You want me to go down there with those on!!?

I have been back in France now for over a week and have adjusted finally to the food and the cold weather. Its quite a shock to the system going from 35° C to -7° C! I am fortunate though, the winter in France is less cold that Wisconsin winters usually are. So classes are back in full swing and so are the activites like italian and skiing. Last saturday i tried my luck on the slopes of Crest-Voland ski resort. A mechanics prof and his wife were kind enough to take me and give me pointers on the safest way down the mountain. Even so, it was quite a challenge. The first descent, i counted 7 wipeouts! The number of falls decreased with each descent but still i have bruises the size of grapefruits on my legs. It looks like someone beat the hell out of me and it was just awful trying to sleep. Id wince with pain if i even approached the right side of my body. Its often easier for people to turn one way than the other and im no exception. Right turns get me almost everytime. Despite all that, i had a great afternoon at the resort. The weather was great and i was able to laugh at some of my crazy falls. I will definately try again really soon. The prof invited me again this saturday but i think ill opt for something less dangerous like snowshoeing until i heal = )
In other news, ive started looking for jobs this summer in Geneva and with the US State Department. Does anyone have any advice? The amount of information is a bit overwhelming! Also we celebrated Epiphany here in France which consists of a cake called a galette which contains a mini king. If your piece contains the toy you are deemed king for the day. The traditional galette is a round pastry full of almond paste. I really wonder why french people arent huge with all the great desserts they have here. The price of living is quite a bit higher here than the states. I bought contact solution today at the pharmacy and a large bottle was 22 Euros about 25 USD. Be thankful back home for affordable prices at your local Wal-Mart!