Today started off pleasantly despite the freezing cold as the cousin came to fetch me before school and we went there together. We took the bus, which was super easy and a bit quicker than walking (mostly b/c the bus was already there when we got to the stop) but now I know where the stop is and whatnot, and I think I'll have a buddy every Thursday. We spoke entirely in French this morning, but we agreed that we'd compare schedules next week and find an hour to spend together speaking half in English, half in French. She's really really eager to practice English, so she's completely willing to help me out with French stuff, so hopefully I can get to her to help out with HW or whatnot if I need assistance (and if i get HW other than studying and looking at a long list of supplemental reading).

When I returned home from school today, I was pleasantly surprised that after we said our standard "hi how are you?", Laure asked if I had gone to school today with Jeanne. This might be the first time she's ever addressed a question to me voluntarily, so I was pretty excited. I asked her what she was working on, as she's always sitting at her desk cutting or pasting or drawing or designing something, and she showed me and babbled about the assignment for a few minutes (I just kept nodding since she was talking fast and using artsy vocab that I don't know). The assignment was for a printmaking or graphic design class or something like that. She's doing an internship at the moment in that field, but they don't have much for her to do, so she leaves early often and doesn't go in some days (this would be why she's always here). Her internship lasts for another week and then she goes back to classes, which are apparently quite intense and go from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and demand that she work until 3 a.m. and on Saturday nights. She asked what classes I was taking, and when I told her they didn't seem to have that much work, certainly not in comparison to what she had to do, she replied, "that's because you're at the FAC (French slang for university, abbreviation for faculty); I go to an ecole" That made me think that she's probably at some great design/art school. Next time we get talking, maybe I'll ask. Anyways our little convo made me quite happy. Perhaps Laure and I will have a relationship after all.