So, my "first week of classes" is down and I'm finally getting adjusted to being in France. The reason I can't seriously call it a week of classes is because I only went to two. The system here is so different than in the States. At home, we meet with our adviser, decide what to take, then sign up for all of our classes online a semester ahead of time. Not that I miss waking up at 6:55AM for that competitive rush to get the classes you need, only to see that Bannerweb isn't working properly, but I do miss the simplicity and organization. In France, you don't sign up for classes. At UPMF (my university here), you find a class online and just show up for it. If you like it after a week, you just tell your adviser, who will inevitably be someone who hates working and is never in his or her office. That part isn't bad. I have to take classes at this other university as well, and if I didn't have Gaelle to help me out, I'd be lost (the bad part is that Gaelle is French and attends this school full-time and she doesn't fully understand how it works). Just to find one English class, I had to go up to the English library, flip through three different books of course listings, go down to another office to find posted times for classes- which, of course, didn't match up with the ones listed and I couldn't find the classes that Dr. Brent approved, and then I had go to another building to find someone to ask about enrolling in their class (and of course, she wasn't there). The building set-up doesn't really make sense, so navigating it is just another huge pain. And you don't get much of a response through e-mail, either. I'm not trying to complain- it really does help with gaining independence and all that good stuff, but when October rolls around and PC students start complaining about the whole registration process, they just need to be thankful that it's easier than it is here.

Speaking of being thankful: So, I've never gone a day at PC without appreciating my professors. They're always there for you... if their door isn't open, they'll go out of their way to make time to talk. I once e-mailed Dr. Kiley at 8AM freaking out because I didn't know what I was doing with my life, and by 8:30 he had responded saying to meet me in his office at 10 (which was when I walked out with a French major and plans to study abroad...). That doesn't happen here. It just doesn't. So, once again... appreciate PC as much as you can because not everywhere is as easy or willing to help.

So, onto the more fun parts of France. Living here has been great. People are so much more open-minded and accepting than they are at home. I have yet to hang out with people who just sit around talking crap about other people. It's refreshing. Seriously.

One major drawback: Awesome American websites like Hulu and Pandora don't work here. Not fun.