London, England Sightseeing and My First Day in France

10:37 p.m.

It seems like years since yesterday morning when I was on a tour bus, discovering all of the treasures of London. Our tour guide, Shawn, had a Scottish accent and was hilarious. He was bald and made fun of himself constantly, and of the British people walking on the streets in addition to many crazy facts and historical references that involved the sights we drove by. I saw Westminster Abbey, drove over London and Tower Bridge, was on Fleet Street and Drury Lane (where the muffin man lives). Buckingham Palace and Big Ben were a lot bigger than I had imagined them to be. Laura and I went to the British Museum and saw the Rosetta stone, Egyptian artifacts-including the mummy of Cleopatra, medieval artifacts, Ancient Greek and Roman statues, and an Easter Island statue. The history and culture of London dates so far back and the architecture is so different from anything that I have ever seen in the US, it is hard to imagine what things would have looked like in the Victorian era, the Renaissance, or the Middle Ages. I felt as though I was in another world and I wish I would have been able to stay longer to explore more of the city. The historical implications of London were fascinating to me; I hope to go back someday-maybe even while I am still in Europe on a weekend trip.

France is a whole different story. I have already caught on to the laid back vibe the French express when eating or speaking while only being here for a total of 12 hours. All day today was more or less an orientation within the hotel with our Resident Director, Miranda. She is wonderful and has already been very helpful in conveying information that I was worried about. I discovered today that I meet my host family on Saturday night and move in. Sunday is a day to myself/with my new family, and Monday, I will take a placement test that is the determining factor for the classes I will take. Classes start on Tuesday. The whole process is very nerve-wracking.

Today, I had my first real conversation with a French woman. It was a little intimidating but I communicated with her well enough for her to understand. I asked her for my room key, but she didn't have it so she asked me if I wanted her to open my door for me anyway. I told her yes. We went up the "lift" and she asked me if I was from the United States. I told her I was, and then she asked if I was tired. I told her I was because I had only 2 hours of sleep last night. She asked where I was from in the U.S. and I told her South Dakota/Nebraska. She had no idea where that was so I just told her it was in the middle of the U.S. It was an exhilarating feeling to be able to speak to a French woman in French. :) Our group went out to dinner and I met a couple other students who have been here since the fall. Dinner was okay, but dessert was fantastic. It was a pie-like dessert but the berries were on top of the crust and there was no filling. Simple but delicious! I can't wait to meet my family and get a normal routine. Also, I think I will be traveling most weekends to different parts of Europe with people in my group. I would like to go to Spain or Marseille for my winter break. Some of the people in my group were even thinking about going to Morocco! There are so many opportunities here and I don't want to miss out on anything. My main goal is to see as much of Europe as possible in four months! Wish me luck!