Ashley and France : September 2, 2016

C'est parti! I can already tell I'm going to love Toulouse and I haven't even had the chance to explore the town yet. So far, it's been mostly settling in, getting ready for the start of my upcoming TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course, which will keep me very busy for the month of September. My French is coming back really fast and I'm so happy to be speaking it again every day. I am staying in the home of an older French couple, George and Eliane who routinely host international students. There are two other students staying here who are learning French for the immersion experience, one woman from Japan and a young man from Portugal.

I'm already loving spending time in such a different region in France where Roman architectural influences and Spanish red roof tiling abound. I'm so used to Le Breton (Brittany) in northwest France, which has more Pacific Northwest weather, but in Toulouse, it's more of the chaleur (heat) and the people I that I find more chaleureux (warm, welcoming). I already heard plenty of Spanish on the tram heading from the airport since I'm so close to Spain. It's the best of both worlds for me! I am so grateful to be back again for a new adventure!