museums and some cuisine

After finally getting my University ID and buying a Culture Card (which gives discounts on everything from movies to opera) I am nearly done with all the paperwork and bureaucracy that goes along with staying in France for over 3 months. Yesterday we attempted to go to the Immigration Office to hand in our residency form. The first half was filled out in the US, stamped by the consulate and then stapled into our passports. The second half had to be filled out in France. We thought we could simply bring it to the Immigration Office but it turns out that they must be mailed in with copies of both visa and passport. How silly we were to think it would be that simple.

Our dinner table. We keep our napkins in little pouches.

After sending it in we will then receive a letter in a mail stating a time in which we can make an appointment for a medical exam. All this just to say "Hello, we arrived safely in France!". Honestly. Due to the fact that the Residency Form was important, we had the French Postal Service insure them. This naturally cost 4 euros. 

Apart from that one difficulty, I've found that most of my IDs that give me discounts and even my University ID are too large for my wallet. Printer paper is even slightly taller in France then in the US. I guess the French are just not an 8.5 by 11 people. 

A peak at the streets from the top of the Rue de la Liberté, with some added
grain on the advice of my dad.

On Tuesday I had dinner with my host family. We had salad (just lettuce) with some mustard-base dressing, a quiche, potatoes, bread and cheese and then oranges for dinner. Everything was delicious. My host mother bought me a little packet of soft French cheeses each of which was a different type. I had "les noix" which was cheese with a little bit of hazelnut in it. It was quite lovely.

On Wednesday we got the previously mentioned IDs and attempted to go to the Immigration Office. We also started a bit of the chouette trail and attempted to eat out at an inexpensive restaurant. Unfortunately the restaurant closed at 8PM (20h) which didn't give us a lot of time to eat slowly and talk. Instead we found a kebab shop. Kebabs aren't a very American thing, but they're everywhere in Europe. I feel like it's almost equivalent to a burger (in that they're everywhere) but connected to the Middle-East and even Asia. They were surprisingly filling and the owners of the kebab shop were incredibly nice to us.

Today we got breakfast at a cafe and I had an amazing grilled cheese sandwich. Where my grilled cheese at home just has cheese inside, this one had more cheese on top and also ham on the inside. The French call it a "croque monsieur". There is also a "croque madame" which has egg added to it. I also got my favorite cold drink in Europe: limonade which is part lemonade but also part carbonated and which I really enjoy. 

We then went to the Musée de Beaux-arts which, I'm pretty sure resides in part of the Palace des Ducs. We were actually there while they were putting in a few exhibits and re-painting the windows. I always find it extraordinary to be in a museum that is in itself in a building so decorated and old that it's a museum in its own right. The museum itself was focused solely on French art, in particular that of Burgundy which has had a rich history of art because it's rulers (the Dukes of Burgundy) were at one time more powerful than the Kings of France. The first floor (which is actually the second) was filled mainly with massive oil paintings but the second and third floors were modern art. 

After the museum we went and got crepes and then hot chocolate (which I will still never ever tire of). Tomorrow is orientation for International Students! Hopefully it won't be an overload of information.