Earlier this week I got an email from one of my classmates Guianluca -- yes that is his name, he is from Italy. He is one of the "class presidents" --there are like 15 people in our class, we dont need a president (and we have 2!). It was about concerns with the program. There was along letter about a meeting with the Dean and how we need to be prepaired etc etc...I'm like yup whhhatever your talking about. At the end he said "Whitney, you probably have no idea what I am talking about, I will fill you in Monday at class". LOL. All of these students have been in the program much longer than I have so aparently there are "issues". This is how sad my paper writting, dr going, no sugar eating life has become; I get my thrills out of the "no" guy and "issues" about people I dont even know yet. Any ways the meeting is this Friday at 6pm (I know its scheduled at that time so no one comes). That is the night I wanted to go to the Louve-- its free if your under 26 (sorry Geoff), on Friday nights :-( But its too early for me to isolate myself already--and not go....or issssss ittttt?

Yesterday I went to get my Visa trip #4 at 10:45am and was asked to come back tomorrow (a Friday). I said..in French :-) I came last Friday and was told no visas on Fridays. She said tomorrow there will be visas come back at and then held up a paper that said 8:30.

SO I went home and worked on my paper ALLLL day long (For those of you who think that because I am in Paris and am completing an MBA in a year, that this is a joke...I have a 12 page paper due every 10 days-- that paper will be 75% of my grade for that class).

I have just started laughing now at the "no" guy because the situation is just completely ridiculous. I CANNOT wait for someone to visit so they can hear what I am talking about. He is always home...and I hear his "no"-ing at least 6 times a day (and thats just when I'm here). I want to know what this joker and his dog look like!

I am afraid I am getting off topic-- I get up this morning make my way over to the Visa office, that I no longer need a map to find and have almost completed a book I've read exclusively while on the metro to the visa office. The man lets me in the door! I am behind the magical cubical that blocks my way into the entrance. I am finally next in line, I have all my documents ready when she informs me I need to go retake my picture because there is a bobby pin pulling my hair back (you know, where my bangs are growing out on the side). RIDICULOUS. I take the FLIPPIIN picture (that I have to pay for again), but am magically sent onto stage 2 where I fill out a crazy paper (which takes 30 min, with my electronic translator, my writing the equivalent of a down-syndrome 6 year old) and the lady says all of this stuff to me. I sit there and she says-- "Alor....Avior" which means "okkkk.....bye...". I asked about the medical exam and she re-repeated slowly for me what I had missing "they would send me my medical appointment in the mail and take these papers with you, then you will be issued your visa". I swear not knowing the language would be hysterical if i had someone here to laugh with me, so instead I just feel very (insert euphemism). SO THAT WAS THE HARD PART OF THE VISA THING. I am told that after this its a breeze, if you don't mind tons of random people looking at you naked, which literally is what the medical exam is.

I havent written for a few days for a few reasons. I have been pretty tired due to my noisy neighbors. I don't understand the hours these people keep. I live in an big old building with the center cut out where there is a court yard, so everything echos; if windows are open you can  hear whats going on etc. Also when you get in the building there is no carpet, all hard wood and a spiral stair case up 6 flights (I'm #4), so again with the echoing. For some reason people just aren't concerned with holding conversations in the halls, or court yard at any hour. You would think people would need to sleep to get up for work in the morning, it is the strangest thing. Additionally someone in my building has this little barking dog. The barking is annoying, even more annoying is the man who is trying to train the dog, who repeatedly says ....."no".  But then I swear they have training sessions at like 11pm where the dog repeatedly barks and then you hear the ...."no".  SOOOO ANNOYYYING-- SHUUUT UP!!! I can also hear the man upstairs on the phone late at night. There is no way that they don't know people can hear them, because they can hear everyone else too. SO I haven't slept well the last few nights and finally had the idea to turn on the fan to help drown out the noise. That went well...but then I was cold. 

Today I took a go at washing some clothes. I don't have many to be washed but my washer is very small so I thought it best to do it now before I have a lot. The owners left me some directions...which were inaccurate. I loaded the clothes, added soap, then it said in her directions -- push the "marche" button to start. There is no button that says that. And so I pressed every button at least once. Some did things, others did not, but none of them started it. I got out the translator to try to translate the manual, that wasn't very easy. You have to press a series of buttons in order for a light to go to "start"-- no button, just a light. Then you hit the "debut" button....debut. Lol, my laundry had its debut. OK that was the easy part. I did this one load of wash 4 times today. Not because it was really dirty, but because I couldn't get the clothes out of the machine. The door locks when you wash it, then after a VERY long cycle (about an hour) the light next to "STOP" lights up...but the door is still locked. If you look at the picture there is a metal casket you close inside the machine, that clamps locked. I tried pushing a bunch of buttons and it would just restart, and i couldn't get it to stop. So I did the laundry 4 times and finally got it out.  Now it is drying in my living room on a drying rack next to a fan. PS the washer machine is made by a company named: "Candy". 

This afternoon on my way out I carried with me a grocery sized brown bag with my trash in it. Since everything is so small here (kitchen, fridge, etc) my trash is very small, so I take it out often. I got outside and walked to the court yard where there is a row of several trash bins, one small plastic dumpster and what looks like recycling for bottles. Now, a week ago this older lady in my building helped me take out the trash (please refer to "things I did wrong today"), showing me that I cant just put the trash any where.
Sooo....I still dont know where to put it. I think some are recycling for specific things: plastic, glass, cardboard (in seperate containers) etc, and only one is for trash. Well there are no labels and they are usually pretty empty so I cant tell by what is already in there. Going back to my story--I walked through the court yard and the same older lady was out there with her child/ grand child...somone's child. I paniced. I couldn't put it in the wrong place in front of her-- like I have done every other time, she would know I was the guilty party.
So I kept walking...with my trash...towards the exit. I'm thinking to myself "what are you going to do with all of your trash when you get outside!??". Luckily at that moment another couple came out and started talking to the older lady providing a distraction. I stopped pretending to check my mail and quickly went back to the trash cans and put my trash in....which ever one I'm sure isnt the "right" one and rushed out of the building. Theres gotta be something on Google about French trash. (PS-- mine are all the same color)

Today was pretty unproductive. I got in bed last night at 9pm (wasnt feeling well), then woke up around 8:30. Made a trip to the gorcery store--which I have learned is a much better idea on a Saturday than on a Sunday. Much less crowded, so I could preruse and check all of the food labels etc. You do need to go to about 3 grocery stores to get everything you need because the stores are so small. So I hit up the 3rd store later in the afternoon. One thing I did discover today on my way home was...pigeon. Yes at the butchers. You can buy it to eat, as if it were a miniature turkey. I have been fascinated with food taboos ever since my American food class at Berkeley. Why would it be wierd to eat a pigeon? It a bird, and we eat birds. No, I didnt buy one, but I think it would be interesting to maybe try it out (who ever visits first, gets to try the pigeon with me!). They also have a bunch of other animals that look like they might fit in the same taboo category so i will make it a point to go back with my electronic translator.
I came home and wasnt feeling well still so I sat on the sofa for most of the day, which was a shame because it looked really nice out. I also need to get going on my school work, but when im not feeling well it is impossible for me to function. I did manage later to make may butternut squash loaf. Its kinda like pumpkin pie, but with no crust, and with whatever squash is available. I found a nice looking butternut squash at the farmers market, and its delicious! Hopefully tomorrow I can get some school work done so I dont fall behind so soon! Stay tunned....I have to do laundry too, with my 4x4 washer and no dryer.

I bought new shoes :-) they are just white Adidas stan smiths  (their normal white tennis shoes), but I havent had tennis shoes for 2 weeks so I was really excited about getting them.