Finallement: Paris.

I'm here! Je suis arrivée! The bus ride from Tours was painfully long without jetlag to knock me out, but I survived and I'm IN PARIS!!!! I was definitely sad to leave my host family but I'm excited by all that lies ahead for me in Paris.

Saying goodbye to the Chidiacs this morning was definitely difficult. I felt a little choked up leaving such a warm, welcoming, generous family. Thus far, my Paris family just isn't the same. Then again, the bar has been set extremely high! My first impression of the Fouques are a little more formal, a little less engaged than the Chidiacs. This isn't necessarily bad, it will simply be a different experience. Whereas the Chidiacs were quick to ask me to help with dinner, take me out at night, and socialize with me, the Fouques seem to want to give me my space. With them, in Paris, I'll just have to be a little more outgoing and independent. They have a daughter who is 21 and lives in the same apartment building as them, though not on the same floor, so tonight for dinner it was just me and the host parents.

That said, the Fouques are very nice and we had a lovely conversation at dinner. Both of my French families have been very very interested in the American healthcare debate, which I'm happy to discuss with them. It's very satisfying to know that I can carry on a complex conversation about a current issue in French! After that, talk turned to art history. My host father is an architect and when I told him that my family had Scandinavian heritage, he ran to get a couple of books on Scandinavian painters. He particularly likes the Swedish watercolorist Carl Larson. A couple of the more abstract paintings he showed me reminded me a lot of Grandpa Jensen and Howard's paintings.

Tomorrow I have nothing on my agenda so the plan is to get lost in Paris! I'm thinking of meeting up with a friend or too, wandering aimlessly, and taking in the sights. I can't wait to experience Paris!