Wow, three days living in a city and my body is starting to feel it. Sore shoulders from my bag, sore feet from walking EVERWHERE. But it's been really good.
Sunday was kind of a relaxing day. I was able to settle in a little and connect to people at home. Also walked to school to test out where it is. It's about a 20 minute walk to class. A little up and down, but not a mountain like Lehigh. It's also only about a 10-15 minute walk to the nearest tram stop which can get me into the city in 5-10 minutes. I was a little worried that I was being anti-social by just relaxing in my room, but my host family is very nice about giving me space and the independence I need.
Monday was "Orientation." That word clearly doesn't mean to the French what it means to the Americans. Our "tour" of the campus was one of the program directors pointing in general directions of buildings that we couldn't even see. Thank god they gave us a map today. Then we sat and listened to the general structure of French education and took our placement test. It wasn't too difficult, except I realized that I've forgotten almost all of my subjunctive (it's ok though--when I told this to my host mom, she basically said that she doesn't know it/use it either). What's weird about things here is that when things end, there is no official closing. People just kind of leave. The people in charge don't stop to say, "We're done for the day." A lot of times, we're just expected to go. As simple a thing as it is, it's still different from what I'm used to.
And the big news: I got my suit case! Clean clothes :)
Not super big news. But it certainly made me happy.
The rest of Monday I spent wandering the city with a friend. It's so beautiful! In the sunset, everything turns a pale yellow.
I didn't realize how much has happened until I started writing, so stay tuned for TUESDAY (aka... Today!)
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