Nowhere Else I'd Rather Be!

Salut tout le monde!

Today was both a challenging and rewarding day. I’ve probably spoken more French today than ever in my life and I admit I did start to get so frustrated that I bordered on tears. I find that the majority of the other international students study languages and/or are European, meaning that I feel I am at an incredible disadvantage, having grown up in a completely Anglophone community with a limited opportunity to acquire foreign language abilities. That said, I certainly believe that my French has improved significantly in the last week or so (especially after a few verres du vin ;) ), and I am so thankful that the French are so patient, welcoming, and helpful.  Merci à tout!

For anybody reading considering studying abroad, here is my advice: buy a pedometer and track your steps at home and in your new country. You’ll soon discover that you walk exponentially more, which is fabulous, as it’s basically a carte blanche to devour any and all pastries or cheese.  On that note, a few more things I’ve noticed about food here (in case you haven’t noticed a trend, food is kind of the center of my universe).  Cocktails are crazy expensive here! The drink of choice is certainly beer and wine (et aussi le sangria, c’est celui que je préfère ;) as cocktails range from 7 to 11 Euros! ($8-13 Canadian!). Non merci. Wine is also an acquired taste, but when in France….! Also, the coffees are très petits! No extra large double-doubles here!  The French manage to make even the most trivial of things sound sophisticated. I like it.

I’ve had more of a chance to walk around the city and it is gorgeous! We are lacking so much history in Canada and I was incredibly inspired by what I saw today. The Basilica of St. Martin was so impressive and serene that I almost converted to Catholicism then and there. And this is only the start of my journey! Many of the streets and bridges are also named after famous events and people, which is a cute little historical tidbit on my daily meanders around the city :) My daily explorations have confirmed that I have chosen the perfect field of study and that that history is my passion and what I want to pursue. I intend to soak up anything I can about the history of everything. 

Despite my daily struggles with culture shock (is there ever a time when the bank is ACTUALLY open?!?), I'm loving every day & am so glad to be here. Cheers to another wonderful day, and all that are to come!

Z <3