I've been here a week?

The first week comes to an end as the second one begins! (I guess that's how it usually works...) What a crazy week of classes, people and FOOD.

Tours is great! We've been taking classes at the Institut de Touraine, which is just like, Extreme French in two weeks. It's really nice that everyone is so enthusiastic about learning, and I feel like we are even beginning to speak French to each other more often. It just becomes easier, because even as you're struggling for words, someone is there to tell you what you're thinking or trying to say.

I have to say, staying with a host family for two weeks was an excellent idea. I only speak French with my host mom, who loves to cook (good for me), is vegetarian (like me) and helps me with little grammar puzzles every night at dinner. It's becoming easier to understand native Francophones, as you pick up the little colloquial phrases that were hard to comprehend before. Eating at 7:30 was weird at first- there's this whole gap in time between the noon lunch and dinner, but it just makes a good excuse to try all the tartelettes in the boulangeries. :)

Today we visited Chambord and Cheverny, two of the famous French chateaux on the Loire. Even in the rain and freezing weather, they were absolutely breathtaking, especially Chambord! I think I may build one someday. Or I'll just marry a king, one or the other.

There are so many times in the day when I have to stop and think about the fact that I'm in France. I'm actually here, experiencing this completely different culture and even still just absorbing everything like a sponge. I understand now why this is called the "Honeymoon" stage- there is just so much to see and do there's really no time to be homesick or question yourself. This is the time to see the French culture and begin to experience a little (especially in our host family setting), but I'm still on the outskirts. Still working on the language and the way of life- but that's okay. There is a lot of learning to be done!

Tours is so beautiful. The Loire riverbank has a sidewalk alongside it, so the other day Lauren, Katie and I bought a fresh baguette and Camembert cheese and sat on a bench by one of the old bridges. It was chilly, but the sun was forcing rays through the clouds as it started to set so the reflection of the opposite bank on the water was pretty. It was just one of those surreal moments on the trip, like, this is just the beginning of an adventure I know I'll remember forever.