one month in

I think I have to start with the title...one month in seems crazy. It feels like I was in the US just yesterday but at the same time so much has already happened. Regardless, this first month has passed extremely (and frighteningly) quickly. There are so many things I want to share, but in the interest of honesty I think I have to start with a few lists...

*Things (Expected and Not-So-Much) That I Miss*

My People 

Peanut butter

BLT Sandwiches

Iced Coffee

My own bed

My front lawn 

Sour Patch Kids

Ben and Jerrys Ice Cream

American paper and notebooks

The legal right to drive

*Things I Already Know I'll Miss As Soon As I Board My Flight Home*

Chocolate Macarons

Caramel au Beurre Salé

The Metro 

My Frenchies

Crepes 

Pain au Chocolat + Coffee for breakfast

Cobblestone streets that ruin your shoes

Free Wednesday and Friday afternoons

Scoobi Fizz / Carrefour

2€ coins

These lists are random, yes, but I hope they convey a bit of my current state of mind. I've certainly begun to miss certain things but at the same time I've begin finding my own favorite things here in France. I've begun settling into my routine but also my surroundings. 

Today when shopping for a gift to send for my little sisters birthday (counting on the fact she probably doesn't keep up with my blog and therefor won't see this) the people in the store didn't realize I wasn't French until my credit card had to be swiped. Side note : in France all of the card readers are basically wireless now, if that makes sense...think Apple Pay type stuff...needless to say my swipe-only card has baffled quite a few check out clerks. I'm finally feeling like I'm getting closer to my goal of lasting a few minutes before being identified as a foreigner. 

Something else struck me today while traveling home that really made me realize how much I've adapted to Rennes. My current host family's house is about a half hour bus ride from Rennes and on the weekend the busses have quite the ornery schedule. (Example : last night the only busses home were at eight and midnight thirty...seeing as my school curfew is 12 my big night of partying ended at eight.) Today I went to rowing an hour away and on the way back arrived at Republique knowing exactly what time I had to get on the metro...and that I had enough time to grab a macaron before heading home. After catching the bus without any stress at all, I realized that having the schedules close to memorized must mean I'm settling in. 

In other exciting news I will no longer only be posting regular posts and English assignments here...I also now have monthly posts for my role as Campus Blogger! I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences in Rennes with readers here and on SYA sponsored posts and I look forward to reader crossover...once I have the link to the blog page I'll share it so you can check out what my other classmates (in France as well as other SYA locations) are up to! Exciting stuff, I think. Until next time, xoxo lu.