Yesterday for the first time in my life, I experienced mountains with snow! I had the chance to snow shoe in the Pyrenees and after that day visit, it’s fair to say I’ve fallen in love with those beautiful mounds of earth! It was also my first time out of the city since I’ve been here making the experience even more cherished.
I am thankful to now feel more settled into life in Toulouse; the language barrier becomes a little less imposing everyday, I love my homestay, and I’m now in a routine with classes. For my volunteer project, I’ve been placed in an afterschool program called Alliances et Cultures. This past Friday we made pancakes (being the only American I was considered the expert on this subject). It was essentially chaos, but very much welcomed. Something I’ve found here is that people are generally quieter, so the noise and energy of the kids felt familiar (despite not understanding what they were yelling about).
Amidst the foreign and the familiar, each day I find myself deeper into a beautiful predicament: I fall more in love with France, and more in love with America with every uncovered nuance. The particularities of French culture further define the uniqueness of life in America. I suppose only time will tell how this quandary will play out, but for now I am thoroughly enjoying what I’ve discovered thus far, and I am very much ready to see more!
