Fin du séjour

And so, our stay in Tours comes to a close. I'm feeling excited and nervous and sad, among other things -- I've really enjoyed my stay here, and I'm sorry to leave, but I'm just about ready to make it to the big show.

The last week or so has gone by like you wouldn't believe. Classes carried on as always, as did the delicious dinners and excellent host family relations. We went on a group excursion to visit some châteaux over the weekend, which included Chambord and Chenonceau. Each was impressive in its own way. Chambord, Roi Francois 1er's hunting lodge, for its absolutely ridiculous size (440 rooms, 365 chimneys), and Chenonceau, built as a bridge over the Cher and known as the "Chateaux of the women," for its exceptional beauty and formidable collection of copper cookware.

Nothing else of special note has happened here -- I've been continuing to meet new people in the Sweet Briar group, the weather's been lovely, if a little warm. I think the most exciting thing in the past few days has been that I found out my host family information in Paris. I've been placed with a large family -- although the host family coordinator couldn't remember how large [edit: LARGE. Five kids, ages 15-23] -- in the 10e arrondissement, right near the Gare du Nord and the Gare de l'Est, and not at all far from the Sacré Coeur, the Canal St. Martin, or the rest of Montmartre. According to the Lonely Planet quartier summaries, it's a lively quartier with a lot of immigrants and a relatively young population -- my conversation professor said that it was a really fun neighborhood which hasn't really been "discovered" (read: gentrified) yet. I'm excited, and can't wait to get there and start exploring.

In lieu of actual news, I'll leave you with some photos and introductions. First off is, of course, my host parents, Anne-Marie and Patrick. They are wonderful.









Second off is my two best friends here, Emily
(who goes to Haverford with me) and Jake (who sat next to me on the plane). They are wonderful as well.










This is Place Jean Jaurès, in the center of Tours. It contains the Musée des Beaux Arts, the Mairie, the Palais du Justice, and the main Poste. It also contains a number of cafés and bars, and is a central location for meeting other kids in the group. It's also pretty.








That's about all for now -- I should start at least thinking about packing. We head out at 2:30 tomorrow and I, surprise, haven't folded a thing. It's really about time for me to wrap my head around this whole "going to Paris" thing, I think. I'll try to post more frequently and with better stories as I delve further into the semester.