Bonjour Paris

I love Paris. I've been here for about 24 hours and within the first few I thought to myself, I could live here. They use a 24 hour clock, the streets are small but the sidewalks are big, everything is small. Everything is beautiful, every building and every person. I was told that Napoleon knocked down all the dirty ugly wood houses and paid to build these beautiful stone apartments all through the city, just for beauty's sake. Isn't that amazing? I keep looking at the sky thinking I am in a different world with the same sky. But actually the light is different here, I didn't notice at first but it is softer.
Yesterday I got on the train to Paris and this guy sat next to me.
"That's my seat. I'm supposed to have the window seat." He seemed kinda angry.
"Oh, sorry. Want to switch?"
"No." He seemed resentful.
"Are you sure?"
"How about we switch half way through?"
"I'm going to fall asleep half way through. Why don't we switch now?"
"No, you sit there."
Sure enough I slept the whole time. When the train stopped and I woke up I could hear him grumbling about how I took his seat and then wasted it by sleeping.
Juliette's friend is letting me stay with her and her family in the Latin quarter. Her name is Carla and she is about my age, and her brother is like 15 or something and his name is Sandro. Carla an I didn't recognize each other at first so I had this nervous moment at the train station where everyone was clearing out and I didn't know where to go. But Carla found me and I followed her to the metro. She walks so fast, it is like running. Her house is super cool. You open this giant blue door and you go through a hall that leads you to a big courtyard. If you look up there are tall white apartment buildings. The lift inside could barley fit Carla and I, we were touching because it was such a tight fit. But the staircase is beautiful and spirals to the ceiling. I've heard the apartments are small here but really it was just comfy. The bathroom and toilet room are separate which is kinda cool. Carla let me use her room. I never really figured out where the parents sleep though. All the furniture and floors are made of dark wood and the sun shines through the many windows that overlook the courtyard. It is beautiful.
Carla is skinny with curly brown hair that is wispy thin. Her brother is fuller and his hair is in thick curls. Carla walked me around her neighborhood, it was like having a tour guide because she knew the history of everything. Carla is studying history and anthropology at a famous school called...Sabrone (I think). She is hard to get to know. her brother is much more friendly and we talked about music, his favorite band is Ramstein. The whole family speaks broken english. They all seem to love art and museums, they just keep telling me museums I have to see.
I was up until late last night, and I didn't wake up until almost noon. Sandro was just coming home for lunch - he gets two hours for lunch, weird eh? I think they need a break from me sometimes because it is a struggle for them to speak to me and I sit back and know no french. Well, I know "je suis fatiguee" and mange (or is it manger?) is to eat and alonz-y is let's go (not the right spelling), oh and preservatif! I want to get my hair cut in Paris but I don't think it is going to happen.
The TV is on and MTV has some stupid show recorded in English and voiced over in French. Stupid. I walked all over and got lost a bit today. Then Sandro took me to Notre Dame and the river. Sandrow as so easy to talk to the first night I met him but now he was nervous and couldn't talk. I think he was starring at my boobs at one point. He kept asking me if I wanted a drink and I kept trying to say "whatever you want" but he didn't understand. So we sat at some bar cafe thing outside and he had a cherry coke and I had a beer. I didn't ask for a beer but that is what i got (in the middle of the afternoon!). It was good, I think it was called picon. I had no trouble drinking it, which is rare for me and beer. The bartender came over and tried asking me something, but Sandro must have told him I didn't know English.
"Ah, American!" the guy said something in french and then pointed at me, like 'tell her'.
Sandro was carrying a dictionary around and starting flipping through it.
The waiter yelled what I think was does anyone speak english?
The guy at the table next to our came over and talked to the bartender and Sandro and then leaned down to me smiling and laughing, and he said "you will like this, very good" and he pointed to my beer. OK....
Anyways Carla and her mother are making dinner and I'm sitting on the couch listening to music. I'm hungry but I have no idea what I will say to the family during dinner.