The "Most"s

Here are some of the “mosts” of my trip so far. None of them are particularly truths, just my opinions.

Most delicious food: freshly baked croissants, warm

Most disgusting food: Once, at the cafeteria at school, there was peach jell-O with bits of unidentifiable meat and cilantro. There was a film of congealed fat on top. Worst thing I have ever tasted.

Surprisingly good food: Snails. They taste just like buttered meat in a shell.

Easiest place to get lost: Really any of the streets. It pays off to be with someone who knows the city, or at least with a GPS. The buildings all look really similar, and some neighborhoods have streets that are all identical.

Scariest thing: I’m torn between being run over by one of the crazy fast drivers or missing a bus. I live about an hour away by bus, so when I miss one, I have to wait for an hour. There’s only one route that goes through my town, so if I miss the last bus, there’s nothing I can do. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened. Yet.

Most delightful thing: In the park next to my school, there’s a mini zoo and bright green parrots fly around like pigeons in summer.

Most alarming thing: The lack of vegetables! Maybe this is biased because I love vegetables, but I think that there’s a shocking lack of greens in the my diet here.

What I forget the most: Either faire la bise (kissing people’s cheeks when I meet them), or saying “Bonjour” when I enter a store. It’s a huge part of general politeness to say hello when someone enters a shop, or really even when passing someone on the street.

The bests and the worsts of France are nothing too extreme, nothing to be scared of. I certainly had fun discovering them. I continue to find new things every day - and I'm excited to learn more.