There was some sort of fair out in the street yesterday. We bought a tree, carried it up the stairs and realised it wasn't going to fit in the apartment, so we ended up sawing the top off. This is my first ever real christmas tree, it is quite pretty. We don't really have many decorations so it is a little bare at the moment. Today is the first day that I have seen the sun while I've been here. It is a little deceptive when the sun comes out though. In Australia when the sun is out it is warm. Today it was actually colder than every other day since I've been here. There is a slight wind, which when it is already -8, makes it quite cold.

I went looking for a jacket and gloves today too. I went in one shop and had a very interesting experience trying to understand and explain to the shopkeeper what I wanted. I think I almost got there in the end, but they didn't have anything suitable.

I realised on Friday night that while I was paying for my lunch the cashier asked me for 50c. At the time I didn't even realise, but that night I realised she had asked me in French and I completely understood without even thinking about it. I think my French is definitely improving already, I seem to be understanding things a lot better.

It was cold enough last night for the fountain to freeze over. There are two holes in the ice where the water flows. Today I saw another type of snow. Small heavy pieces of snow falling very quickly with lots of it. The ground was covered minutes after it started. It is also very windy, it's almost like rain, it's almost like a blizzard, but not quite either.