One week down...

It's hard to believe it but I've already been in Paris for one week. This time last week I was unpacking my things (although I didn't actually finish until Friday) and wondering what the next 4 months had in store for me.  Now that I've been here for a full week, I think I have a better grip on my surroundings and more realistic expectations for the trip. The things I was most worried about before leaving have already passed. The flight went fine, my french is better than expected, and I now know all of the girls (and guy) in the program pretty well.  Now, my worries have moved elsewhere. I'm worried that I'll soon become homesick and go through a tough period. It happens to almost everyone who studies abroad for a long period of time, and I don't expect myself to be immune to it. So far, I'm doing really well though. Thanks to the internet, I've been able to call, chat, or skype everyone at least a few times. I'm reallyyyy glad I decided to bring my computer along (you were right Dad and Ian).  I'm also nervous about my trip to Barcelona, I've heard some horror stories about this airline, and plus I've never travelled alone before, so this will be an adventure.


Thus far though, every thing has gone incredibly smoothly. After talking to the other girls, I am certain that I have the best host family situation out of everyone.  And after touring several other parts of town, I realize how clean/safe/nice my part of town is.  And my apartment is huge, my family is nice and respects my privacy, and my host mom is a great cook. I really am very happy with the host situation.


Additionally, my French is way better than I expected. I was put into an advanced class and the director said that might even be too easy for me! I was really proud about that, and glad that my hard work in French has paid off.  


Last night, I went over to Alice's house. She lived in Lynchburg for some time and she works at Areva, but she's a native Parisian. I was a little wary about going because I didn't know any of her friends, so I brought Jessica along with me. I ended up having so much fun though. We got there at 7 and I didn't leave until after 1! We drank wine, had some really good food, and great conversations. All of the people there were close friends and had known each other for a long time but they were so welcoming and it was nice to be in the presence of people so close to eachother, mainly because my friends from the program are all a little more distant and not as close as this group. They invited me to brunch this am, but when I woke up, I was still way too tired. So I slept in until 2 this afternoon... but I think I needed that.


Today, I'm just going to stay snuggled up in bed, write some postcards, and write for my school blog. I'll have to miss the Super Bowl because of the time difference, but that doesn't bother me all too much.


I'll out a few pics up for you guys here too.


Until next time!

My Front Door. There is a code pad on the right that you can't see, but I use that to get in, then a succession of 3 more keys to get to my appartment...

Some photos from a cute market in Versailles

Versailles Chapel

Versailles

Ceiling at Versailles