The First Month

HOLY CRAP I'VE ALREADY BEEN HERE A MONTH!!!

So... what do I think about the place? It's a lot like California - it's about 75F on average, save a few days when it's been humid. It's been cloudy only three days. The vegetation outside the city looks a lot like chaparral, and inside the city there are lots of plane trees and pines and occasionally there are cacti. It is surprisingly green. You'll be walking down a street with houses squeezed together all along the streetfront, and behind them and wherever they can, trees will be poking out from behind. It's quite nice.

The University was obviously built in the 1960s and has not had much maintenance since then. I'll have to include pictures sometime, because it looks very rustic in the sense that once it must've looked good (or possibly not - I don't know what people thought of architecture in the 60s) but now it has acquired the air of a hobo a ways past their prime. Also, the central government in Paris decided not to approve the course schedule for the University until June, right before the secretaries went on their summer holiday. Having just returned this past Monday, they had been gingerly working away at publishing everything for the students. The Geography Department, along with History, Psychology, Performance Art and a couple otherse, decided they were a bit too rushed by the Parisian bureaucrats, and so classes in those departments will start next week. For the time being, I have an internship class (related to an internship I don't have yet), a grammar class (Tuesday and Wednesday for two hours each - yay!), and a phonetics class on Thursday. The two geography classes I am interested in taking are as diverse as they come. The first is a three-subject upper division course on hydrology, ecology and geomorphology, and the other is on the geography of Latin America, health and sanitary development, economic service geography, and littoral geography. I have no idea whether or not I'm biting off too much to chew, but hopefully all will go well. The program directors have said American students always do better than the students anticipate.

My host family is nice, although the twice now the daughter, Yseult, who is 22 and lives elsewhere, has been coming over to engage in shouting matches with her mother about money. As far as I can tell, Yseult is unemployed but thinks nothing of it, and wants her parents to maintain a lifestyle for her as though she were employed. Her mother disagrees, and tells her this in more than that many words. Next time this happens, I think I'll just go for a walk. Besides that, everything has been fine. It is certainly interesting living with another family, especially one I've never really gotten to know except for right now. I suppose these situations are hit or miss, but I feel like its more hit than miss. I certainly am not the subject of any unpleasantries, and everything said and heard is nothing I haven't seen worse of in the United States. Well, not within my own family, certainly. We're perfect.

I went to Avignon today to see the Palace of the Popes. It was very austere, especially since it was, for a long time, a fortress. From what people have said who've visited the other, more famous papal residence, the latter exceeds the former in just about every count. Speaking of the papal residence, my friend Erin, who is studying in Rome talked to me today and said she'd like to come visit and invited me to do the same. I would certainly like to go to Rome, or at least Italy, but we'll see what logistics and money allow. In money news, sorry, I meant more news, has moneybody seen my wallet? I money'd have left it at the bank. Money next time I should be money careful. Money. Oh, and I'm going to Brussels in early November, or maybe London, as we have six days of vacation for the All Saint's weekend.

I'll put up pictures after dinner. Thank you to all my underwriters, philanthropic supporters, bankrollers, contributors, leasers, loan sharks, bail bondsmen, and leprechauns. I really am grateful for all the help you've given me, mentally, emotionally, financially and physically (heavy luggage - not a good idea).