Bienvenue à Aix-en-Provence

After months of anticipation and a thankfully uneventful drive to O'Hare, I boarded my flight to Europe at long last. While standing in line to get on the plane, I recognized my study-abroad roommate, so we were able to chat a little on the plane and get to know each other. Her name is Raquelle and she is from Kentucky. She is great, and I think we are going to have an amazing semester. She moved into our homestay on Monday, but there is still a student from fall semester in my room, so I will move in saturday. I did go meet my homestay parents yesterday, and they are great. Mine and Raquelle's rooms are on the third floor and we each have a double bed and our own bathroom; plus, they have a pool. :) I can't wait to move in. Until then I am living in a hotel with four other girls who are in the same situation I am in. This situation definitely has its benefits. We have had a lot of freedom to explore the city, and we've spent a lot of time sharing stories and getting to know each other. It's nice that I have made so many connections with fellow students so early in the program.

Aix is a beautiful city. Parts of it date back as far as the Roman Empire. The city center is pretty confusing at first because none of the streets are on a grid. I have a tendency to be wandering aimlessly and suddenly happen upon a familiar part of town that I did not realize I was near. But, I think I'll have it figured out by the end of the week. I love it here. I've met several people who care here to study abroad and loved it so much that they just stayed...for like 30 years. That actually sounds really appealing right now.

We took our placement tests today, which were pretty low-key. We get our class schedules Friday and classes start Tuesday. Although I like having the time to just walk around the city, I am looking forward to having a set schedule. Tomorrow we are going on a tour of a medieval town, but Le mistral has been predicted for tomorrow. Le mistral is a brutal wind that occurs on occasion down here. And when I say brutal, I mean 60 mph winds. So excited. I might die. In the event that I don't, I will write again in a few days.