I've been here for only three or four days but I already love it here! Although it is mildly different here in some respects a lot of things are still very similar, the most visibly different thing is probably driving. Here one lane of traffic is only about half of a lane in America. In addition to the importance and convenience of public transport here (namely the tramway and bus) the city is small enough that you can walk most places if necessary. I was able to go to school with my counterpart Clara for two days and it was very fun, partially because it was the end of the year and so all of her classes had parties. In her English class I participated in a Q&A with students who wanted to know about American cliches, they were surprised to know that sometimes high school can be like the movies (prom, homecoming, etc.) Here meals are very important, although meals are important in the US they are different in the sense that the entire family normally has to be together to eat and in addition to the main dish there is often bread and cheese, salad, and fruit for dessert. One of the most obvious differences is that most people in Grenoble (I would say France but for fear of generalizing an entire country) are more comfortable with things such as hugging and often great each other with a kiss on both cheeks. I also have been able to watch Clara train with her synchronized swimming group, in France synchro ('synchro' being the abbreviated version of synchronized that all the girls use) is a big sport and they are constantly practicing for national competitions and their annual showcases. This year the showcase is Alice in Wonderland themed, after attending one of their performances tonight I learned that here you often have to pay to get a program. I am having a little trouble getting used to euro coins as all of mine are mixed up with pounds, but I am slowly getting used to the system. Overall, I love it here and will be very sad to leave!