From the moment I arrived in France, all I have wanted to do was to 'fit in'. Well, I guess I wanted that, to be fluent in french, a nutella crepe, a rendez-vous with a burly European rugby player, and a glass of vin chaud, in addition to many other things, but I digress... 


          It's frustrating -- trying to assimilate to another culture completely when you know that you stand out for reasons that are beyond your control.  I absolutely hate standing out here (clarification: normalement I do love standing out, but not when it's for the wrong reasons...take that as you may).  Thus far, I haven't felt horribly out of place (sidenote -- I was european in past life. This has GOT to be true) but have always felt a little off for one reason or another. 


          Not to skimp on details, but I have realized recently that to others I have assimilated much more than I have noticed myself.  For starters, I DO in fact look French. Turns out that long dark hair (check), subtle makeup (check), leather boots with tights (check), and a primarily black wardrobe (HA. double check) are really all one needs to pass as a femme francaise today. One would think I would be exstatic, non? Well, in a classic lesson of being careful what you wish for, I guess I am not.  Much like everything else in life, the benefits of blending in also come with various other burdens, of which I am learning in time. Needless to say, this realization has given me the determination to better my comprehension and overall language skills here (I hope that determination lasts through the rest of the semester). And in the end, the experience gained is all that really matters, right?

Here we go,
ming.