what a wonderful day!

I really have to post about today. It's truly been a spectacular day.
The beginning of the day didn't start out too differently, or all that great for that matter. I woke up a bit earlier today so that I could make it to the Center to print out a paper that I had due for my grammar class today. I got there around 9am, printed my paper, did some reading and then went to class at 9:30. Class was class, and our teacher was her normal self; eccentric, jovial and a little absent minded. Yet, she's a joy to have as a teacher. After that class we're supposed to have our conversation class at 11am, but that teacher was sick so it was cancelled. I proceeded to go to the Franprix (a grocery store) and to a Leader Price to do some grocery shopping because I was in dire need of groceries. Cheap groceries, too. Blah blah blah I did that, came home, unloaded my groceries, made some lunch and started to do some reading for my next class, which wasn't until 5pm. That's a long way away. I've been fiddling in my mind with the idea of getting my haircut here and whether or not it is entirely possible to do without really messing up my hair. For about a week I've been scouring the internet for pictures of potential haircuts because every time that I decide to get my haircut I tell myself, "Michelle, you're going to get something different this time!" And low and behold I chicken out and I get the same version of the haircut that I've had for much too long. But today, I was feeling adventurous and I needed a bit of a change since I don't change my style of clothes all that often (For those of you that really know me, a sweatshirt and jeans is my staple outfit. Don't worry! I've upgraded a half of a point. It's now a fitted sweatshirt. I won big time). Anyway, about two hours before my class I decided, "What the heck. I am in Paris, so I should just go for it." I walked around my neighborhood because I've been told that there are some fairly priced good and good salons. I finally stumbled across "Mod's Hair" on rue St. Dominique, which is a block from my home. it was 31 euros for first time customers, and compared to the other prices that was really good. I went in knowing what I wanted but had no idea how to express it in french. I kindly asked if the hairdresser (who was this unbelievably amiable older french man) if he spoke english. He said that he did a little, and he really meant a little. Somehow we managed to communicate pretty fluidly so that he and I could be on the same terms. He pulled out some books and flipped through the pages and ended up on the ones that I wanted. He must be a mind reader. After various hand gestures around my head and some interjected french and english words, he began to cut. My heart was pounding!! "What if it isn't what I want? What if it's a waste of money? What if it's the same as I've always gotten?" These questions circled my mind as he snipped away. As he progressed, though, I found myself really liking what he was doing. It complemented my features and was different from what I've done in the past. So, voila! I have a new haircut with bangs and sharp, choppy edges. It's great and I love it. When I went back to the Center for my last class just about everyone I passed commented on my hair and how they liked it! They also said it complemented my eyes really well. Needless to say, I am very pleased and indebted to the nameless french man who cut my hair today.

Deuxieme chose fromidable. Grace An, a former french teacher of mine and the other oberlin students that are in the same program as me, is here in Paris for a month. She emailed all of us asking if we'd like to have dinner with her when she arrived. Naturally we all said yes. Seriously, who would pass up a free meal in Paris?? Anyway, we met at this hip wireless cafe a few blocks from the Center. It was so nice to talk to her about being in Paris and about her times here and about our homestays and Oberlin and about the other students in the program and just about random things. She's a wonderful teacher who seems to be in touch with what she wants and what her students want and need. She's also just really approachable. Anyway, the food was amazing. I had a vegetarian dish with a piece of melon, eggplant, salad, tomatoes and mozzarella, bread with cheese mushrooms and red peppers. THEN, we had dessert. I got the Tiramisu. HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL it was the most heavenly thing I've ingested in a long time. And after, we had coffee. I had a really enjoyable time. The best part was walking to the Metro with her and just talking about the book that she is writing and about Oberlin and such. She also commented on my smile, saying that it was really pretty, and that whenever she needed to see a smile in class she knew that I would always have one. That probably sounds weird, but it was really nice to hear from her. I needed that boost of confidence because lately I've been feeling a bit lonely. In my experiences just today (and other days, too) I've learned that language barriers can empower someone to commit to an act, or it can totally isolate someone, even though they're surrounded by throngs of people. Can you catch my drift? When I wanted to get my haircut today, I had to buck up and just go for it. I put my trust in the hairdresser and it came out fine, whereas back home I let my apprehensions get the best of me and end up talking my way (inadvertently) out of what I essentially wanted. Without being able to communicate fluently I wasn't able to do that, but I got exactly what I wanted!! As for the loneliness, when I'm not able to fully express myself I can feel disconnected to the people around me and on a lower level then them, thus unable to be understood. Anyway, this is a really long post, but I just really wanted to post it. I apologize for bragging about my hair...i don't mean to sound vain but I really like it! I wish I could take a picture to show you all!

Bises!