the erasmus experience

Well, my apartment has changed slightly in the past couple weeks. No more María, whose job contract ended and went to live with her parents in Galicia...I don't feel too bad for her, because she considered it a indeterminate vacation, which, at the moment, has a pleasant ring to it. So, Pierre moved in. As some of you smart readers may be able to figure out, Pierre is French, not Spanish. Pierre is also a guy. If your keeping score, that's two European men, and me, in one apartment. A little too much testosterone. And, if you were wondering about the title, Erasmus is the European study abroad program. European students get to travel around countries, staying for a year at a time, and then flying back home on a short, cheap flight. What a novel idea. If only countries came in "Fun Size" in America (Andorra is comparable to an M&M). So, although finished with college and still American (I'm still waiting to wake up European...I figure I'll know when it happens. I imagine it to be waking up with a cigarette and a permanent scowl), I guess I'm getting the traditional Erasmus study abroad experience now. For instance, Pierre tried to help me with my French pronunciation, which I now believe to be a lost cause. We spent about five minutes making this noise: "oooooo" or "ewwwwww." Well, I spent most of this time laughing, which was counterproductive, and clearly contributing to my insultingly-bad French accent. But most of the time, we speak in Spanish, which must be strange for anyone to hear. People speaking in a language in which neither is a native speaker always amuses me...because it sounds funny. There's not a more profound reason, really. It's just like that. To do my part to contribute to the cultural exchange, I made brownies. Give the people what they want!