5 wks in France - home safe

So if you are traveling and happen to be packing 'Toner' (an acidic face wash) - don't pack it next to, lets say your laptop cord because it just might... maybe spill, and let me tell you, ziplock bags to come open and that acidic face toner just might carode the battery in your laptop cord witch would leave you high and dry with out a computer or the pictures you had taken until you get back to the states and buy a new one. It could happen - just sayin, in that really run on sentence.

Anyways, I made it to Paris by bus. The only eventful thing that happened along the way was at the border two men on the bus had no papers and only spoke Russian. The border police kept them.

I got off the bus in Paris, walked into the metro station and stared at a metro map of the city for approximately 45 min. Didn't know where i was or where i was going, although i had an adress. Adventually a couple young german men helped me with directions and where i needed to go. I wasnt sure how to buy a metro ticket at this point and my brain hurt to much to figure it out so i went in the 'out' and just hopped on the train. My hostel! At last! 6 girls in a tiny room, they were all super sweet and the girl next to me is from Portland!!! What are the odds :-)

I refused to pay for a metro ticket so I walked everywhere my first 4 days, ALOT of walking. And I thought I was in shape when left home but aparently not. It's all good.

Following the hostel I stay with a family in a subberb for a little over a week. The Bottens. Traditional french im thinking in every way. So kind and considerate. They don't speak english so it was a great learning experiance for me practicing my french. We used the dictionary all the time and they learned that they had to speak to me like a 4 year old child, slow with simple words :-)

After I left the Bottens I was in the north of Paris with a friend of mine Veranique and her kids who are my age, Sabrina and Isaac. I stayed there for two and a half weeks. Pictures on the bottom to see the crazy times we had :-)

During this time I would go every other day in ministry with the english conregation in central Paris which meant riding the subway all over that city - I know that metro like the back of my hand. Dont take line 13 Blue - Dont do it!! (ask me bout that another time)

- pictures to come