I'm back with a new apartment and some teacher anecdotes!

I'm back in Paris now, after that fabulous two-week trip of a lifetime. I started my grammar class this week, but my University classes don't start until February 4th, so I've got a lot of free time on my hands. Not a lot to do with said free time at the moment, but it's there nonetheless. I do have one major update for everyone on the other side of the pond: I have a new apartment and a new family! I have also been officially abandoned by more than half of my new American friends, so I don't have a lot of social stuff to talk about. But it has been about two weeks since you heard from me, so I'll try to make this post worth the wait.

Ghost Stories, Fan Girl Freak Out, and Theatre

 My last few days in London were definitely the highlight of my time in London. First up was the Tower of London. I didn't think I was going to be able to go because the cost (£20) was prohibitive for anyone on a tight budget. But thanks to a generous donation from Mimi, my grandmother, I was able to go. For those of you who don't know, the Tower of London is a fortress that has existed in some form since Roman times, but most of the original buildings were destroyed or worn down by the time William the Conqueror made it a true fortress in the 13th century. The Tower of London is actually made of twenty different towers, united behind a large wall. It was a home and fortress to the royal family through the 14th century, when it was transformed into a prison. Today, it houses the British Crown Jewels, a very large museum, and the Yeoman Warders. I spent about 4 hours in total at the Tower.

New Year's Eve

My New Year's Eve was partly fun and partly stressful. I got to go out on the Thames to see this really amazing fireworks display, but the events that followed the display put this story squarely in the "misadventures" column. It's one of those stories that was really not fun while it was happening, but now that it's over, I can look back on it and share it as just one of those stories that makes a good conversation. The fireworks were amazing. Pretty much a good fifteen minutes' worth of huge, over-the-top, amazing fireworks that were just crazy awesome. We love fireworks in my family, so I've definitely seen my fair share, but this was the first time I'd ever been to a major, professionally-planned display. And it was fabulous.