My Impression of France so far...

I purposely waited to write this blog. I did so simply for the fact that I wanted to get myself used to being here and being somewhat familiar with my surroundings. I wanted to wait until a time when I wasn't homesick every other day (I do miss my family though...sigh). So here it is...

Rouen is a beautiful city. It's classically beautiful though...not so much modernly beautiful. The architecture is simply marvelous. I am actually staying in a place called Mont Saint Aignan, which is a suburb outside of Rouen. It seems like everything is designed so that you do quite a bit of walking which isn't such a bad thing. I need the exercise! Downtown Rouen is full of things to do. There are so many shops and food places and museums. It's definitely cool for tourism. Paris is very busy. The subways looked like NY subways but I haven't really gone to the nice "tourist part of town" yet so my opinion of Paris is a bit biased. I'll blog it once I've seen the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, L'Arc de Triomphe, etc. Good news though: The sale going on right now in the stores are OUTRAGEOUS. 40,50,60,70% off stuff. I'm absolutely loving it! Only until the 2nd week of February though :(

Most of the foods I've tasted have been good. I could live off crepes, paninis, and kebabs (though it wouldn't be very healthy). Many of the meals consist of at least some form of cheese, bread, and wine. The breads are absolutely delightful over here. I have to try to keep myself away from the bakeries.

Classes are cool so far. My schedule is so easy this semester and I thank God for the break. At PSU, I'd be ripping and running by now (which is probably why I stay so worn out during the semesters there). The teachers seem to be pretty nice so far. Then again, we're only going into our 2nd week so we'll see how my opinion changes in a few weeks.

The majority of the French people have been ok towards me as a person who knows little French. I've had my experience with the cashier at the grocery store getting totally pissed at me for not understanding what she was saying. It was my second day in France...take it easy! But as each day goes on, it gets better. Most of the French people I've met have been nice (which is a relief because I heard that they can be a bit mean).

Plans for this week: Classes on Monday and Tuesday; Brussels with Andrea, Diana, and Maggie on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Anything past that for this week, I have no clue.

I believe that in the end, I will look back at this whole semester and not regret a minute of it. And for me...that's a good thing.

Phileo love,
Ash