Adjustments

It's been a few days since I've posted anything new, and it's because I've been busy. I haven't been busy doing anything in particular, mostly just trying to adjust to what will be my life for the next five months. It's been over a week now, but time has simply flown by! While it doesn't really seem like I got here just yesterday, I also don't feel like I've been here for all that long. (I guess I haven't really been here for a long time yet!)

The last week, I've been enjoying late mornings; taking my coffee and toast (cafe et tartines grilles) in the kitchen with Claire, after everyone has left the house. The tranquility of a quiet house and Claire’s warm nature make it easy to enjoy myself. However… starting Monday, I’ll have to start waking up earlier to get to my real classes – welcome to the real world! (Our class with Paul has been to prepare us for the placement exam. The idea is: the higher you place, the better students you’ll be with, the more you’ll learn.)

Everything is grey outside! The temperature has risen (had been -3, and now it’s +3) and the fog and rain have moved in. Look up: clouds. Look around: fog. Look down: slush. It’s worse than Seattle! The French word for slush, by the way, is neige fondue – melted snow. So creative the French!

I came straight home today, so I was a bit earlier than when I go with friends wandering or to a cafe after class. Since I had plenty of time before it got dark, and the family would expect me, I decided to walk instead of take the bus. (This is after taking the tram, which accounts for the better part of the distance between the University and home.) I timed myself between bus stops, for future reference: 4-5 minutes between, times three stops, for a total of 15 minutes, plus a few between the last stop and the front door. Not bad! I think I’ll do that again sometime, but for now I need to close the shutters.