Meeting New Friends and Family in France
I have almost been studying abroad in France now for about a month (it will be a month on the 27), and I have to say being in France rocks! I arrived in Paris on the 27th of August completely jet lagged but excited! Funniest thing happened on my flight from Chicago to Paris, I got upgraded to first class for no reason! United Airlines you are my favorite! So back to Paris, I arrived 9am their time, 1am my time. At the airport, I ended up meeting all of the other exchange students from Greenheart Travel and WEP (which is the representatives over in France.) There was in total I think eighty students heading to France from three months to 10 months.
It was so cool seeing all of the different countries in one place. There were kids from Germany, Mexico, Hungary, Brazil, United States and one other Canadian! There was probably 30 students from Australia, and we hit it off from the start. Paris was a blast. We were there for four days and we got to see all the famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, Notre-Dame and the Champs Elysee. I think the best part of Paris was getting to know all of the different exchange students, because we all had common interests and really we all got along super well! It was tough saying good-bye the day we left for our host families.
I got to take a train from Paris to Toulouse which was awesome. I had never been on a train before, and there I was heading to the South of France. The train ride was five and a half hours long which was a great time to take a nap! There were four other students on my train and I lucky got to tag along with a guy from the States who helped me with my bags and really helped me get off the train. One thing I think I should clarify in my last post I had said that I did well packing light, which I did pack super light, compared to some students. The thing was, the wheel on my suitcase broke when I got to Paris, so I basically had to drag that thing everywhere I went. Not super fun to do!
When I got off the train, I started walking towards the train station and probably after two minutes of me trying to drag my suitcase towards the station, I saw a couple rush past and say my seat number. I turned around and was like ummm Mr and Mrs Boiteux? Sure enough it was my host parents! We live about an hour and a half from Toulouse which isn’t very far. That night I got to meet all of my other family which was great! The first few weeks here have been a blur but everything is going so well!
I don’t think I could have been with a better family. They are funny like my family and it’s so busy here that it’s like I’m back in Saskatoon! Last weekend my family and I went to the sea which is just beautiful! This weekend we are going to Spain! The only way to describe France is that it’s beautiful and the mountains where I live, it’s fantastic! We walk a lot where I live which is something I love. If you are considering maybe going on an exchange anywhere I suggest you do it, because it’s an opportunity of a lifetime and you can meet the best people.
Until next time, Olivia
