First Impressions

Everyone speaks French. That much should have been obvious, but I honestly didn't truly understand how hard it would be to listen and respond in French. The most difficult part will obviously be to learn the language- but for that, I got lucky. My host mom, Célia, speaks English as well as French, and will be helping me learn for the first three months that I live here. Not everyone has a family that speaks English, so I will definitely count myself lucky.
The food is exactly as we Americans imagined it. Everything is fresh, bread is served with almost every meal, and lunch and dinner are followed by cheese and dessert. The bread and cheese here are amazing- I've already tried ten different types of cheese (the only one of which I can name is Camembert, my favorite so far). I've also had a glass of wine with dinner, and loved it as well. Generally, food is freshly prepared and cooked. The French would cringe at the thought of a TV dinner, or even a dinner that didn't take an hour to prepare. They're also very eager to offer food, and I've repeatedly had to decline third helpings.
Today (the 28th) I went shopping with some of Célia's friends' kids and my older host brother, Pablo. I spent over 200€ on clothes and shoes- everything is expensive here, even if the amounts were in dollars. However, I was able to sufficiently augment my wardrobe so I'll never have to wear the same thing in a week or two, and I still have plenty of money left to ‹‹sortir avec les copains››.
I don't start school until Monday the 6th of September. I'll be majoring in literature, which means most of my courses will be French, Spanish, Philosophy, and other less math-y and science-y classes. The French system allows you to major in three different schools in lycée, or high school: literature, science, and general assistance (mechanics, etc). I'll be attending l'Institution Saint Joseph, a higher-end school in le Havre. The school is next to the mayor's mansion, in the ‹‹posh›› section of Havre. It's very nice, and it has an excellent reputation.
Well, that's all. Don't expect such long posts, because life will soon slow down- it's still the holidays here, and there are parties and family/friend dinners every other day. Also, expect about one post per week- I can't spend all my time on the internet, because I'm not here to blog. A bientôt!