welcome to the neighborhood

Day 3 and all is well. Here are a few more pictures of our neighborhood. These pictures were taken on the street behind the school and our apartment. Speaking of school, we did meet today from 8:40am until 2:30pm (with a customary 2.5 hour lunch break, of course) but it was all orientation and meeting the staff and teachers. Everyone seems very nice and eager to help us learn French!

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We received the results of our placement tests today and instead of being placed in the nursery they asked me to just stay in my apartment. I wonder if that's a good thing? :) Actually, I am a "debutant" (in English we say 'beginner' but their way of saying it is so much nicer) and Kevin is in the intermediate class. He took 3 years of French in high school (yes, I feel the need to explain why he is starting in a higher level than me...). Class starts on Monday morning!

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Today was another beautiful day in Albertville and so after class we walked to the hardware store to buy a European plug. My curling iron can be 110 or 220 so Kevin thought it best to cut the American plug off and replace it with a European plug. That way, when I use it I can simply plug it into the wall. When he explains things like this to me I just stare blankly somewhere in the vicinity of his face and shake my head in agreement. So far in our marriage this method has worked out just fine.

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I mentioned that we walked to the hardware store, yes? It looked close enough on the map but I'm here to tell you that we walked and we walked and then walked some more. I was okay until I started seeing signs for Rome and then I was a little concerned that we had gone too far. Okay, so it wasn't that bad but it was far away! We finally found the store and it looked somewhat like a Home Depot or Lowe's. Oddly enough, I wanted to leave ASAP just like when we are in a hardware store in the States! Kevin, of course, wanted to look around a bit. I tried to explain that doorstops and plywood look the same in France as they do in the US but he had to see for himself. Men.

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Upon leaving the hardware store we walked across the street to McDonald's. It looks just like most of the ones in the US except for a big sign as you go into their drive-through that says "McDrive" - clever. I sat down while Kevin went to the counter to order a Coke. Upon arriving at the table he gently informed me that "this medium Coke just cost 3 US dollars." Without him even having to verbalize it I knew that was our first and last trip to McDonald's in this great country of France. Had I known that would be my only visit I would have saved the McNapkin as a souvenir.

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He did, however, say that we can go to Aldi's (grocery store) anytime we like and push the carts around even though it costs 1 Euro to get a cart. I was impressed with his offer until I realized that he only offered it because when you return your cart you get your Euro back.