C’est l’amour

It has now been exactly one week, one day, and 7 hours since I have arrived in Tours. What can I say….IM IN LOVE! The city, the place, the people, the food, it’s all just wonderful. So, it may have taken a few days to become so comfortable but if you don’t have difficulties, what would be the fun in that?
Day 1: Getting from the airport to Tours: Not our finest hour. Colleen, Jess, Kelia, and I arrived in Paris Sunday morning after having slept a grand total of 20 minutes due to our 9 hour connecting flight. After claiming our baggage and going through “customs” (basically just walking past a couple of security guards and saying “bonjour”), we realized we had to wait 4 hours until our train to Tours. So, naturally while waiting, we decided we would have our first baguette in France. Just like the phrase, “once you start smoking you will never quit”, I have realized that after eating my first baguette, I will never again eat a meal that does not contain this crispy, French delicacy. Just the sound of it when breaking in two is so harmonious. So sitting in the airport, for only 20 minutes, we already inherited French customs. The real hard part, however, was not the waiting, but the moving with our cumbersome baggage. Ok, even if perhaps we have inherited French culture, we are AMERICANS by heart. We all packed WAY too much and never exactly tested out moving our entire luggage onto trains. Luckily, in the airport we met these lovely Irish students who were also studying in Tours for a couple weeks, which were kind enough to watch us fall over our suitcases and help us drag our bags (and ourselves) safely onto the train. We then missed our connecting train to Tours because not even 7 of us could carry everything off the train in the allotted amount of time, and finally caught the next train to the Tours station. All our host mothers were waiting for us upon arrival, and just like that, we went our separate ways.
Somehow, I managed to get here, on this very comfortable floral bed, relaxing with a wonderful cup of tea (which we found out today, is rare for the French), looking at my empty suitcases and my beautifully organized closet. This only happened of course after a week of classes at the institute, getting lost and figuring out my way around the city, and multiple cheese-consuming nights later. I am now content!
I may also just comment on the fact that my group is wonderful! I love all my Holy Cross amies qui sont si belles et si amusantes ! The idea that we are all here together and are experiencing the same thing is truly a wonderful gift. There are currently seven of us in Tours, and then 5 of us will venture to this fantastic city called Strasbourg! (past the sea of swirly twirly gumdrops) But before doing so, we must first take as much time exploring every little piece of Tours as possible! This includes our weekend visits to the Cathedral, the botanical gardens, the Loire River (which is right next to my house), the Museum des beaux-arts, Place Plume (an awesome restaurant and café square where I may or may not have had my first legal glass of wine) and of course, la ganguette! La ganguette is basically THE place for students, as well as other tourists and tours-natives of all ages. There is live music every night, and the whole restaurant is right on the Loire river. C’est super! So, I suppose I should do some homework before school tomorrow, but for the record, I am in love with Tours, and can’t wait to find many more adventures here. A bientôt!

This entry was posted on Monday, August 13th, 2012 at 8:34 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

4 Responses to “C’est l’amour”

1. Patti says:

   August 14, 2012 at 12:27 am

   Kristina! Sounds so wonderful. Have a great time on your French adventure. Love you lots!

   Aunt Patti

2. Mary Kate O'Keefe says:

   August 14, 2012 at 1:48 pm

   I’m so happy that you’ve arrived safe and sound et que tu es tombé amoureuse with Tours so quickly! I remember when I first arrived…it’s so magical even through the fog of sleep deprivation! Enjoy yourself and have so much fun Kristina 🙂 Bon chance!

3. lori kutsukos says:

   August 15, 2012 at 12:11 am

   Hi krik!

   Great blog..I really am enjoying it! You are so lucky! You are 19 and fulfilling a lifelong dream! Haha! I’ve only been waiting 52 yrs! Maybe Dad & I will find an apt in paris! Xo

4. Mema says:

   August 20, 2012 at 1:15 pm

   Bonjour my sweet Krissy, we all miss you but know that you are experiencing the time of your life. So happy that you have this opportunity to see the world and study in your favorite place. Take every advantage while you are there to grasp all the knowledge that you can cram into your head. You are so fortunate to have this opportunity. The food looks so wonderful. Keep up the good work and enjoy every minute of your time there. Bup and I love you so very much.Je vous aime Mema

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