My First Week...

Wow, it's so hard to believe I've only been here for a week - it feels like a much longer time since the nice Lufthansa guy at O'Hare was running with me to the gate. But it must have only been a week because there are a couple classes I've only had once - I can't even remember all of my professors' names.

So far things are going a lot better than I was expecting. I was really worried about living with a French host and being homesick. On my past trips, the hardest times have been when I was staying with a foreign family. Fortunately, it's so much easier this time - Mme. Charron isn't at all like the French mom we were told to expect. I feel totally comfortable in the apartment doing whatever I want. I think it's also been made easier by the fact that she's single - it's a lot easier to learn how Mme. works by herself than trying to figure out an entire family and all the complexities that come with it. Nadege and Aurore have been around a lot this week, but I don't worry about that as much since they aren't here all the time.

The homesickness hasn't been as bad either since I'm able to communicate regularly with family and friends by e-mail and I have the cell phone now. That has made such a difference. (And I am SO glad I got this computer... if I had to rely on Internet cafes this would be so much harder...)

One of the many orientation packets I got talked about the four stages of study abroad. I don't remember what they all were, but it started with the honeymoon period where you're just enchanted by the new country and think everything is amazing. It moves through two more stages of discomfort and grief or something until you move to the stage of getting settled into reality. You could definiely spot the students in the honeymoon period on our first day walking around. "It's so beautiful here - even the graffiti is beautiful!" I heard that out of so many people - beautiful graffiti. Sorry, but it's just like the graffiti back home - you're probably just admiring the fact that it's on the side of a 12th century building.

For some reason, I don't feel like I've been going through that at all - maybe because of how much I've already traveled and the fact that I've been away from home for so long already. I came here knowing that there would be little surprises every day and constant adjustments. I came knowing that I couldn't have expectations - that I would just have to take things as they come. This isn't like life in the States and I wouldn't want it to be. I'm just here for the time being, living in the present moment because I really have no idea what I'll be doing in a couple weeks.