Est-elle encore vivante?

Okay, so I got sick... AGAIN! I had a fever for over 8 days straight! It was a bad relapse from my cold when I got here, only to made worse by the French medical system. It's a pretty groovy deal here with medicine, but a doctor is a doctor, whether here or in the States. And God knows I have bad luck with them. I went to the doctor, and she gave me medicine that made me worse. Then I went to the emergency room, and they gave me medicine that I was allergic to before they gave me medicine that made me throw up every other hour. Ultimately, I think enough time passed that the stupid sickness passed on its own.

I started a group on Facebook called, "Don't blame the French. They didn't take us to war with Iraq." It's been an interesting study in French/American relations. Some Americans were concerned that I was anti-American, though they supported the concept of not judging the French. Some French were quick to point out their own failures. Other Americans just left messages of hate. It also spawned a debate about the legacy of Clinton's impeachment. I listed it as one of the absurdities of American society since the end of World War II that Americans should think about before talking about how awful the French are. That has spurred more discussion than the French themselves.

I was supposed to start classes last week, but the doctor suggested that I "se reposer." So, I will start classes Monday. I am a little nervous. I have never in my life had so much class in one subject. I'm afraid I'm going to be mind-numbing bored, especially with how much French I'm having to speak already on a daily basis. I'm also having a hard time justifying in my mind why I'm even studying French. I mean, I am in France, but everyone speaks English. I am learning a great deal about living outside of American culture, but at the same time not that much. I went out last night, and it was all Irish, American, and British people. There were a couple of people from South America, a German, and a French girl. And only the people from South America couldn't speak English well. I'm just investing a lot into the goal of speaking French without any apparent return to that investment. I'm just hoping the benefits will reveal themselves in the process.

If all else fails, I'm seeing Sufjan Stevens, and I am living in Europe. I'm vacationing in Italy in December, I'll be spending a weekend in the Alps in the Spring, and I'll be meeting up with one of my dearest friends in Spain, England, or Germany. Life isn't that bad. I just wish I could get these people to understand the concept of toilet seats. And ranch dressing. And mexican food. And... what am I talking about? America is way cooler.

Actually, I am getting used to my pseudo-celebrity status here. So many people will stop our little group of Oklahomans on the street when they hear us speaking English, because they want to practice so badly. Then they hear we're from the U.S., and their eyes light up like we just told them we were movie stars or something. They want to know what it's like and so on. Now the people who've actually gone are a little less impressed, but even they understand that American food is pretty amazing. But it does make life a little more bearable when others are snooty with us. We just remember that our language (and maybe even our culture) is cooler than their's.

Now, if we could just fix some of our foreign policy glitches, we might be able to gloat a little more...