OK, so after days of promising an update of my France exploits, finally, here it is.

So: I am in Paris! But I’ve only been here since Saturday afternoon. The first 2 weeks were spent in Bordeaux; everyone in the group (about 35-40 students) took an intensive language class (between 3-5 hours a day, plus some excursions); we used the time to get to know each other.  Everyone on the program is really nice; the majority are from Vassar and Wesleyan (as it is the Vassar-Wesleyan program), but there are few (like me!) from other schools.  So, clearly, there was lots of wine-drinking (if you don’t know, Bordeaux is known for wines); we got to visit a chateau and tour around their wine-making facilities; we also did a “degustation” (wine-tasting/ teaching) which was informative, but I still can’t find all those different tastes/ smells. Whatever.
The living situation in Bordeaux was homestay; I was with a really nice family with 4 kids, ranging in age from 24 to 13; the older ones weren’t always around, but the 13-year-old had a good sense of humor.
In terms of my French (speaking and understanding): it has definitely improved since my arrival, but there is still a long way to go. The hardest thing is learning slang (l’argot), because, obviously, they don’t really teach us that in classes.
So, now I’m in Paris. I’m living with an octogenarian, who has grandchildren in their 30s; she’s very nice and a good cook.  The apartment is very old-fashioned, but it’s pretty awesome.  I’m not right in the middle of Paris, but the metro system is quite good, so it doesn’t really make much of a difference.  I actually prefer living with just one person, because at the homestay in Bordeaux, I really didn’t get much of a chance to do much speaking; at dinner, the family would talk, and the other student that was also living there was in fact French, so they would talk, and I would listen and try to follow the conversation.  Here, it’s just us two, so there’s no one else to talk (also, she speaks nice and slowly).
Being in Paris is amazing- there are so many incredible buildings every time you look up. It’s absurd.  More concrete details will be posted about my time in Paris; for now, enjoy the pics from Bordeaux! (For lots more pictures, check out my Facebook. Clearly).