last class, rain, and un diablo menthe

It's raining right now. It's kind of nice and crisp, like a real autumn. Mom sent my winter clothes by mail, and they should be here soon, which is great timing. Rain here reminds me of that scene in Amelie when she's baking, and she imagines Nino going out to get her baking yeast, and then she starts crying because it's all in her imagination. It's a sad scene, but touching and beautiful.

We had our last class today with Katia, which was fun. She first started out by evaluating us out loud in front of everyone else. It was kind of strange, because back in the states, things like grades are really private. She drew arrows to show our progression, like on a graph on the board. If it's slanting up, that's good, slanting down bad, and so forth. She drew a slanting up arrow saying I improved immensely over the course. YAY! I was so happy. Then she passed out our last test, saying who got first place, second place, and I got THIRD PLACE!!! I was so happy. I got a 15/20, which is what I wanted (see post below). So awesome. Then we had our fete, and there were lots of pastries, and Nick--my classmate--made a bunch of American food: mac and cheese, homemade salsa with chips, deviled eggs, and brownies. It was SO GOOD. Katia tried them all. At the end of class, she bisoued all of us, which was nice, and I love getting bisoued. Yesterday, my friend Taylor bisoued me, and it was so funny cuz he has a beard, and it tickled me.

So I'm done with classes and university starts in two weeks, so I'm going to be a tourist and see things that I haven't yet seen: the Catacombs, Les Deux Magots, and this free tour my friend Morgan told me about. Yay! I also can't stop drinking this:No, it's not absinthe, and it's not even alcoholic. Taylor had one when we were at a cafe. It's called a diablo menthe, and it's a children's drink. It's green mint syrup and limonade (or Sprite) mixed together, and it's delicious and refreshing.

UPDATE: Check out the new photos.