Le premier jour de classe

Today was our first day of class with Professor McNelly and the first day it really hit me that I'm here for school too.  I got up this morning for breakfast at the hotel and then spent the rest of the morning doing homework in preparation for class at 2.  We had class in a retirement home for priests, although we didn't have any run-ins with any cute old men today.  Class was long (3 hours), but it went by quickly since we discussed our preconceptions of France and how history and the past are valued differently in the U.S. and France.  It felt different than most other French classes I've had, too, since I've been spending so much time with our group of 12 that I felt totally comfortable speaking French in class.  We all realize we're in the same boat as far as our language skills go, so there's no pressure to say anything perfectly.  Prof. McNelly is also sympathetic to our situation and understands that it will take time for us to get used to using French constantly, so she doesn't care if anyone struggles or messes up their grammar.
After class, a few of us went to a cafe near the hotel for a snack.  We've all been on such weird eating schedules since our days are so discombobulated.  All my meals have consisted of mostly bread and cheese, which is totally fine with me, but I've been missing the fresh summer fruit at home.  I justify the lack of fruits and vegetables in my diet so far to the fact that France is just generally healthier than the U.S.  It should be interesting, though, to see what my host family will serve me.
Tonight I spent most of the time doing my reading and other homework for tomorrow (super fun, I know).  We have class in the afternoon again, and then we have all evening to pack up and prepare for our trip to Provence this weekend.  Provence is such a beautiful area of France, so I'm really excited to spend some time there.  Once we get back, we get picked up in Dijon by our families (!). I won't have my laptop in Provence, but hopefully I'll have some great adventures to report on and some of my own pictures to show you!
Until next time, À bientôt!