Tomorrow will mark exactly one month of completed classes for me and the others studying here in Besan�on. I am so proud to be able to say that I have made it this far without any major mishaps. Throughout my first month here, I have met so many interesting people. My classmates and my fellow Penn Staters have all turned out to be some of the most interesting, wonderful, and kind-hearted individuals that I have ever met. There was also another group of students from Arkansas studying here with us, and tomorrow will be the last day in Besan�on for many of them. I am sad to see them go, but I am happy that I had the opportunity to meet them all. 

Since tomorrow is the last day of class for the month of June, my two professors decided that our class would have a picnic today. We all were instructed to bring something to share with the rest of the class. When we all arrived at the park for lunch, everyone opened up their bags and the food poured out. I don’t think I have ever consumed so much bread and cheese in my life. We enjoyed regional cheeses, baguettes, crepes, chocolate chip cookies, pain au chocolat, and cake. To end the picnic, one of the students had brought along his guitar and the group listened to him play as several other students sung along. It felt so good to be able to sit there in that circle with my classmates who are all from different schools, backgrounds, ethnic groups and to enjoy a nice lunch on the grass after a month of hard work. 

After only a month in France, I am finding myself more and more able to comprehend the conversations and the situations that are going on around me. Living with a host family has been one of the greatest and most fulfilling experiences of my life. For the month of June, there have been three other students living with me. There is a Japanese girl. She is extremely kind. She helped to show me the ropes the first few weeks that I was here, and she is always eager to converse with me. She speaks a bit of English as well as French, so it is convenient if I am ever having issues translating my thoughts. There are two guys living here as well. They are both Libyan, and they might be two of the most amusing people that I have ever met. It certainly has made for lively dinner conversation. I love being able to converse with the family, even about the simplest of concepts. It has been one of the most gratifying experiences to go from uncertainty to be able to hold a simple conversation with someone who is completely fluent in the language. 

While I am extremely happy that the first month is over, I also cannot wait to see all of the new things that I will learn in the coming weeks. We have a week break from classes, and I am going to spend my time travelling with several other Penn State students. We are travelling to Dijon, Lyon, Nice, Cannes, and Monte Carlo!