Our new home

After a whirlwind 5-day Paris Tour I finally arrived in Pau a few days ago. The Paris trip was exhausting, but it ended up being one of the best experiences of my life. In a matter of less than a week, we saw some of the most famous tourist sites (Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe) and some hidden gems. Though I went to Paris when I was 12, I did not remember actually seeing all of these places. It was nice to re-visit since I will remember more this time around. The USAC students are fantastic and everyone on the tour had some time to bond before arriving in Pau.

Once arriving in Pau, we finally realized that, “Oh, we ARE actually going to be living here for the next 4 months and this wasn’t only a vacation.” Hopefully day by day it’ll start to feel more like home.

Finally, we have unpacked and have stopped living out of our suitcases. We all attended orientation (which made me feel like a freshman again) where we were taught some basic Pau 101 tips, as well as introduced to the structure of our classes. We also went to explore Pau in a large group as well as smaller groups. Each time we walk through campus more things seem familiar, bus routes become easier to remember, and things seem less strange. It’s nice to see how things continue to evolve.

One of the best things I like about Pau so far is that not many people know English. In Paris whenever we were in a situation where French was needed, most Parisians would fill in the blanks with English since they know the language. However in Pau, we have to look for ways to communicate clearly in French. It helps because you get to know useful phrases and you get more comfortable with the way you speak French.

Since it’s morning here, we’re headed to do some shopping downtown.

À bientôt!