Made it!

Hi, friends! I arrived in France without incident yesterday, although very tired. My first flight to Amsterdam was about 7 hours 45 minutes and, thanks to crying babies in various places on the plane (I’m all in favor of sedation) and uncomfortable chairs, sleep didn’t come. On the second flight from Amsterdam to Toulouse, I was juuuust about to get to sleep when the elderly gentleman next to me surmised I spoke French (not sure how, since the Dutch flight attendant was speaking to me in English), and he proceeded to start a conversation. I didn’t really mind too much, even though I was exhausted, because I try to profit from every opportunity I get to speak French – and this was a nice brush-up before even arriving. He was quite nice, and talked about how he was returning from visiting his son in Shanghai. He was very proud of him; the son apparently speaks five (FIVE?) languages, including Chinese, obviously, and works there in some sort of international commerce job. He showed me all 300+ photos he took while there, including the super fancy building where his son works, and the super fancy restaurant/bar frequented by high-class visitors with their Ferraris and Rolls Royce’s, where he DJ’s by night. Seriously, this dude is living the good life. The conclusions I drew were: I’m gonna be super jet-lagged (was correct on this one), learn Chinese one day, and that Shanghai has a LOT of people. LOTS.

Anyway, when I arrived in Toulouse around 11 am the weather was absolutely gorgeous, like Alabama but slightly milder. A veterinary student who went to the U.S. with Merial last year was there to pick me up. He was chill and spoke VERY fast, but I managed to keep up for the most part until we got to the vet school and found my room. It’s your basic dorm, without a kitchen or a fridge, but it does have a nice floor-to-ceiling window, and the kitchen across the way (in another building) is already equipped and opens only to Erasmus/foreign students, so I’m always guaranteed someone to talk to!

Speaking of talking, my French is totally going to get work here! There is so far only one other person here whom I can speak to in English; with everyone else it’s all French, all the time! My roommate is a Romanian Erasmus student here on a clinical internship, and she’s been very welcoming and has introduced me to the other Erasmus students. She also showed me the Restaurant-Universitaire nearby where I can go for lunch, where we ate with some friends who enjoyed learning what on earth it is I’m doing here. I already have an invite to a barbecue this weekend, mostly just for fun but also to say goodbye to some of the departing students – including my roomie. So come Sunday, I’ll have the room all to myself! :D

Not too much else going on here, besides various administrative things. Today and tomorrow are going to be rainy off and on, not as nice as when I arrived (bummer). I’m proving that I’m still functional in French despite the jet lag making me want to nap at random times, and I’ve bought a phone, opened a bank account, gotten my student card, and fed myself successfully. Speaking of feeding myself, my heart practically sang when I went back to the grocery store/supermarket for the first time. Anyone who’s spoken to me about France knows that the food here gives me immense happiness, so my little heart sang at all the wonderful options. Since I can only bring what I can carry, and the various grocery stores (plus an AWESOME “hyper-marché” – like a French Wal-Mart) are all a 10-15 minute walk away until I acquire a bicycle, I don’t think I’ll be gaining much weight. Few people here have vehicles, and unless you’re one of those few, you walk, bike, and take public transport everywhere. So here’s to hoping that, along with exercise, I’ll come back in tip-top shape! I’ve already scouted out some nifty jogging spots nearby.

Ah, and because food makes us all happy, here’s what I had for dinner my first night (note: I did buy real food, but sometimes you just need a baguette and cheese…because it makes you feel good inside)!

Baguette and Brie, cheap, fattening...and oh so good.

And for dessert, one of my all-time favorites, pain au chocolat...essentially a chocolate croissant! :D

And finally, because everyone always thinks this is weird, milk here comes in a box, that you don't refrigerate until you open. May wonders never cease! (If that scares you, bottles are available)

 So that's all for now! Tomorrow I meet up with a professor (not mine - she's out of town until Friday) who will show me the lab and give me all the introductions. I'll let you all know how things go! Until next time, thanks for reading :)