isn't it a lovely day to be caught in the storm

This post is coming to you from my mom's ipad....it's a long story.

This morning we woke up and got ready to check me in at the center. We repacked our barely unpacked bags as I munched on my last waffle. It was starting to drizzle outside as we got into our cab. It was about eleven when we arrived at the center. I met a girl named Callie while we were checking in together. We received a welcome packet and the keys to my new home. She and a boy named Joey walked with mom and me to our dorm.

We couldn't figure out how to get in the gate or through both of the building's doors. Europe is a hard country to figure out! We finally made it upstairs; floor two for Joey and floor six for Callie and me. When we arrived upstairs I quickly figured out that I have a doorbell, but we couldn't get our doors open! We went downstairs to find Joey, who got locked out of his room demonstrating to us how to open our doors, and another girl came up with us to give us a tutorial. I still couldn't get my door open because it faces right instead of left like the other doors. I'm in room 68.

My room is so cute!! I have a great view out of my window which overlooks a courtyard to another apartment building and a raised park on what used to be a train overpass. I have a small kitchenette, a desk, a bathroom, a bed, a closet, and a tiny table with two chairs. It's a small space, but definitely big enough for me. Mom wants to find things to decorate the walls to make it feel more like home.

the view outside of my window

my view from the 6th floor

Me and my bathroom

Outside my window

Part of my desk, my shelves, and the door

My kitchen managed to be smaller than the one in my old apartment

Callie and I went to an orientation at 2pm which was a walking tour of the neighborhood. Jim showed us the local grocery stores, connivence stores, post office, bank, etc. We ended the tour at the center where we had sandwiches, cookies, and orangina. Callie and I then walked to the Monoprix to get groceries. I've learned so much while in Europe and I was able to pass along some knowledge to Callie like which bread to buy and how to insert her credit card into the reader.

Then we went back to our rooms. Mom wanted to check into her hotel so we packed her bags and started walking after googling the directions. By this time it was raining and we had headed in the wrong direction. We wandered into another Ibis and the front desk worker ordered a cab for us. Mommy is staying in the Bastille Opèra because we didn't realize that another Ibis was closer.

After dropping off her bags we decided to go back to my room and go grocery shopping. We walked down every street that we thought that we had taken from the other Ibis to this Ibis, and after a long time in the pouring rain, we thought we found a familiar street. It turned out that we had walked back to mom's hotel! We were soaked through so we decided to come upstairs and rest.

We put on pjs and climbed into bed and before I knew it I was asleep. I woke up to mom coming in the door with a bag of groceries and room service. I'm writing this post from her bed while Cars plays in French in the background.

I have to be at the center for orientation at 1:30pm tomorrow so we are going to wake up early and call a cab to go grocery shopping. I feel bad because I told Callie and Joey that I would go to the Liberation Celebration with them tonight. Oh well.

Bon soir.