OK, in another post I think I claimed that culture shock was not a factor in my considering quitting. That's not true. It is, in that the inability to function as an individual within a society is so very important. Every time I speak to someone I ask them to repeat 3 out of 4 statements. If I know them, its just annoying, but if I don't, I get that "you're a moron" look, and they say the same thing over again, often faster. I can't tell you how frustrating that is, because I know that its my fault, not theirs. The phrases they teach you in French class are fine if you're buying scarves or paintbrushes, but when you need to engage in dialogue it breaks down after about 3 sentences - Query, response, clarification, gibberish.

OK, so lets imagine this changes after I learn enough French. Trouble is, I figure that's months away, and is it really worth putting up with 4 months worth of non-existence when I could be doing better research at a better university with people I can really engage with, and at a fraction of the pain? What am I gaining by staying here? That's not rhetorical, I really want to know, because I have no answers. Someone email me, please.

In other news, my feet hurt, because my boots give me blisters. I went to go swimming this morning and got turned away because I only had shorts, which I really should have expected. Foolishly, I walked back towards town for 20 minutes before catching a bus, making my blisters worse. And I'm at work at 7pm again, because I have nothing to go home to, except a dirty kitchen that stinks from the couple who fry everything they cook, and a textbook that's more greek than English, but still the most legible reading material I have. This afternoon I looked at prices of flights. I can't believe it only took me 4 weeks.