Bonjour. My name is Anastasia, I'm a coffee-drinking nerd... and I'm currently studying in France.

I've been here in Paris for about a month and a half now and I've adjusted well to many elements of the lifestyle. First and foremost would be speaking the language. I've taken French classes for 8 years but applying my knowledge of it when I came here was more difficult than I'd anticipated. Now, though, it feels like second nature to me to think of what I want to say if I need to communicate with one of the locals. I even have a babysitting job with a little girl in a nearby town called Vanves, which is helping me more to practice my French when I communicate with her and her family.

Another cultural difference I've accustomed to is that no matter where I am, I'm surrounded by history--by buildings, artifacts, and relics of people that I have only ever learned about in public school textbooks. I think it's so cool, but I also have gotten so used to Parisian life that I tend to forget about how cool that fact is. And then, while I'm just sitting at my desk in my apartment, browsing the Internet like I always do back home, it hits me with a little voice in my head: Remember how you're in a city with stuff that's thousands of years older than your country? Yeah, so then why aren't you out exploring it?

Something else I've grown used to is the sense of community. It's not weird for strangers to say "hi" to each other or have short conversations. I have taken part in this many times. It's also more common to show politeness. Even a few days ago, I was walking back from the metro stop near me while it was raining, and a very nice elderly couple allowed me to walk with them under their umbrella, then gladly spoke with me to get to know me a little bit. People who say the French hate Americans and/or Parisians are rude may not be entirely wrong in some cases. There is more of a rushed environment here than in the Philly area where I'm from--think the atmosphere of New York. But how often would people like that elderly couple be witnessed back in America?

A cultural difference that I especially appreciate about the lifestyle here is the casualness, specifically around food. It's not odd to just linger in or outside a cafe long after your cappuccino is finished, talking to a friend or people watching or reading a book. It's not out of the ordinary to buy a bottle of wine and just start drinking it on the metro going to a bar, or head to a pub with a friend in daylight just to grab a drink and catch up. It's part of the culture here to buy a whole baguette and just walk down the street eating it--this especially is one of my favorite things about this place. And you can't stroll down any street without the sweet aroma of a boulangerie (French word for bakery) filling your nose--thus making you want to wander in and buy one of those baguettes. When I did this after I got done babysitting a few days ago, I was fortunate enough to catch them right after they were taken out of the oven and still hot.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of my journey so far though would be the day I visited the Basilica of St. Denis. I'm taking a class on the history of France, and we often go on field trips to learn more about the things we are discussing. Well, St. Denis was not only beautiful but the most striking to me. Walking through the church, I learned in great detail facts about all the past rulers of France, even though I'd already learned about many of them in high school. But when I learned about them in high school, never had I imagined that one day I'd be standing in a room with the relics of every ruler of France.

Studying in Paris, France has been every bit remarkable as I'd hoped it would be. I love continuing to learn more about the language and culture I've already studied for so many years.

I know already that I won't want to leave.