The beginning

Well, I am here! It's been overwhelming already. Yesterday was a whirlwind of getting acclimated, learning the area, and meeting the family. I arrived via taxi from Charles de Gaulle (chose this expensive option because my big suitcase weighed in at 71 pounds!) and was immediately greeted by my host-dad Laurent. He's a really nice man, and he helped me put my luggage in the tiniest elevator I've ever seen. I went in on the first trip with my carry-on luggage, and he told me to stand in it "comme les egyptians". Yes, it's practically coffin-sized.

I got up to the third floor and waited for the rest to travel up when suddenly the door to the apartment opened and little Blanche welcomed me in. She's the youngest daughter of the family and so far the easiest to talk to. We spent the next few hours together as she and I ate breakfast and got to know each other. Also around were the 3 older kids: Marguerite who is 19 and soon to be living on her own, Bertrand who is 14 and mostly away at boarding school, and Therese who is 16 and studying English. I hope that I can get to know the others well enough soon; so far, Blanche, Laurent, and my host-mom Carole have been the most helpful with getting me to feel comfortable.

Carole and Blanche took me on a tour later in the afternoon to get me used to the surrounding area. They live in a very nice part of the city with lots of shops and restaurants everywhere. We walked in a huge triangle so that I could see where the nearest Metro/bus stops are as well as the most notable sights of the area. We are especially close to the grands magasins or department stores.

Though I tried to avoid it, what with only sleeping about an hour on the plane I had to give in to my tiredness and fall asleep around 6 pm Paris time. Probably not the best idea considering I woke up for a bit around 4 am, but I just couldn't hang anymore. I did get up and surf the net a bit before falling back asleep until around 9:30. I hope this is a good amount of sleep to get my body back on track, especially because I start orientation tomorrow morning.

Today I would love to go the Louvre because apparently on the first Sunday of the month it is free. I'm trying to get a hold of a friend via Facebook who is also here for Reid Hall, but not having a phone makes things difficult. We might go phone shopping together later before dinner. I'm also a bit in limbo right now because my host family invited me to lunch with them here at the house but are currently at church and due back at an undisclosed time. Hmm...probably should have asked about that one, but oh well.

I hope today turns out to be a nice day. I'm uncharacteristically nervous to go out by myself. I keep thinking of Jake and how he just ventures out into Buenos Aires all alone and finds fun things, but I for some reason am really timid lately. I think I'm worried about my language skills. I know I just need to push myself out there and not worry, but it's really hard when I'm still a little homesick and tired.

It's still really surreal to think I'm here. After so long of waiting for this experience, it's bizarre to think it's come and is now. I know I need to go begin making the most of it, so I shall try and of course keep you all posted. Thanks for reading.