I never travel without my diary.  One should always have something sensational to read on the train. 

Oscar Wilde

Hello from France!  I arrived in Paris Thursday morning and stayed in a hotel there until Saturday afternoon, mostly in a hotel with the 70 other exchangers in France (7 Americans).  There we spoke a little French but nearly everyone had better English than French.  It was cool meeting people from 30 countries!

Then I took the train to my Chambéry, where my host family lives.  They speak nice and slow for me, so I can understand quite a bit.  Salomé, my host sister helped me unpack and they showed me around the house.  My room has its own little balcony.. It's awesome!  Here's what I see looking out the door:

The next day we went to help a friend move to a house 200 km away (very close; we carried a few things there by hand!)  That afternoon we went to the tennis club for a bit to watch and meet friends.  I made my first French friends there.. 2 girls, aged 3 and 6.  They made dirt tea for Salomé and I and stuff like that.  Little kids are the same everywhere I think:   :)

This morning I slept in a bit; then the girls of the house went to play tennis for a while.  It was really hard!  This afternoon we are going to downtown to buy school things and see the school.  Salomé's also, because she's changing schools.  C'est tout pour maintenant!