It's my one month anniversary of being abroad and there are countless things to celebrate: the food, the wine, the freedom, the history, art, and culture everywhere you turn. There's too much to tell! Perhaps a little easier to quantify, then, as I look back on my past month of experiences, are the things I'm not quite sold on just yet. I'm not complaining, persay; let's just call it "exploring differences."
1. French keyboards. The "q" is where the "a" should be. Mqkes for lots of mistqkes.
2. To-go coffee cups. No running late and picking up a caffeine fix.
3. Smiling makes you weird and makes you a target for petty crime. That seems counterintuitive :(
4. Wine hangovers.
5. Notebook paper--all graphed/miniature lined so that my European history notes run up and down the page like a EuroDisney roller coaster.
6. I don't WANT to walk into a Starbucks or McDonalds abroad...but they are the only places with free wifi.(and clean bathrooms).
7. Yes, I'm jogging in the Luxembourg Gardens. You can put your cigarette back in your mouth and stop staring now.
8. I'm really trying to assimilate into your culture. I left my sneakers and sweatshirts at home. So even if my attempt at speaking French is horrible and insults your very heritage, please don't laugh and answer in English. We get it, America is behind the curve on the language thing.
9. Horizontal stripes don't look good on everyone.
10. You'd think that living in this city, people would understand how to fill a metro car. Unfortunately, when you stop just inside the door even though the rest of the car remains empty, the floods of people still behind you get stuck in that pesky gap between the train and the station.
Don't worry, a more positive version of this post will soon follow.
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