i have always relied on the kindness of strangers

wow. Villefranche is crazy. I got off to a great start when I took the train into town Monday morning at 7:30 am and thought...well, it's small, I shouldn't have any trouble finding the place, I can just check with the tourist office at the train station, I won't bother trying to get a map in advance. And then got off the train, discovered that the train station is really a platform and one dude and no maps anywhere. So, with my huge backpack I started wandering aimlessly looking for someone I could ask for directions. Eventually (after i started to seriously consider freaking out) i found a man who couldn't really understand my broken french, and he flagged down a car full of cops who very kindly drove me to the school. French police rule!

Apparently I am the only student who has ever arrived with a police escort.

Anyway, the first week has been great although it's been difficult to speak only french all of the time, everyone here is really interesting and it's hard not to just launch into English conversation outside of school. After the first day, which was in English, we're not allowed to speak anything but french on school property. I've been placed a little higher than I expected to be, right in the middle in the Intermediaire 2 class, happily and surprisingly i understand most of what the instructor is saying.

What else...I'm living in an incredibly cute apartment (with a view of the mediterranean) with two other women, one from the US and the other from Japan. We have a kitchen but they feed us so well at the school it's not really necessary to eat much for dinner at night. Every morning we get breakfast (baguette, marmalade, tea, yogurt, etc) and then lunch...oh my god the LUNCH! Today for example (there is a chef on the premises) we had an onion tart with anchovies to start and then salmon and rice and vegetables, and THEN chocolate mousse with creme anglaise AND THEN cake because it was someone's birthday. I'm eating fish but not meat so much. AND i won't get fat because there are a million stairs and hills to climb to get anywhere.

I have more to report but have to go, I'm in Nice right now and we need to catch the bus;