New year

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So, I've been back in France for one week. After a few days of jet lag and busy school days i started feeling mostly settled. It isn't weird to be back at all. I was greeted with a few new things in my room that cheer it up a bit, so that was a nice surprise. I went out a few times last week but I can't do it all the time because I prefer to go to bed earlier, but it was still fun. Also, in France for about a month and a half, every single store ( except maybe haute couture) has sales. its all throughout france twice a year and Montpellier has been crawling with shoppers. I haven't bought anything because I don't need to, plus I am trying to budget for traveling. School has been really hectic because classes started up the day after I got back and most of them actually met during the first week! I am taking a pretty heavy courseload but i am excited about most of the classes this semester. I am actually looking forward to being a little busier with school than I was last semester. On mondays I have an art history class about the Avant-Garde painters ranging from 1900-1960. Very interesting stuff- I really like modern art and the artists that we will be studying. I also have a medieval history class that is a little bit hard to sit through for 2 hours.....Its also a ton of information and sometimes can be hard to follow along and understanding everything, but I need to have it for Carolina so I'm going to stick with it. Tuesdays I have a literrature class which didn't meet last week but hopefully it will tomorrow. The professor is supposed to be nice and very accomodating to foreign students- I think Americans make up about half the class. I think it is an African Lit class and I can count that toward the French major. I am also going to try out a Renaissance architecture and painting class. Then on wednesdays we have a translation class that didn't meet last week and on thursday i have the second part of my history class and a civilisation class that discusses Franc-British relations. It is actually taught in English so we all have an advantage for once! The teacher is nice and funny and keeps class lively and it was very interesting last week. Other than school, I'm just getting into my new routine. We have a bunch of new semester students from Carolina, so i'm trying to get to know everyone. one of them, Hope is my new roommate. Its nice to have someone else in the house, but im so used to being alone most of the time that sometimes I forget I can just go next door and chat if i am bored. It adds a lot to have another person at the dinner table and to walk home with at night if its late. I think I am going to be investing a lot of time into school this semester because i don't want to work to pile up right before exams, especially since our spring break is 2 weeks long and falls near the end of the semester. I managed to have three day weekends which will be great for traveling or to catch up on work. The difference this semester is that i will have to discipline my self to do work on my own time so that I don't fall behind which is something I didn't have to do last semester. i am also taking practically double to courseload that I did. I still feel a little restless just waiting to get a feel for classes, make travel plans, meet new people and take advantage of the semester. I have a feeling it will fly by. Well thats all for now. Nothing too exciting, but still a good summary of my first week.

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