(First of all, I want to apologize in advance for what could be a post full of errors. I am typing on a European keyboard, and it is a bit different from the ones back home. So bear with me...)
On Friday, I took the slooooow train from Paris Austerlitz to Perpignan. NINE HOURS LATER, I pulled into the station that I will get to know very well this year. Because I arrived at night, I wasn't able to see the city at all, so on Saturday, I got a nice tour of the ville. It really is a very pretty city (I think), with palm trees all over and a nice mixture of very Parisian- and very Catalan-influenced buildings. The Parisian buildings are large and square, with ornate window decorations and long, lean windows themselves; the Catalan buildings are narrow and tall, painted in bright yellows, oranges, and reds, with red and blue shutters. It's quite a striking contrast.
In the middle of town, there is a canal that is really quite something else. It is set below the city streets, and has gardens surrounding it on either side. Palm trees line the canals through the center of town. I can't wait to show you pictures!
My school is nice, too. Right now, I have a lot of bureaucratic issues to take care of; today, I've already jumped through more than a few hoops to get keys fixed, get a food card, etc. Later on, I have to *gulp* open a bank account. Le pire (the worst), as we would say in French.
The people here are very nice. I have a nice little room where I get to stay for free -- I don't yet know if I'll stay there all year or not. I have the option of moving into the apartment across town; yesterday, I got to see the area, and it is beautiful! There is a nice, family-oriented park at the end of the road that is lined with palm trees. So we'll see about that.
This afternoon, after I open my bank account, one of the English professors (who is British) is going to take me to Canet-Plage, the nearest Mediterranean beach. Should be fun!
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