Culture shock?

I suspect I may be experiencing the first pangs of culture shock. According to the good folks at OIP (Georgetown's study abroad office), there are 4 main phases:

1. The Honeymoon phase. Pretty self-explanatory. Everything is wonderful and exotic, and you wonder how you ever survived in your boring previous life.

2. The Negotiation phase. This is characterized by a running internal commentary: "You expect me to eat what?", "Okay, now that's just ridiculous", and my personal favorite, "why the heck would you DO that?" According to wikipedia, "this phase is often marked by mood swings caused by minor issues or without apparent reason. Depression is not uncommon." Honeymoon over.

3. The Adjustment phase. Life begins to feel normal again. This is what we strive towards!

4. Reverse culture shock. Turns out we get to go through it all again when we go home, only this time it can actually be worse because we often underestimate it. Aii.

What OIP forgot to mention is that it is possible to experience the first 3 phases all at once, within a few hours. Let's take today, for example:

10:30 I struggle to stay awake in my "Paris par cinema et litterature" lecture. Nothing exotic there (not that this ever happens at Georgetown, of course.)

12:30 I misread the ingredients listed on the menu in the student cafeteria and accidentally order a quiche with "jambon" (ham). Ugh. I do not appreciate how easy my life -- or at least my vegetarianism -- is in the U.S.

1:45 I finally sort out the confusion surrounding my student ID card. In order to obtain said card, I must choose a social security center, even though Georgetown is paying my fees. Did I mention that the 2 options are identical and located within blocks of each other? Yeah.

3:00 I conclude that le subjonctif imparfait is ridiculous, and my professors at home were right to tell us to skip that chapter in the grammar book. Even my Parisian professor tells the class that we will sounds pretentious if we ever use it in spoken French. So there. I feel vindicated, slightly.

4:30 I go with a friend to a patisserie down the street between classes, and we treat ourselves to delicious chocolatey treats. La vie parisienne is marvelous, indeed.

7:00 After 6 hours of class (in French) and a day of walking on very sore feet, I arrive back at my host mother's apartment. I collapse on my bed and try to tackle my homework. I realize that this isn't any different from how I feel after a long day at home.

8:30 My stomach is growling as I wait for dinner. I'm a little confused by the music playing in the "salon" -- something about Don Quixote? That doesn't make any sense. The song switches to "Allo Maman Bobo", something I recognize! It's about a little kid telling his mom that he has a "booboo"...but I have no idea why.

8:40 I make plans to meet a friend for dinner and free admission to the Louvre tomorrow evening. I'm excited! Wait a second, is that a tipsy college student singing outside my window before 9 on a Thursday night? Apparently some things truly are universal.

That is my culture shock experience in a nutshell. Everything takes a little bit more energy here, but I am relieved to find that I am settling into a routine -- without losing the magic that is Paris!