and ended up buying 3 things of fries and 2 burgers for supper. MmMmMMM That was goood! Afterwards, I spent some time watching the news on TV with my family. I again saw Fargo and the flooding and everything. My family urged me to call my family back home and make sure everything was alright. My phone card just died, but I gave my family my phone number for here, so they can call me sometime :)! I'm sadly all out of phone card minutes.

It's getting late, though, and tonight we are setting the clocks ahead an hour, so I'm going to lose an hour of sleep :(!

à demain!
&stay safe :)
<3miranda