The First Week

My goal for this last week has been to familiarize myself with Saint-Doulchard and Bourges, and I think that I'm well on my way to starting to feel a little more at home. The day before yesterday, I succeeded in getting a library card from the local library. It's within walking distance, so going back and forth helps me get to know the neighborhood a little bit better. I've been missing having something to read, because, though I brought some books from home, I don't want to get lost in the English language until I'm a little more secure in my language skills. I've been reading the Tintin and Asterix books in my room, but as comforting as it is to see familiar faces, I've been worrying about learning French from the likes of Thomson and Thompson (or Dupont and Dupond, here).

I've also been running, because I find that I'm less likely to feel frustrated or homesick if I exercise, and I gained a fairly good knowledge of the neighborhood and a reputation as being 'sportive'- I'm not the only runner I've seen out, but so far I haven't seen any other girls or teenagers.

I've also got my bus pass, which I'll use to get to and from school for the rest of the year, and a map of the towns so that I can orient myself. Give me a mode of transportation, a map, and a library card and I'm ready to conquer the world!

Last night, I met my host Rotary for the first time. There was a delicious dinner outside with a view of the marais (marshes which were trained into lush canals centuries ago for the use of fertile marshland and as a part of the towns fortifications; they are now maintained as the city's main greenspace). I absolutly love my host Rotary club! They are friendly lively, and perhaps a little bit insane (there were a number of costumes present for the dinner- orange and pink wigs, and at least one fake mustache- all mixed in among the respectability of the rest of the club). They introduced me as a new member of the Rotary club, and I'm now looking forward to attending the weekly Tuesday night meetings. In fact, it's a pleasure to be hosted by such an interesting and involved club because I've heard from other students, returning from previous years, who had little to no contact with their hosting Rotary club during their exchange. At the same party I met my second and third host families, who I liked immediatly. They were as excited to meet me as I was to meet them, and they were fascinating to talk to during dinner. Not to jinx anything, but I think I may have had more luck than is fair for this exchange!