Living in Europe for the past three weeks has been an absolute dream. So many new things to experience and learn; there is never a dull moment. But being my third week here, reality is setting in. There is a pile of laundry in the corner of my room that is begging to be done. Though living in an apartment definitely has its advantages, it also comes with its downfalls. There are chores that come along with having an apartment that I definitely hadn’t anticipated when I was thinking about all the things I would be doing while abroad. So on Wednesday, since my roommates and I didn’t have class, we decided to venture off into town to do our laundry. 

Did I mention we don’t have a washing machine in our apartment? We stumbled upon a laundry mat (or in French a laverie) one day while walking back to our apartment from class. It looked really clean and new so we figured it would be a good place for us to go. This laverie is about a 10 minute walk from our apartment, so we hauled our belongings through the streets while getting a few weird glares. Although I think it’s normal to use a laundry mat, we had never seen anyone carrying their laundry through the streets, and neither have the French apparently. First off, the washing machines were very, very small. I couldn’t even fit all of my things into the middle sized one. Secondly, and the reason I decided to use the middle size and sacrifice some items being washed, was because the prices were ridiculously expensive. The price to use the biggest washer was 9 euro! I spent 4,50 to use the middle size and had to pick and choose which items to put into it. This was my first time using an actual laundry mat too. At school I would put my wash in the machines in the dorm buildings, go get food or do some work, and then come back to dry my stuff. I felt weary about walking away from the laverie while my clothes were being washed so we waited until they were done. There were a few other people in the laundry mat as well. I realized that they bring duffle bags or back packs to carry their clothes in. That’s probably why we got so many weird looks while we paraded through the streets with our laundry baskets. Upon moving into my apartment, I noticed the clotheslines outside of our balcony but never thought I would actually use them, until I saw the price to use the drying machine. It costs 1,20 euro to use it for only 10 minutes! I normally dry my clothes for at least 50 minutes at home. “When in France!” I thought as I lugged my wet laundry back through the streets and up the three flights of steps to my apartment. I hung my sopping wet clothes on every surface I could find in and outside of the apartment. By the time I had finished hanging everything up a good hour and a half had gone by since I began my chore. I was completely exhausted. I am now starting to understand why there is always a distinct smell of body odor no matter where you go in France.

 Doing your laundry is hard and expensive! I guess this is just one of those cultural differences that I’m going to have trouble adapting to. Even though I was experiencing a little culture shock on Wednesday, there is always something else that makes me turn my attitude around and fall back in love with France. Like today, for example, was one of the nicest days in Montpellier so far.  My roommate and I got a baguette and some confiture (jelly) to sit by the l’Arc de Triomph with and eat. Such a French thing to do. Afterward, we walked around town and discovered the Facult� de M�decine de Montpellier. This school for medicine was absolutely stunning. There were busts of the first doctors of Montpellier on the inside and a beautiful courtyard that overlooked the stunning Saint-Pierre Cath�drale. I love finding these hidden treasures when I’m not even looking for them. Montpellier is a pretty small town, and every time I think I’ve learned all there is to know, something else strikes my attention. Up next on the agenda is a ski trip to the French Alps this upcoming weekend. Stay tuned!

Location: Montpellier, FR