Before I came to France, I expected it to be very similar to the U.S. I wasn't one of those brave students shipping out to Africa. After all, this was Europe. Take the U.S., add better food, prettier architecture, and slimmer waistlines ... that's what I was expecting.

In some ways, I was right. France is very pretty, with its tall, narrow trees, vast vineyards, and old, historical buildings. Tours, however, is not exactly what I would call a pretty city. The buildings are all white stone and after the city was bombed during World War II, many buildings were quickly (and unattractively) rebuilt. Bucknell brick would do this town some good.

The food is fantastic. My host mom, Isabelle, is a great cook. She makes a lot of vegetables (not the raw beef I was expecting), and there's dessert with lunch and dinner. For example, last night we had a thick soup made with peas, sauer kraut and carrots, a sauer kraut salad, a cheese course, and crepes.

But France is very different from the U.S. The first thing I noticed was the household habits. All the doors are always closed in French houses, and the lights always turned off when you leave a room. This helps conserve energy, which is very expensive in France. The houses themselves are all three or four stories, and kept very, very cold. At first I was freezing all the time, but now I can't stand heated rooms.

Next thing I had to get used to was how people interact. When you meet someone, you don't shake hands or hug. ou kiss cheek-to-cheek, twice in Tours, although the number differs from region to region. As a French major, I've learned about this habit many times in textbooks, but it's very odd in practice. The most difficult thing for me has been the complete lack of hugs. I hugged my little sister, Alienore, and she looked at me like I had six heads. They just don't do touchy-feely in France.

The final difference that really struck me has been, in a word, technology. I hadn't realized precisely how dependent I'd become on the ease with which we can do basic things like connect to the Internet or use a printer. My home here has one family computer with a DSL connection, so I normally carry my laptop to my school, the Institute of Touraine, to use the wireless. The wireless itself is much slower and less reliable than what I'm used to, and to print you have to buy a print code. (At 10 centimes a page, yikes!) For my first project, I had a panic attack, because I only had two days to work on it, and the Institute basically closes at 6 p.m. With all my Bucknell in France meetings the first week, that left me about an hour to do research.

But there's a plus to the technology difficulties. Rather than always turning to Wikipedia for answers, French students have to use their own life experiences and creativity to complete school work. I believe my 20-minute presentation was more interesting because I added my opinion and memories to the facts, making it something I cared about and others could relate to.

Me, my host mom Isabelle, my sister Caitlin (also a college student from the U.S.), and my host dad, Bruno. Bruno and Isabelle wear crowns because Bruno won the Galette des Rois game and named Isabelle his queen. For more information on the tradition, check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cake

A view of my room. It used to be my little sister's room, hence all the pink. I've been browsing the little kids books, but even baby French is difficult for me.

My first view of the Jardin des Presbendes, a public garden near my house. I may not think Tours is particularly attractive, but the public gardens are phenomenal. This one is full of ducks, swans and a very friendly stray cat.