chez moi

As most of you know, I'm studying in Montpellier for the next 4 1/2 months. Actual school hasn't started yet, but I'm enrolled in an intensive orientation to refresh my language skills and place me in my classes for the fall. I have class for about 5 hours a day (even the weekends) and we've gone on a few excursions to see the surrounding area like the Pont du Gard, Avignon, and Nimes. My entire program is full-immersion...which means my classes, my administrative stuff, my tests, and most of my conversations are in French. That's part of why I chose the south of France instead of an English-speaking program in Paris or Bordeaux- because I want to challenge myself and become fluent in French.

With that said, the last 2 weeks have been kind of a roller coaster. I've felt the spectrum of emotions, but things have finally settled and I feel like I can blog now haha.

Quick facts about Montpellier:
-It's the 8th largest city in France
-It's pretty arid here...with the exception of one storm, it's been quite desert-like and I'm LOVING the sun
-It's 20 minutes from the Mediterranean by bus
-It's located in the region of Languedoc-Roussillon, just west of Provence
-It's famous for goat cheese, wine, olives/olive oil, and architectural remnants of Roman rule


I'm attending St. Paul Valery Universite, which is one of the three universities in Montpellier. Instead of having all specializations at one school like UW, there is a University 1 (for medicine), University 2 (for law), and University 3 (for arts). I'm at number 3 since I'm primarily studying language over here.

My dorm is about a 15 minute walk from the campus itself, with two cafeterias, a mailroom, and a laundromat. Each person gets their own room with its own bathroom. Even though they're small, I'm very comfortable and happy with the privacy. We also have maids who empty the garbage, clean our bathrooms, and sweep. No complaints here!

Another perk of French culture: Bowls of coffee for breakfast!!


I'm off to class now! But I can assure you entries will be more frequent these days :)

xoxo
Caitlin
caitlinboyd72@gmail.com