Shoulders, Raining Bodies, and White Canvases

The other day I asked a girl for a shoulder instead of a spoon. Not on purpose, of course. I really needed a spoon to eat my couscous, and in my desperation, I somehow mistook "cuiller" for "epoule." That's when you find out that sign language is really the best universal language.

And then last night, after walking home in the pouring rain, I tried to reiterate a French phrase I had just learned to my host mom, that means "it's raining cats and dogs." So, I said, "Il pleut des cordes." Which is correct. Only, with my fabulous pronunciation, my host thought that I had said, "Il pleut des corps," which would translate to, "it's raining bodies," or worse yet, "it's raining corpses."
It was raining hard, but not that hard...

Today I spontaneously decided to join my friend at the Pompidou Museum of modern art after class. I really need to do a lot more of these spontaneous trips around Paris, because they always end up well. This city is full of surprises. Even though I had been to the Pompidou a year and a half before, I somehow managed to forget the beautiful view that one can see from the top, and what an interesting experience it is to see all these weird white canvases and metal blankets and such strewn across the museum.

My favorite part about this specific trip was that at one display, where there were several stories written in French, I could actually read them and figure out what was going on. Sure, a few words here and there might as well be Greek, but just to get the gist of something previously so foreign feels like an accomplishment. Finally, after six-and-a-half weeks in Paris, I can honestly say that my French has improved. About time.

Tonight ended on a good note. After a delicious dinner with the host fam of some sort of sausage (their explanation of its ingredients were unfortunately lost on me), and a lively discussion about my upcoming trip to Barcelona, I decided to take a shower. So, (naturally) I asked Madeleine and Ambroise if they needed anything from the bathroom before I did so. Anne (my host mom) happened to be in the room while I was asking, and (I'm pretty sure I understood this) she responded by telling me how "aimable" (kind) I am and how nice it is to have me staying at their house. :D All smiles, I couldn't be more pleased.