here i go!

I am writing this from thousands of feet above Las Vegas. I am on my way to France! And then of course to Cameroon, but I can’t think that far ahead. Several hours ago I said goodbye to mon cher amour Danilo at LAX and had to wait three hours by myself since my flight was delayed. The plane is great, though. It’s a double-decker. I am on the lower deck, so I am toast if we crash. I have an aisle seat with two women who speak French, and across the aisle are people who speak French. I got up for a drink of water and they called me Mademoiselle and spoke to me in French. I have been studying it a little, but I am not prepared to respond to actual French people! Where are my two friends from the Pimsleur tapes? They always repeat themselves and only use words that I know! For fun I am translating a French newspaper. It is slow going. So far I have understood that France does not like the United States, but wants to appear like they have a strong relationship. There are not really any good movies playing so I will probably try to sleep after dinner. Now I am over Kaibab Indian Reservation, and that is where I’ll leave you.