Bienvenue à Nadia et ses amies!

Today, a lazy day.  I haven’t done a hell of a lot, except for sit around and daydream about Ireland.

I did, however, have a mandatory, government-scheduled medical examination at 8:30 this morning, which is part of the process of obtaining a carte de séjour, which is basically a permit to stay (on top of the visa we already have).  A couple other BC girls were there, too, so we sat there and complained about how awful it was.  They recorded our height, weight and blood pressure, and also took x-rays of our spins and chest.  Apparently I have a very large heart and a slightly crooked spine.  Interesting.  Anyways, glad that’s over with…going to the doctor is bad enough when they speak your language, but ten times worse when they don’t.  I feel like there’s much more poking and prodding involved when there’s a language barrier….

On a much more exciting note, Nadia arrived this evening!  She and her friends Alissa and Kelly are going to be staying here until Sunday, and I’m so excited!  They’re currently studying abroad at three different universities in London, but we all go to BC.  We caught up a bit, and then I directed her to the Latin Quarter to grab some dinner.  I wish I could have afforded to go out with them, but I’m on a tighter budget than I thought because this city’s so damn expensive.  I decided to make that lemon-pepper shrimp and linguine dish again, which came out just as good as the last time.  I really love making it, but I have to make sure that I find relatively cheap shrimp when I do make it.

I have another friend from home, Jeff, coming on Friday with three of his friends.  The four of them are also studying abroad in London this semester, so my apartment will be filled with temporary Londoners.  Can’t wait!  I’ll keep you posted on the haps.