If you worry about everything, you'll miss everything

Yesterday was a VERY long day. Not only was I extremely jet lagged (I woke up in the middle of the night thinking it was almost time to get up when it was really only 12:30 - and then I couldn't fall asleep for another three hours!), but I also had two different orientations at the Accent center. The first was a general orientation where a staff member talked to us about our agenda for the next four months (I will have a busy schedule!), some safety issues, and just living in Paris in general. The second was our home stay orientation, which was lead by the home stay coordinator, Jim. At first I was nervous - he told us that the apartments would be cold and small, and that our host families might not be very friendly at first. He did, however, give us some good advice: (1) everything in France is different and a closed mind learns nothing (something I have had to remind myself of several times today); (2) keep in mind that you are a guest, not only in your home stay but in Paris as well; (3) keep your sense of humor activated and laugh, especially at yourself because mistakes will be made. I wrote these things down in three different places because I think they will help me get through my four months here.
After the orientation we had lunch at a restaurant that was attached to a Tabac (a weird little French store where they sell phone cards, metro passes, cigarettes, and other small things). Then I had to return to the hotel so that a taxi could pick me up and take me to my host family's house.
Despite my worries, I LOVE my host family! They are Monsieur et Madame de Panisse (Jacques et Sylvie-Anne) and they live in the 16th arrondissement. Their apartment is HUGE (even by American standards) and luckily it's very warm.


Jacques works at a bank, although I'm not sure what he does. He told me that he likes wine, chocolate, and rum. Sylvie-Anne volunteers for people with AIDS (in French it's called SIDA). She loves to hunt and she actually took third place in a national hunting championship. They have three children, all of whom are either in college or graduated from college. One of their daughters, Alex, is coming home for the weekend. She is also 22, so I'm hoping that we get along!
For dinner we had pheasant (that Sylvie-Anne shot!) cooked in white wine sauce and served with rice. They bought a nice bottle of wine, called Mercurey, and they were glad that I liked it. We talked a lot, and I was happy that we were actually finding things to talk about. This is the first time they are having an exchange student, and I could tell they were really excited that I was there.
Also, I can see the Eiffel Tower from the living room.
This morning I had to take the métro by myself to the Accent center. I think Jacques could tell I was feeling nervous because he gave me some great advice at breakfast. He said, "Listen, have your eyes wide open, and watch. Don't worry - if you worry about everything, you'll miss everything." I thought it was very nice of him to reach out to me like that.

After going to the Accent center for a brief orientation on classes, we were free to do what we pleased for the rest of the day. Some of us wanted to explore the city, so we walked past the Gare de Lyon (a HUGE train station) and down to the village of Bercy. In Bercy there is an amazing park where we spent most of the afternoon. We even found a little hobbit hole!

When we decided it was time to eat dinner, we found a cute little pub called Le Frog. I didn't write down the French names for everything, but I had cheese walnut bread, onion beignets, and (of all things) nachos. I also had a beer made with ginger, and a piece of crème brulée cheesecake. It was all very delicious.
I have nothing planned until Saturday, so we will see what adventures tomorrow will bring!