Bonjour!
I just got back from the Rotary Christmas meal here in Montélimar. It's midnight now and I'm very tired, but I can't sleep, so here goes nothing. Before the meal, my Rotary counselor took me and the Brazilian to see where he works. He works in a nougat factory. I know understand why candy/chocolate factories are so cool. I got to learn the science behind how the nougat is made (yes, I'm a dork for liking science, leave me alone). It was really interesting to hear about the process and the actual amount of all the ingredients are integrated. I can now say that I've seen over 100 tons of almonds in one room. All in all, the factory was something new that I didn't expect to be fascinated by.
After the factory, we made our way to the Rotary Montélimar headquarters. The meal was delicious (obviously, because this is France we're talking about). I was told four times that I have a good French accent (which was awesome because I've been feeling as though it isn't very good). It was nice to hear that from people who don't listen to me everyday. I met my "Rotary godmother" tonight too. She isn't a fairy (which is just too bad), but she is very sweet and she will live very close to me when I'm in my second family. She'll be my help line if I need it, or even if I just want to speak some more French. It's really good to have someone like that, but I just wish I had known about her sooner! But it'll be nice to have her along with my second family.
Speaking of my second family, I change in the beginning of January. Instead of living south of Montélimar, I will be living northeast (I think) of the city. Along with the change in family lifestyle, my bus schedule will also change. Hopefully it will be a little easier than the one I have now (particularly in the morning).While I love my first family, I'm looking forward to seeing a different lifestyle. Maybe it will be very similar and maybe it will be completely different. I don't know, and I won't until I'm living it. So with a new year I will have another family to add.
For Christmas, I'm going to stay with some family in Montpellier. On friday, my dad's cousin will pick me up from Montélimar and we'll drive south for the winter (literally). Some people have been telling me that it isn't really good to spend Christmas with my family, but I disagree. It's not like I'm going to see my parents. I'm going to stay with people who I've met once before this year. They're like another host family, but they're actual relatives, which means that I will probably be able to bake random things without asking. :) The last time I stayed with them (when my host parents went on a hike), my French improved immensely. I'm hoping the same thing will happen again.
I've really been working hard to learn French. Of course some of it is coming naturally with the immersion, but I've had to work at other things. I've studied a couple new verbs tenses and I'm working constantly on irregular verbs. I spent last weekend putting together a reference notebook full of verbs, tenses, vocabulary, and things like that (I was sick so it was the only thing I could do, don't judge me too harshly). I've definitely seen a change in my French. At this point, I understand almost everything. I won't say everything because at this point that is still impossible. I've gotten so accustomed to the accents that sometimes I forget whether someone told me something in French or in English. It's one of the weirdest mental trips I've experienced. It's even more bizarre than when I was on pain killers after my surgeries earlier this year (and I saw deformed spiders out of nowhere, so that's saying something). I don't really believe people if they tell me my accent has gotten better. I still feel as though I'm obviously foreign when I talk, but it's definitely not SUPER American anymore.
On the topic of feeling super American (or rather not feeling American), I don't really feel the need to hug anymore. It's so strange because in the beginning I hated the whole French bisous thing, but now it's normal. Of course, I still hug people who merit hugs, but I no longer find it necessary. I feel like that's going to be the thing that throws me off the most when I have to go back. I'm going to want to kiss everyone's faces, but it will no longer be normal. I'm not even sure if I understand the word "normal" anymore. My life isn't normal... but I don't need it to be.
I may not post again until after the new year begins, but I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. Joyeuses Fêtes!
Amelia
PS: I forgot the word "rather" in English and literally had to Google translate "plutôt" in order to figure it out. Just a warning, but my English may be really weird when I get back :P
Monday, December 16, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
épaule
Bonjour!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but my life has been a bit of the same. Honestly, that's wonderful for me, but it doesn't make for very interesting blog posts. I guess since nothing has happened I'll just talk about one of the things that's been a little difficult. That thing is making jokes. I can't make stupid ironic homonym jokes anymore. Also, it has been difficult to be extremely sarcastic. I just haven't learned how to be funny yet.
In my family (back in the States), we make stupid jokes such as:
"I'm hungry"
"Me too"
"Me three"
It's funny because of "two", "too", and "to" and it's ironic or whatever.
Except here, I can no longer make that joke. I miss that joke. Also, I tried. I ended up curling up in a corner and thinking about exactly why it wasn't funny. It was surprisingly traumatizing to not be able to make such a simply stupid joke. I miss simply stupid jokes. I've only really found one replacement at this point. I have a friend called Paul. Now for those of you who don't speak French, the word for shoulder is "épaule". What I do is say "Hey Paul", but with a French(ish) accent, so I don't pronounce the H. So it sounds like I'm saying "épaule". It's so stupid that it's funny. That's the only one I've found so far. Hopefully I'll find other little stupid jokes soon, but until then, I just get to bother Paul, but he's a good sport about it. :)
I really need to learn how to be funnier, and soon, because I really like it when people laugh. I know that's really mushy gushy boring emotional stuff, but it's true. I'd rather spend time making people laugh. I used to use sarcasm and now I've had to resort to making weird faces. Yes. Weird faces. I now make weird faces at my French friends. Also, I smile at people all the time. Most of the time they smile back, but sometimes they don't. I'm honestly not sure if people randomly smile at each other here, but I do. I guess that works...? It's just been an adjustment in how I approach humor. Yet another thing that has changed since my arrival about three and a half months ago.
It's crazy to think that it has been over three months already. Sometimes it feels like it has been forever and other times it feels like it has been a week. I don't understand this anymore, and I love that.
Amelia
Also, here's some rap.
"Formidable" - Stromae
Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but my life has been a bit of the same. Honestly, that's wonderful for me, but it doesn't make for very interesting blog posts. I guess since nothing has happened I'll just talk about one of the things that's been a little difficult. That thing is making jokes. I can't make stupid ironic homonym jokes anymore. Also, it has been difficult to be extremely sarcastic. I just haven't learned how to be funny yet.
In my family (back in the States), we make stupid jokes such as:
"I'm hungry"
"Me too"
"Me three"
It's funny because of "two", "too", and "to" and it's ironic or whatever.
Except here, I can no longer make that joke. I miss that joke. Also, I tried. I ended up curling up in a corner and thinking about exactly why it wasn't funny. It was surprisingly traumatizing to not be able to make such a simply stupid joke. I miss simply stupid jokes. I've only really found one replacement at this point. I have a friend called Paul. Now for those of you who don't speak French, the word for shoulder is "épaule". What I do is say "Hey Paul", but with a French(ish) accent, so I don't pronounce the H. So it sounds like I'm saying "épaule". It's so stupid that it's funny. That's the only one I've found so far. Hopefully I'll find other little stupid jokes soon, but until then, I just get to bother Paul, but he's a good sport about it. :)
I really need to learn how to be funnier, and soon, because I really like it when people laugh. I know that's really mushy gushy boring emotional stuff, but it's true. I'd rather spend time making people laugh. I used to use sarcasm and now I've had to resort to making weird faces. Yes. Weird faces. I now make weird faces at my French friends. Also, I smile at people all the time. Most of the time they smile back, but sometimes they don't. I'm honestly not sure if people randomly smile at each other here, but I do. I guess that works...? It's just been an adjustment in how I approach humor. Yet another thing that has changed since my arrival about three and a half months ago.
It's crazy to think that it has been over three months already. Sometimes it feels like it has been forever and other times it feels like it has been a week. I don't understand this anymore, and I love that.
Amelia
Also, here's some rap.
"Formidable" - Stromae
Monday, November 18, 2013
Ma deuxième famille d'accueil et le Rotary! (My Second Family and Rotary!)
Bonjour!
This weekend was very busy, and I apologize for posting a little later than usual! Friday night, I met my second family! I also met my third family, and the Brazilian's second family. All four families got together at my Rotary counselor's house. I finally got the chance to meet my second family. I will have four siblings, but two of them aren't at the house (all the time). I'm still going to live outside of Montélimar, but I'll be a little closer (even though the bus apparently takes the same amount of time...yay).
After the meeting I realized a few things. First of all, I'm switching families in less than two months. That means that I've already been here about three months. That's really crazy to think that three months have already flown by. Also, I don't want to have to come back to the States. I know I will have to, and that exchange doesn't last forever, but I wish it did! That family switch in less than two months also means that the next Rotary event with my district is in about 2 months. It seems so close, yet so far away. That's the thing about all this, I want everything to happen now, but on the other hand, I want it to last forever.
Saturday, I spent the night at the Rotary president's house in order to wake up at 5:45 AM on Sunday and volunteer at a Rotary event. I was not too happy about waking up early, but I got over it quickly. The event was packaging up breakfasts that were ordered in a fundraiser to help a Down Syndrome foundation. It was a giant assembly line of people making the breakfasts, with me at the end, running them over to their designated spots. It was really nice to be able to help out again. I think I'm going to be volunteering in two weeks as well!
Nothing else really happened on Sunday, except that I was sick. It wasn't not too bad, but I refused to stay home on Monday because of it. I need to see all my French friends as much as I can! They have been so supportive and are helping me so much with the whole "learning a new language" part. I couldn't ask for a better group of people correcting me every time I say something stupid. Which happens a lot, but oh well. It will all come with time... I hope.
Au revoir!
Amelia
This weekend was very busy, and I apologize for posting a little later than usual! Friday night, I met my second family! I also met my third family, and the Brazilian's second family. All four families got together at my Rotary counselor's house. I finally got the chance to meet my second family. I will have four siblings, but two of them aren't at the house (all the time). I'm still going to live outside of Montélimar, but I'll be a little closer (even though the bus apparently takes the same amount of time...yay).
After the meeting I realized a few things. First of all, I'm switching families in less than two months. That means that I've already been here about three months. That's really crazy to think that three months have already flown by. Also, I don't want to have to come back to the States. I know I will have to, and that exchange doesn't last forever, but I wish it did! That family switch in less than two months also means that the next Rotary event with my district is in about 2 months. It seems so close, yet so far away. That's the thing about all this, I want everything to happen now, but on the other hand, I want it to last forever.
Saturday, I spent the night at the Rotary president's house in order to wake up at 5:45 AM on Sunday and volunteer at a Rotary event. I was not too happy about waking up early, but I got over it quickly. The event was packaging up breakfasts that were ordered in a fundraiser to help a Down Syndrome foundation. It was a giant assembly line of people making the breakfasts, with me at the end, running them over to their designated spots. It was really nice to be able to help out again. I think I'm going to be volunteering in two weeks as well!
Nothing else really happened on Sunday, except that I was sick. It wasn't not too bad, but I refused to stay home on Monday because of it. I need to see all my French friends as much as I can! They have been so supportive and are helping me so much with the whole "learning a new language" part. I couldn't ask for a better group of people correcting me every time I say something stupid. Which happens a lot, but oh well. It will all come with time... I hope.
Au revoir!
Amelia
Monday, November 11, 2013
Don't become French........
Bonjour!
Before I left, one of my classmates told me "Don't become French." When I asked him what he meant by that, his response was for me to not become rude, smoke all the time, and hate foreigners. I'm sorry, what? He actually believed all the terrible stereotypes that exist about French people. I have to say that these are NOT what I would turn into if I were to become French.
First of all, the French people are not rude. Well I mean, there will always be rude people in any culture, but the French as a whole have not been rude. While you can't casually talk to strangers here, when you do talk to people they respond politely (most of the time). The first day of school, the teacher told one of the students to sit next to me and help me. She could have chosen to ignore me the next day, but she didn't. Rather than abandon me when her job was finished, she helped me again. She is one of my best friends here to this day. Another example is in the recreation room, where the foosball is. You would think that people would be viciously insulting each other over the game if they were that rude. In reality, the only thing people do is swear and make light jokes about their friends. Also, French people compulsively feel the need to say hello to everyone that they know if they see them. If you don't say "bonjour" and do the cheek kissing or handshaking when you first see someone... well that just doesn't really happen, so I'm not sure.
As for the smoking.... It is true that a lot of people smoke here. Some of the people who smoke look as though they cannot be more than 10 years old. I was told that it is illegal to smoke in France if you are under 18, but no one really enforces that. There's a police station next to my high school, so if the "no smoking under 18" rule was enforced, there would not be smoking at my school. Anyway, in the group of girls in my class that I hang out with, no one smokes (that I know of). There are people in my class who smoke, but not a majority (I think... again, I'm not sure). Also, I don't think any of my teachers smoke. There are of course, teachers who smoke, but not everyone. My point is that the French do smoke more than I was used to, but just because I'm here doesn't mean that I will feel pressured into it. So don't worry about that. Coming to France will not turn you into a smoker unless you want to be turned into one. It's a choice.
Moving on to the idea that all French people hate foreigners. Completely false. The students in my high school have all been very accepting of foreigners. In the school, I think there are 6 exchange students total (2 Rotary, 3 AFS, and 1 CIE). As far as I know, none of us have been rejected. In fact, when people find out that I am American, they don't seem disgusted. They either don't really make a big deal out of it, or they flip out over New York City or LA (which is on the opposite side of the country). Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but that's what it feels like. The high schoolers here may make a few little jokes, but they are never insulting, or at least, they don't try to be insulting.
The only thing that bothers me about how they treat me, is that people tend to start speaking English with me when they find out that I'm American. It happened this morning! My host dad was explaining the exchange and told his friend that I'm American, and his friend started speaking English with me. It's insulting. I have been here for over 2 months and people are still under the impression that I don't understand anything. Maybe they think that Americans wouldn't have bothered to learn the language before arriving for a YEAR LONG stay or are so egotistically inept that they can't be bothered to try and understand. No, I do not understand everything. Yes, it is difficult for me to be confident enough with my French to initiate conversation. I AM TRYING.
I can't help but wonder. Maybe if I was from some other country, like I don't know, Germany we'll say, and I told people that I spoke English very well, but was still learning French, what would they do? Would they start speaking English with me because I know it better or would they speak French because they know that I'm learning? Maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion, but it seems that being American implies that English is the one and only language that I will ever speak. I hope this is not the case. In the States, we start foreign language in high school. That isn't early enough. English may be the "international language" but that doesn't mean that people who originally speak English shouldn't learn other languages. Perhaps if I become super rich, super quick, I can become a Politician and pour my life into trying to change the system. For now, all I can do is deal with the fact that people will speak English with me if I don't tell them not to.
My level of comprehension has actually skyrocketed. I understand more than I can speak, but that's still progress. I understood an entire French class, an entire SVT (biology) class, and an entire math class. I took a test in SVT that was given verbally and I understood it. Two of the questions were a little confusing, but I think I got the gist of them. Now, I can't write profound essays in French, but I can do math and attempt biology labs successfully. I'm happy with where my French is at this point, even if I say I'm not. Also, my friends have started teaching me random words and quizzing me about them later, and they aren't afraid to correct me if I make a mistake. That isn't insulting. That is helpful. When I'm talking with people I don't really know, I'm afraid to make a mistake because they may not correct me, and I may go on thinking that I said it right. It's a weird system, I know. Hopefully it will work.
This was a lot longer than I expected it to be.... Au revoir!
Amelia
Before I left, one of my classmates told me "Don't become French." When I asked him what he meant by that, his response was for me to not become rude, smoke all the time, and hate foreigners. I'm sorry, what? He actually believed all the terrible stereotypes that exist about French people. I have to say that these are NOT what I would turn into if I were to become French.
First of all, the French people are not rude. Well I mean, there will always be rude people in any culture, but the French as a whole have not been rude. While you can't casually talk to strangers here, when you do talk to people they respond politely (most of the time). The first day of school, the teacher told one of the students to sit next to me and help me. She could have chosen to ignore me the next day, but she didn't. Rather than abandon me when her job was finished, she helped me again. She is one of my best friends here to this day. Another example is in the recreation room, where the foosball is. You would think that people would be viciously insulting each other over the game if they were that rude. In reality, the only thing people do is swear and make light jokes about their friends. Also, French people compulsively feel the need to say hello to everyone that they know if they see them. If you don't say "bonjour" and do the cheek kissing or handshaking when you first see someone... well that just doesn't really happen, so I'm not sure.
As for the smoking.... It is true that a lot of people smoke here. Some of the people who smoke look as though they cannot be more than 10 years old. I was told that it is illegal to smoke in France if you are under 18, but no one really enforces that. There's a police station next to my high school, so if the "no smoking under 18" rule was enforced, there would not be smoking at my school. Anyway, in the group of girls in my class that I hang out with, no one smokes (that I know of). There are people in my class who smoke, but not a majority (I think... again, I'm not sure). Also, I don't think any of my teachers smoke. There are of course, teachers who smoke, but not everyone. My point is that the French do smoke more than I was used to, but just because I'm here doesn't mean that I will feel pressured into it. So don't worry about that. Coming to France will not turn you into a smoker unless you want to be turned into one. It's a choice.
Moving on to the idea that all French people hate foreigners. Completely false. The students in my high school have all been very accepting of foreigners. In the school, I think there are 6 exchange students total (2 Rotary, 3 AFS, and 1 CIE). As far as I know, none of us have been rejected. In fact, when people find out that I am American, they don't seem disgusted. They either don't really make a big deal out of it, or they flip out over New York City or LA (which is on the opposite side of the country). Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but that's what it feels like. The high schoolers here may make a few little jokes, but they are never insulting, or at least, they don't try to be insulting.
The only thing that bothers me about how they treat me, is that people tend to start speaking English with me when they find out that I'm American. It happened this morning! My host dad was explaining the exchange and told his friend that I'm American, and his friend started speaking English with me. It's insulting. I have been here for over 2 months and people are still under the impression that I don't understand anything. Maybe they think that Americans wouldn't have bothered to learn the language before arriving for a YEAR LONG stay or are so egotistically inept that they can't be bothered to try and understand. No, I do not understand everything. Yes, it is difficult for me to be confident enough with my French to initiate conversation. I AM TRYING.
I can't help but wonder. Maybe if I was from some other country, like I don't know, Germany we'll say, and I told people that I spoke English very well, but was still learning French, what would they do? Would they start speaking English with me because I know it better or would they speak French because they know that I'm learning? Maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion, but it seems that being American implies that English is the one and only language that I will ever speak. I hope this is not the case. In the States, we start foreign language in high school. That isn't early enough. English may be the "international language" but that doesn't mean that people who originally speak English shouldn't learn other languages. Perhaps if I become super rich, super quick, I can become a Politician and pour my life into trying to change the system. For now, all I can do is deal with the fact that people will speak English with me if I don't tell them not to.
My level of comprehension has actually skyrocketed. I understand more than I can speak, but that's still progress. I understood an entire French class, an entire SVT (biology) class, and an entire math class. I took a test in SVT that was given verbally and I understood it. Two of the questions were a little confusing, but I think I got the gist of them. Now, I can't write profound essays in French, but I can do math and attempt biology labs successfully. I'm happy with where my French is at this point, even if I say I'm not. Also, my friends have started teaching me random words and quizzing me about them later, and they aren't afraid to correct me if I make a mistake. That isn't insulting. That is helpful. When I'm talking with people I don't really know, I'm afraid to make a mistake because they may not correct me, and I may go on thinking that I said it right. It's a weird system, I know. Hopefully it will work.
This was a lot longer than I expected it to be.... Au revoir!
Amelia
Monday, November 4, 2013
Les Vacances de Toussaint (Fall Vacation)
Bonjour!
For the past two weeks, I was on vacation! Back in the States there isn't a fall vacation, but I didn't mind getting one... The first weekend was pretty normal. My host family and I didn't really do anything special. The first Tuesday, however, was wonderful! My host parents had to go to my host brother's school in Valence, so I got to see EXCHANGE STUDENTS! I saw people from Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan, and the USA! I had really been missing everyone in my district, so seeing them was a wonderful pick me up. We walked around the city and talked for about 4 hours. Hopefully, I can go back to Valence and see them again!
On Friday of the first week, my host mom, host siblings, and I went to Toulon for three days. We stayed with my host mom's parents. My host mom's family is very different from mine. It was a little more serious and formal than it would have been if I were with my grandmother. It seemed as though each person was trying to out-nice the other. I don't know exactly, but it gave off different vibes than I'm used to. The first day, we went to the beach and I saw the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. It was so beautiful. I wanted to stay with my feet slowly sinking in the sand as the tide came in, but sadly I could not. We ended up walking along the shore for a few hours. It wasn't exactly what I wanted to do, but it was still nice. I just wanted to stare at the water, but I couldn't do that while trying not to trip and fall. The next day we went to Sanary, a town by the Mediterranean Sea. We climbed the stairs of a building to the roof and had a wonderful view of the harbor. Next to the building, there was a fountain with games set up around it. After the games, we did some window shopping in the center of the town. The third day, we walked around Toulon some more and then my host mom and I left after lunch, leaving my host siblings in Toulon with their grandparents.
For the second week of vacation, my host parents went on a hike with their friends, so I stayed with my great aunt and then my (real) dad's cousin and his family in Montpellier. The first three days, I was with my great aunt in the center of Montpellier. Each day, we went for a walk in the city in the morning, had lunch at her apartment, took a nap, had tea, played scrabble, ate dinner, and then slept. The second day's trip to the city was actually very special for me. My grandparents met in Montpellier way back when. They fell in love through the French language (because my Swedish grandmother didn't let my American grandfather know that she spoke English...needless to say, she made him work for it). I got to see the park where they would take walks and I got to see city where they met. It was all very touching to see that part of my family's history. I guess that may be why I chose to take French in 9th grade, put France as my number one choice when I first applied to this exchange, and why I am so motivated to learn the language.
For the second half of the second week, I stayed with my dad's cousin and his wife and children. I had met them once before, about 4 years ago. I wasn't really able to get to know them back then, but now I know them pretty well I'd say. They have two little girls, and my dad's cousin has an older son from a previous marriage. I loved staying with them. They spoke only (well... mostly) French with me, and in that one week, I really opened up more when speaking. It has become easier for me to speak with more confidence. And contrary to popular belief, I appreciate it when people correct me. I'm not going to be offended! It's not like they're screwing up my language... Anyway, it was helpful. We walked around the suburb that they live in and went to the Zoo in Montpellier. I also helped make pizza. I like making pizza. But I don't like that the French compulsively put olives on their pizzas. It's weird, but apparently that's just how it is...
It was wonderful to get to know some relatives, but I still love Montélimar and living with a host family. Today was LA RENTRÉE. The day where you begin again after vacation. I missed my French friends and it was actually nice to have classes. I know that sounds really weird. Well, it is really weird, but I actually like school. I made some new friends today, I assumed that I had who I had at this point, but someone actually waited for me after class in order to talk to me. She also told me that I didn't have an accent. I guess that means I don't sound French, but I don't sound American. Maybe I just sound like an exchange student at this point. That's a good representation. I don't sound like I belong where I am, but at the same time I don't sound like I belong where I'm from. That works for me. I can forever be a nomad. Ok, maybe that's a little dramatic, but I like the sound of it.
Au revoir!
Amelia
PS: I'm sorry I haven't been updating my photo blog. It takes forever to upload, and I get impatient, so I've just stopped until I find some time to sit down and upload.
For the past two weeks, I was on vacation! Back in the States there isn't a fall vacation, but I didn't mind getting one... The first weekend was pretty normal. My host family and I didn't really do anything special. The first Tuesday, however, was wonderful! My host parents had to go to my host brother's school in Valence, so I got to see EXCHANGE STUDENTS! I saw people from Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan, and the USA! I had really been missing everyone in my district, so seeing them was a wonderful pick me up. We walked around the city and talked for about 4 hours. Hopefully, I can go back to Valence and see them again!
On Friday of the first week, my host mom, host siblings, and I went to Toulon for three days. We stayed with my host mom's parents. My host mom's family is very different from mine. It was a little more serious and formal than it would have been if I were with my grandmother. It seemed as though each person was trying to out-nice the other. I don't know exactly, but it gave off different vibes than I'm used to. The first day, we went to the beach and I saw the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. It was so beautiful. I wanted to stay with my feet slowly sinking in the sand as the tide came in, but sadly I could not. We ended up walking along the shore for a few hours. It wasn't exactly what I wanted to do, but it was still nice. I just wanted to stare at the water, but I couldn't do that while trying not to trip and fall. The next day we went to Sanary, a town by the Mediterranean Sea. We climbed the stairs of a building to the roof and had a wonderful view of the harbor. Next to the building, there was a fountain with games set up around it. After the games, we did some window shopping in the center of the town. The third day, we walked around Toulon some more and then my host mom and I left after lunch, leaving my host siblings in Toulon with their grandparents.
For the second week of vacation, my host parents went on a hike with their friends, so I stayed with my great aunt and then my (real) dad's cousin and his family in Montpellier. The first three days, I was with my great aunt in the center of Montpellier. Each day, we went for a walk in the city in the morning, had lunch at her apartment, took a nap, had tea, played scrabble, ate dinner, and then slept. The second day's trip to the city was actually very special for me. My grandparents met in Montpellier way back when. They fell in love through the French language (because my Swedish grandmother didn't let my American grandfather know that she spoke English...needless to say, she made him work for it). I got to see the park where they would take walks and I got to see city where they met. It was all very touching to see that part of my family's history. I guess that may be why I chose to take French in 9th grade, put France as my number one choice when I first applied to this exchange, and why I am so motivated to learn the language.
For the second half of the second week, I stayed with my dad's cousin and his wife and children. I had met them once before, about 4 years ago. I wasn't really able to get to know them back then, but now I know them pretty well I'd say. They have two little girls, and my dad's cousin has an older son from a previous marriage. I loved staying with them. They spoke only (well... mostly) French with me, and in that one week, I really opened up more when speaking. It has become easier for me to speak with more confidence. And contrary to popular belief, I appreciate it when people correct me. I'm not going to be offended! It's not like they're screwing up my language... Anyway, it was helpful. We walked around the suburb that they live in and went to the Zoo in Montpellier. I also helped make pizza. I like making pizza. But I don't like that the French compulsively put olives on their pizzas. It's weird, but apparently that's just how it is...
It was wonderful to get to know some relatives, but I still love Montélimar and living with a host family. Today was LA RENTRÉE. The day where you begin again after vacation. I missed my French friends and it was actually nice to have classes. I know that sounds really weird. Well, it is really weird, but I actually like school. I made some new friends today, I assumed that I had who I had at this point, but someone actually waited for me after class in order to talk to me. She also told me that I didn't have an accent. I guess that means I don't sound French, but I don't sound American. Maybe I just sound like an exchange student at this point. That's a good representation. I don't sound like I belong where I am, but at the same time I don't sound like I belong where I'm from. That works for me. I can forever be a nomad. Ok, maybe that's a little dramatic, but I like the sound of it.
Au revoir!
Amelia
PS: I'm sorry I haven't been updating my photo blog. It takes forever to upload, and I get impatient, so I've just stopped until I find some time to sit down and upload.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Classics
Bonjour!
So today I'm not really going to be talking about a specific experience, just some things that I've noticed here. Mainly how much more prominent the "classic gender roles" are where I am in France. Now, I am not saying that these roles are nonexistent back in the US, I'm just saying that they stick out more in my life here.
At school, there aren't really a lot that I've noticed. Then again, I don't follow every conversation and I don't see every interaction, so there may be more, or there may not be. The first thing I noticed was with the foosball, or "babyfoot" as it's called here. No I don't know why it's called that. Anyway, there are really only 3 girls (besides myself) who play relatively seriously. I say relatively because some of the guys get really intense over a game of foosball... Moving on. I don't know why this made me think of classic gender roles. It just seems that the girls don't have a strong enough presence in the competitive things here. Like in my sport class. The day we chose which group of sports to take, almost all (not all, I promise) went for the easy ones. I'm sure that would happen in the States too if we were given the option, but like I said, it's more prominent to me here. Also it seems like guys almost expect girls to be weak. I don't have a specific example, but I just got that vibe. Like they think it's cute (like little kid cute) and expected when a girl can't play a game (like foosball) or get a problem right in math or science. I don't understand it. Most of you who know me in person know that I don't exactly like following those stereotypes...
It's also really present in my host family. Now I will say again that this could all be coincidence. I don't mean to say that my host family is bad for being like this. They aren't bad. They are wonderful. Anyway, the structure is very classic. My host mom is home for the day (she works from home), cooks the meals, and cleans (not to say that my host dad doesn't). My host dad is working at a middle school all day, serves the food, and plays video games with my host brother. The way my host mom talks about some things also make it seem super stereotypical. Like when we had crêpes the other day. We used a griddle thing in the middle of the table, but she explained that usually the mother makes the crêpes while everyone else just sits and eats. As if a dad is incapable of doing that. I don't know honestly. It could be that all French women are wonderful cooks and all French men are terrible cooks. Except the restaurant industry, with the cuisine France is famous for, is a male dominated profession. Also, they just have the stereotypical air about them. I can't explain that one. It just seems like they're a classic gender role type family.
Now, these are generalizations, it isn't concretely like this. I feel like I'm defending this a lot. I just don't want to offend anyone. I'm not trying to be rude, I'm merely stating observations that have formed my opinion. I'm not terrible. I promise.
Au revoir!
Amelia
So today I'm not really going to be talking about a specific experience, just some things that I've noticed here. Mainly how much more prominent the "classic gender roles" are where I am in France. Now, I am not saying that these roles are nonexistent back in the US, I'm just saying that they stick out more in my life here.
At school, there aren't really a lot that I've noticed. Then again, I don't follow every conversation and I don't see every interaction, so there may be more, or there may not be. The first thing I noticed was with the foosball, or "babyfoot" as it's called here. No I don't know why it's called that. Anyway, there are really only 3 girls (besides myself) who play relatively seriously. I say relatively because some of the guys get really intense over a game of foosball... Moving on. I don't know why this made me think of classic gender roles. It just seems that the girls don't have a strong enough presence in the competitive things here. Like in my sport class. The day we chose which group of sports to take, almost all (not all, I promise) went for the easy ones. I'm sure that would happen in the States too if we were given the option, but like I said, it's more prominent to me here. Also it seems like guys almost expect girls to be weak. I don't have a specific example, but I just got that vibe. Like they think it's cute (like little kid cute) and expected when a girl can't play a game (like foosball) or get a problem right in math or science. I don't understand it. Most of you who know me in person know that I don't exactly like following those stereotypes...
It's also really present in my host family. Now I will say again that this could all be coincidence. I don't mean to say that my host family is bad for being like this. They aren't bad. They are wonderful. Anyway, the structure is very classic. My host mom is home for the day (she works from home), cooks the meals, and cleans (not to say that my host dad doesn't). My host dad is working at a middle school all day, serves the food, and plays video games with my host brother. The way my host mom talks about some things also make it seem super stereotypical. Like when we had crêpes the other day. We used a griddle thing in the middle of the table, but she explained that usually the mother makes the crêpes while everyone else just sits and eats. As if a dad is incapable of doing that. I don't know honestly. It could be that all French women are wonderful cooks and all French men are terrible cooks. Except the restaurant industry, with the cuisine France is famous for, is a male dominated profession. Also, they just have the stereotypical air about them. I can't explain that one. It just seems like they're a classic gender role type family.
Now, these are generalizations, it isn't concretely like this. I feel like I'm defending this a lot. I just don't want to offend anyone. I'm not trying to be rude, I'm merely stating observations that have formed my opinion. I'm not terrible. I promise.
Au revoir!
Amelia
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Une petite histoire (A little story)
Bonjour!
So today my host family and I went to a Kebab restaurant for lunch. By the way, if you're in France and haven't eaten a kebab yet, you should. Anyway, I had successfully ordered my food when the waiter asked me what I wanted to drink. Now, I wanted a Sprite, but I didn't know how the French pronounce it. So I said it in my best French accent. It sounded like "spreet". The waiter then proceeded to correct me and pronounced it the American way.
Are you serious? I flipped out inside over not wanting to sound foreign when sounding foreign was completely appropriate? No. That is unacceptable.
After the waiter left my host dad asked me if I spoke English. Apparently not......... He and my host mom explained that a lot of English words were kept the same, except for the ones that aren't. French is so complicated that English in French is complicated. I tried so hard to not sound like an idiot and ended up sounding like an idiot. I don't even know anymore. I should just embrace the fact that I will be forever foreign. Here, I'm foreign. When I come home, I'll seem foreign. I just can't win. Oh well!
Au revoir!
Amelia
So today my host family and I went to a Kebab restaurant for lunch. By the way, if you're in France and haven't eaten a kebab yet, you should. Anyway, I had successfully ordered my food when the waiter asked me what I wanted to drink. Now, I wanted a Sprite, but I didn't know how the French pronounce it. So I said it in my best French accent. It sounded like "spreet". The waiter then proceeded to correct me and pronounced it the American way.
Are you serious? I flipped out inside over not wanting to sound foreign when sounding foreign was completely appropriate? No. That is unacceptable.
After the waiter left my host dad asked me if I spoke English. Apparently not......... He and my host mom explained that a lot of English words were kept the same, except for the ones that aren't. French is so complicated that English in French is complicated. I tried so hard to not sound like an idiot and ended up sounding like an idiot. I don't even know anymore. I should just embrace the fact that I will be forever foreign. Here, I'm foreign. When I come home, I'll seem foreign. I just can't win. Oh well!
Au revoir!
Amelia
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Rotary Meeting
Bonjour!
Monday night, I attended my first French Rotary meeting. The first difference between Rotary Montélimar and Tacoma Narrows Rotary is the time. TNR meets in the morning for breakfast and has 2 hour meetings. RM has dinner meetings that last closer to 3 hours. It was awkward for me, just like my first meeting with TNR. The Brazilian and I stood there while random people came up to us. They asked our names, where we were from, and how long we'd been in France. Amelia; Seattle, WA, USA; 6 semaines (weeks). Over and over and over again. Eventually the conversations got a little longer, but it was the same simple topics for each.
The official meeting began with a mini-tour of the location. We were at a vocational high school and got to see the workshop and resource center. It wasn't terribly interesting to me, but I was respectful and listened (I didn't say I understood it all). When we went back to the room, we had dinner. It started off with a small salad and what I think was a pâté... not sure. The main course was chicken and mushrooms with a cream sauce. That was actually pretty good. The dessert was fondant au chocolat avec la crème anglaise (a chocolate cake thing with English cream, which is like sweetened condensed milk). During dessert, the representative of the vocational school made a presentation. I think the club had either already donated to them or was considering it. After the presentation, there was tea and coffee. After I drank my tea, I left.
As you can see, it was rather uneventful for me. I hope the next one is a bit more interesting. I got to know a lot of the Rotarians back in the States and hopefully I can do that here. Oh I almost forgot. About a third of the Rotary Montélimar club is women and their president is a woman. That may seem unimportant if you aren't familiar with Rotary, but in many countries, women aren't allowed into the organization. It really is a shame because Rotary does a lot of great charity work and everyone should get the opportunity to be involved around the world, regardless of gender.
Before I finish, I do have some good news! Yesterday, a few people told me that my accent is completely gone (they're lying, but still, that's always good to hear). Also, my host dad said that my pronunciation, comprehension, and accent have improved since I arrived! That I believe. I know I have improved, but I'm also completely aware that I am not perfect. I make mistakes, I get corrected, but I am learning! More and more every day. It's a wonderful feeling, to know that you're improving, even if it's only a few words a day.
And on that happy note, I'll say au revoir!
Amelia
Monday night, I attended my first French Rotary meeting. The first difference between Rotary Montélimar and Tacoma Narrows Rotary is the time. TNR meets in the morning for breakfast and has 2 hour meetings. RM has dinner meetings that last closer to 3 hours. It was awkward for me, just like my first meeting with TNR. The Brazilian and I stood there while random people came up to us. They asked our names, where we were from, and how long we'd been in France. Amelia; Seattle, WA, USA; 6 semaines (weeks). Over and over and over again. Eventually the conversations got a little longer, but it was the same simple topics for each.
The official meeting began with a mini-tour of the location. We were at a vocational high school and got to see the workshop and resource center. It wasn't terribly interesting to me, but I was respectful and listened (I didn't say I understood it all). When we went back to the room, we had dinner. It started off with a small salad and what I think was a pâté... not sure. The main course was chicken and mushrooms with a cream sauce. That was actually pretty good. The dessert was fondant au chocolat avec la crème anglaise (a chocolate cake thing with English cream, which is like sweetened condensed milk). During dessert, the representative of the vocational school made a presentation. I think the club had either already donated to them or was considering it. After the presentation, there was tea and coffee. After I drank my tea, I left.
As you can see, it was rather uneventful for me. I hope the next one is a bit more interesting. I got to know a lot of the Rotarians back in the States and hopefully I can do that here. Oh I almost forgot. About a third of the Rotary Montélimar club is women and their president is a woman. That may seem unimportant if you aren't familiar with Rotary, but in many countries, women aren't allowed into the organization. It really is a shame because Rotary does a lot of great charity work and everyone should get the opportunity to be involved around the world, regardless of gender.
Before I finish, I do have some good news! Yesterday, a few people told me that my accent is completely gone (they're lying, but still, that's always good to hear). Also, my host dad said that my pronunciation, comprehension, and accent have improved since I arrived! That I believe. I know I have improved, but I'm also completely aware that I am not perfect. I make mistakes, I get corrected, but I am learning! More and more every day. It's a wonderful feeling, to know that you're improving, even if it's only a few words a day.
And on that happy note, I'll say au revoir!
Amelia
Thursday, October 3, 2013
You're just so...... Stereotypical
Bonjour!
So the other day, I was in a supermarket with my host dad. Now you have to understand the entire situation or this won't make any sense. He had just bought A LOT of cheese. I'm not sure how much, but it was a lot, and he was cradling it like it was his child. Needless to say, my host dad loves cheese. The best part, however, was when we went to the other side of the store - to the wines. He looked like a kid in a candy store. It was perfect. He got all wide eyed at some of the bottles and I couldn't help but laugh. He looked at me and said how perfect it was. He had his cheese and was surrounded by wine. I told him... he just looked so FRENCH.
And then it hit me. He is French.
And then it hit me again. I just had a conversation in French.
And then it hit me again...again(?). I'm in France.
So the other day, I was in a supermarket with my host dad. Now you have to understand the entire situation or this won't make any sense. He had just bought A LOT of cheese. I'm not sure how much, but it was a lot, and he was cradling it like it was his child. Needless to say, my host dad loves cheese. The best part, however, was when we went to the other side of the store - to the wines. He looked like a kid in a candy store. It was perfect. He got all wide eyed at some of the bottles and I couldn't help but laugh. He looked at me and said how perfect it was. He had his cheese and was surrounded by wine. I told him... he just looked so FRENCH.
And then it hit me. He is French.
And then it hit me again. I just had a conversation in French.
And then it hit me again...again(?). I'm in France.
So that was the moment when I finally realized it. After over a month with my host family, a Rotary event, French school, and telling people over and over again that I am in France, it finally hit me when I was in a supermarket. In the wine section. Fitting, no? :P
I had been having a bit of a rough time with communication and was sick. But after I realized where I was /am/, all of that changed. I felt happy...like I belonged here. That has changed a little though. It's a difficult thing to describe. When I speak plain English, with my 'Murican accent, I don't hear myself anymore. When I speak French, with my god-awful French accent, I don't hear myself anymore. So basically I'm super confused about what I should be speaking and it's just really strange. The only time I hear myself is when I sing random stuff when my host parents aren't home and I'm wandering around the house wasting time. It's in English I guess, but it's all artistic and stuff (or so I tell myself).
Well I'm off to school now. Au revoir!
Amelia
Friday, September 27, 2013
September Rotary Weekend (really sorry it's so late)
Bonjour!
Last weekend was amazing. Words cannot completely describe it, but I'll try my best. Sorry this post is late, but I've been sick and I wanted my writing to be as positive as possible! First off, I didn't go with my host family, I went with my third host family. I spent the night with them on Friday and we left on Saturday around 2 pm. The car ride was long and uncomfortably warm. I was also coughing, which didn't help my mood.
When we finally arrived, I did a 180. As soon as I stepped out of the car and put on my blazer I was overcome with emotions. All happy, of course. I couldn't wait to find everyone and get some HUGS. First, we checked in and I got my room number. (By the way I had the best roomie ever). As I was walking up the hill to the room, I saw them. My perfect exchange family was taking a picture. I basically dropped all my things and ran. Everyone was telling me to hurry, but there was no American flag, so I had to run back to everything I dropped and grabbed mine. After the picture, I got a few very important hugs. The first one was from my best Brazilian friend and the second was from my best Canadian friend. They both live on the opposite side of the district, but I finally got to meet them. Now, my Canadian friend basically tackled me. She warned me that it would happen, but that didn't mean I was prepared.
Eventually, we all made our way down to the information session. It was long, and I'll admit it- a little boring. I just wanted to talk to people! When it finally finished, we all went outside and met each other. There were so many wonderful people, including a hilarious Aussie. No wait, make that two hilarious Aussies. We also met the Rotex, who are all super nice. We then went to dinner and I sat with a hilarious group. We literally laughed the entire time. After dinner we had a dance party. Everyone ended up getting all gross and sweaty, but no one cared. Also, I'm just going to say, that all the South Americans can dance and I can't and that was kind of annoying. They were all like perfect without trying. But anyway, it was a lot of fun, and it was really easy to find your place, because your place was anywhere.
When the music stopped, people pulled out guitars and we continued outside. I took out my mandolin and finally sang with my Brazilian best friend! We had skyped so much before, but it was way better in person. A few people went to sleep relatively early, but most of us were scattered in groups talking. I ended up in a wonderful group of people. I talked with two of the Rotex guys, the two Canadians, the only Finnish girl, a couple Brazilians, an Aussie, and a few others who were inconsistently present. We talked until past three in the morning. I finally went to sleep around 4:30 am.
I woke up the same day at 7:30 am. I sat with a nice group for breakfast. Everyone was seriously so awesome and I honestly miss them so much. After breakfast, we waited for a bus that would take us to where we were going to hike down to Lake Annecy and then eat. The bus was near 3 hours late I think, but we got to stand around and talk more. I got to know so many people in such a short amount of time. On the ride to the lunch spot (we weren't going to hike anymore), I was bus sick because the universe does that. Thankfully, the Aussie I was sitting next to let me borrow his shoulder. People are wonderful, aren't they?
When we finally got to the lunch spot, everyone talked more and took more pictures, and it was just perfect. Words cannot describe it. After lunch, we took the bus down to the Lake. I sat next to one of the Rotex, and once again, borrowed a shoulder. I hate busses, and yet every trip is one a bus. Yikes. Our arrival at the Lake did not go unnoticed. We were all wearing flags and being super foreign. The thing is, we didn't care. We were all finally together. We hardly noticed the beautiful landscape surrounding us because we were to busy talking, talking, and talking some more.
I could not have asked for a better group of people. Everyone was so nice and no one was out of place. I wish I could relive the weekend, but I can't and that sucks. I just want to be with my new family. I feel like I'm in a box now. As soon as we all realized that we were a family, we got ripped away from each other mid-hug. It has been really difficult to not be around everyone. Nevertheless, I get to see them in a week! I can't wait for October 6th! Au revoir!
Amelia
Last weekend was amazing. Words cannot completely describe it, but I'll try my best. Sorry this post is late, but I've been sick and I wanted my writing to be as positive as possible! First off, I didn't go with my host family, I went with my third host family. I spent the night with them on Friday and we left on Saturday around 2 pm. The car ride was long and uncomfortably warm. I was also coughing, which didn't help my mood.
When we finally arrived, I did a 180. As soon as I stepped out of the car and put on my blazer I was overcome with emotions. All happy, of course. I couldn't wait to find everyone and get some HUGS. First, we checked in and I got my room number. (By the way I had the best roomie ever). As I was walking up the hill to the room, I saw them. My perfect exchange family was taking a picture. I basically dropped all my things and ran. Everyone was telling me to hurry, but there was no American flag, so I had to run back to everything I dropped and grabbed mine. After the picture, I got a few very important hugs. The first one was from my best Brazilian friend and the second was from my best Canadian friend. They both live on the opposite side of the district, but I finally got to meet them. Now, my Canadian friend basically tackled me. She warned me that it would happen, but that didn't mean I was prepared.
Eventually, we all made our way down to the information session. It was long, and I'll admit it- a little boring. I just wanted to talk to people! When it finally finished, we all went outside and met each other. There were so many wonderful people, including a hilarious Aussie. No wait, make that two hilarious Aussies. We also met the Rotex, who are all super nice. We then went to dinner and I sat with a hilarious group. We literally laughed the entire time. After dinner we had a dance party. Everyone ended up getting all gross and sweaty, but no one cared. Also, I'm just going to say, that all the South Americans can dance and I can't and that was kind of annoying. They were all like perfect without trying. But anyway, it was a lot of fun, and it was really easy to find your place, because your place was anywhere.
When the music stopped, people pulled out guitars and we continued outside. I took out my mandolin and finally sang with my Brazilian best friend! We had skyped so much before, but it was way better in person. A few people went to sleep relatively early, but most of us were scattered in groups talking. I ended up in a wonderful group of people. I talked with two of the Rotex guys, the two Canadians, the only Finnish girl, a couple Brazilians, an Aussie, and a few others who were inconsistently present. We talked until past three in the morning. I finally went to sleep around 4:30 am.
I woke up the same day at 7:30 am. I sat with a nice group for breakfast. Everyone was seriously so awesome and I honestly miss them so much. After breakfast, we waited for a bus that would take us to where we were going to hike down to Lake Annecy and then eat. The bus was near 3 hours late I think, but we got to stand around and talk more. I got to know so many people in such a short amount of time. On the ride to the lunch spot (we weren't going to hike anymore), I was bus sick because the universe does that. Thankfully, the Aussie I was sitting next to let me borrow his shoulder. People are wonderful, aren't they?
When we finally got to the lunch spot, everyone talked more and took more pictures, and it was just perfect. Words cannot describe it. After lunch, we took the bus down to the Lake. I sat next to one of the Rotex, and once again, borrowed a shoulder. I hate busses, and yet every trip is one a bus. Yikes. Our arrival at the Lake did not go unnoticed. We were all wearing flags and being super foreign. The thing is, we didn't care. We were all finally together. We hardly noticed the beautiful landscape surrounding us because we were to busy talking, talking, and talking some more.
I could not have asked for a better group of people. Everyone was so nice and no one was out of place. I wish I could relive the weekend, but I can't and that sucks. I just want to be with my new family. I feel like I'm in a box now. As soon as we all realized that we were a family, we got ripped away from each other mid-hug. It has been really difficult to not be around everyone. Nevertheless, I get to see them in a week! I can't wait for October 6th! Au revoir!
Amelia
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Thursday
Bonjour!
Today, I was sick. I do not like being sick, nor do I wish to continue being sick. It's your everyday cold, but I would really appreciate it if it LEFT. Mostly because I have orientation this weekend! YAY. Tomorrow, I will stay with my third host family for the night and will drive with them and the Brazilian to the conference, which is a two and a half hour trip by car. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and hope they're all even better in person than they are over the internet! I'm sure they will be, but you never know :P
At school, I had history, English, SVT, French, and... NOT SPANISH.
In history, we're studying economics. I think. I'm pretty sure at this point, but I could still be wrong. I actually attempted to fully understand the teacher today. He talks very quickly, so I couldn't keep up the whole time, but I did understand most of it. Sadly, I can't remember what he said, I only know that I understood it at the time. It has been like that for most of my classes. I understand, but I don't remember.
In English, the teacher gave us an article. We have been learning about.... GAP YEARS. How funny. I wonder what people do for gap years. Oh! They can work, volunteer, and go on a foreign exchange. That sounds really cool, maybe I should--- oh wait. Anyway, she gave us an article to read (in English, obviously). As part of her lessons, students go up in front of the class and present what the class learned last time. Plot twist: I'm going to do one... in French. Now, it's only a few sentences, but it's not as easy as it sounds. It's a year 5 or 6 English class, so my French is not at the level their English is at. Also, I have to translate everything I would like to say. Usually, students can pull words from the article and save their butts if they need to. I, however, cannot. This will be interesting, but I think I can make it happen... sort of.
In SVT, the teacher gives me the notes beforehand so I can just listen. Today, she said (in French, of course) "Since you have the answers I'd like you to read them to the class." I'm sorry... WHAT? You want me to read biological words that I've never said? Out loud? To this class of people who I don't really know very well? Alright. It went better than I thought it would, but I felt really American and I struggled with a few words. I really did appreciate it though. My teachers want me to learn, and if it can't be the subject they teach, it might as well be the language they teach it in. Also, no one laughed... which was surprising. I would have been okay with it if they did. I mean I was awkwardly laughing at myself, so I wouldn't have cared.
In French, I didn't follow the lesson, but I didn't fall asleep, so that was nice. I think we're supposed to write paragraphs on something...? I'm really not sure. My French teacher speaks very (VERY VERY VERY) fast. Oh well, I can't understand the literature anyway.
My NOT SPANISH went very well today. I waited for the bus for an hour and a half. Now, normally I just take a break by listening to music. However, today I took a break by talking with the Brazilian. We get along very well and we both have similar, if not the same, struggles. It's comforting to know that other people are going through it.
I probably won't be posting again until Monday (after orientation), so until then, au revoir!
Amelia
Today, I was sick. I do not like being sick, nor do I wish to continue being sick. It's your everyday cold, but I would really appreciate it if it LEFT. Mostly because I have orientation this weekend! YAY. Tomorrow, I will stay with my third host family for the night and will drive with them and the Brazilian to the conference, which is a two and a half hour trip by car. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and hope they're all even better in person than they are over the internet! I'm sure they will be, but you never know :P
At school, I had history, English, SVT, French, and... NOT SPANISH.
In history, we're studying economics. I think. I'm pretty sure at this point, but I could still be wrong. I actually attempted to fully understand the teacher today. He talks very quickly, so I couldn't keep up the whole time, but I did understand most of it. Sadly, I can't remember what he said, I only know that I understood it at the time. It has been like that for most of my classes. I understand, but I don't remember.
In English, the teacher gave us an article. We have been learning about.... GAP YEARS. How funny. I wonder what people do for gap years. Oh! They can work, volunteer, and go on a foreign exchange. That sounds really cool, maybe I should--- oh wait. Anyway, she gave us an article to read (in English, obviously). As part of her lessons, students go up in front of the class and present what the class learned last time. Plot twist: I'm going to do one... in French. Now, it's only a few sentences, but it's not as easy as it sounds. It's a year 5 or 6 English class, so my French is not at the level their English is at. Also, I have to translate everything I would like to say. Usually, students can pull words from the article and save their butts if they need to. I, however, cannot. This will be interesting, but I think I can make it happen... sort of.
In SVT, the teacher gives me the notes beforehand so I can just listen. Today, she said (in French, of course) "Since you have the answers I'd like you to read them to the class." I'm sorry... WHAT? You want me to read biological words that I've never said? Out loud? To this class of people who I don't really know very well? Alright. It went better than I thought it would, but I felt really American and I struggled with a few words. I really did appreciate it though. My teachers want me to learn, and if it can't be the subject they teach, it might as well be the language they teach it in. Also, no one laughed... which was surprising. I would have been okay with it if they did. I mean I was awkwardly laughing at myself, so I wouldn't have cared.
In French, I didn't follow the lesson, but I didn't fall asleep, so that was nice. I think we're supposed to write paragraphs on something...? I'm really not sure. My French teacher speaks very (VERY VERY VERY) fast. Oh well, I can't understand the literature anyway.
My NOT SPANISH went very well today. I waited for the bus for an hour and a half. Now, normally I just take a break by listening to music. However, today I took a break by talking with the Brazilian. We get along very well and we both have similar, if not the same, struggles. It's comforting to know that other people are going through it.
I probably won't be posting again until Monday (after orientation), so until then, au revoir!
Amelia
Wednesday
Bonjour,
Once again, I will inform you that I was busy, so I couldn't write this when I wanted to. Pretend the date above is Wednesday, September 18th, 2013 :)
Today, like all other Wednesdays, was my shortest day of school at only 4 hours, but it always feels like the longest. I began with math. Now, I understand it when she writes on the board, but as soon as she stops writing and just speaks, I can't follow. It's difficult when you don't know the math terms. Once again, I will say that cognates save my life. Every. Single. Day. I think math is the easiest class for me at this point (and I don't count English because I don't actually learn English in the class). The teacher doesn't talk too quickly. Not to say that she doesn't speak fast, because she does, she's just one of the slower speaking teachers.
After math, I had two hours of French. I was so tired that I fell asleep. Not deeply, but I was half asleep for the entire class. It's very difficult to concentrate when you're that tired. Especially when the teacher is explaining something you didn't understand in the first place in a language you don't fully understand. Her speech turned into white noise for me. Not because she was boring. I actually don't know if she was boring or not... But sometimes I struggle with not tuning out all the French.
The fact that I can't understand the language yet frustrates me so much. It's not that I miss home or English. I miss being able to communicate with people. It's so hard to remember everything and at this point I'm not sure how to continue a conversation. This is definitely a new experience for me, as I talk a lot back home and love meeting people. I wish it was easier to express what I want to say in the manner that I want to say it in, but it isn't. I'm becoming more confident with my French, but it has been rough.
Au revoir!
Amelia
Once again, I will inform you that I was busy, so I couldn't write this when I wanted to. Pretend the date above is Wednesday, September 18th, 2013 :)
Today, like all other Wednesdays, was my shortest day of school at only 4 hours, but it always feels like the longest. I began with math. Now, I understand it when she writes on the board, but as soon as she stops writing and just speaks, I can't follow. It's difficult when you don't know the math terms. Once again, I will say that cognates save my life. Every. Single. Day. I think math is the easiest class for me at this point (and I don't count English because I don't actually learn English in the class). The teacher doesn't talk too quickly. Not to say that she doesn't speak fast, because she does, she's just one of the slower speaking teachers.
After math, I had two hours of French. I was so tired that I fell asleep. Not deeply, but I was half asleep for the entire class. It's very difficult to concentrate when you're that tired. Especially when the teacher is explaining something you didn't understand in the first place in a language you don't fully understand. Her speech turned into white noise for me. Not because she was boring. I actually don't know if she was boring or not... But sometimes I struggle with not tuning out all the French.
The fact that I can't understand the language yet frustrates me so much. It's not that I miss home or English. I miss being able to communicate with people. It's so hard to remember everything and at this point I'm not sure how to continue a conversation. This is definitely a new experience for me, as I talk a lot back home and love meeting people. I wish it was easier to express what I want to say in the manner that I want to say it in, but it isn't. I'm becoming more confident with my French, but it has been rough.
Au revoir!
Amelia
Tuesday
Bonjour!
I'm going to do three blog posts in one day because I've been really busy, so just pretend that the date above this is Tuesday, September 17, 2013 :)
I began my day as I begin most: annoyed and racing to shut off my alarm at 6 am. But that's not important. On Tuesday, I had my dreaded double double-hour science schedule. First SVT for two hours and then Physique-Chimie for two hours. Surprisingly enough, I enjoyed these four hours. My science teachers are wonderful. In SVT, we did experiments with vision and the eye. No dissecting of baby cow eye this week, but it was still interesting. In Physique-Chimie I pretended to understand what I was doing, when in reality, I have no idea. I had a nice conversation about 'MURICA with the teacher. Which was nice. All my teachers seem to understand that I CAN'T PROPERLY FUNCTION YET.
Later on Tuesday I had English class. Now, my English teacher is wonderful. She has offered to take time out of her life to make French lessons for me. She is one of the kindest people I have met here. Also, she asked if she could keep me and I said sure... Sorry Mom and Dad <3 But today, she used me as the internet, because I can pronounce words on the spot.
Done with Tuesday... au revoir!
Amelia
I'm going to do three blog posts in one day because I've been really busy, so just pretend that the date above this is Tuesday, September 17, 2013 :)
I began my day as I begin most: annoyed and racing to shut off my alarm at 6 am. But that's not important. On Tuesday, I had my dreaded double double-hour science schedule. First SVT for two hours and then Physique-Chimie for two hours. Surprisingly enough, I enjoyed these four hours. My science teachers are wonderful. In SVT, we did experiments with vision and the eye. No dissecting of baby cow eye this week, but it was still interesting. In Physique-Chimie I pretended to understand what I was doing, when in reality, I have no idea. I had a nice conversation about 'MURICA with the teacher. Which was nice. All my teachers seem to understand that I CAN'T PROPERLY FUNCTION YET.
Later on Tuesday I had English class. Now, my English teacher is wonderful. She has offered to take time out of her life to make French lessons for me. She is one of the kindest people I have met here. Also, she asked if she could keep me and I said sure... Sorry Mom and Dad <3 But today, she used me as the internet, because I can pronounce words on the spot.
Done with Tuesday... au revoir!
Amelia
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Full Weekend.
Bonjour!
Yesterday, my host mom took me and my siblings to two event things. In the morning, we went to "la maison de la tour" in Valaurie for an art/music expo. We walked around this house, following a woman who would sing and play instruments while we looked at the art installations. The music was not something I could really categorize. It was a mix between swing, folk, opera, and jazz. I'm not really sure. It sounded really interesting and she was very talented. It opened with this- well I'm actually not sure at all what it was. It was like an upright flute thing and that's about as success that I can be at describing it. She then took us into another room where she sang while pushing rocks around, then sang and played guitar, and then she sang to these maracas. We then went into the next room where she sang while playing water goblets. That was so awesome. I have no idea how she did all of it. She then led us with a piece on the trombone into the garden down the road. There, she did another piece with small rocks and was finished.
In the evening, we went to a circus-type act. It was a duo who hoisted each other around, showing off their insane strength and balance. There had a storyline woven in, but I couldn't really follow, as they spoke very quickly (oh theater). It was all very classically circus. The man lifted the woman onto his shoulders and did most of the bulk work. However, at the end, the woman held up the man on her shoulders and her back. It was crazy! This man was so much bigger than her and she could hold his weight on herself. Needless to say, it was a nice plot twist at the end.
Today, we went to visit the Chateau in Grignan again, but today we got to go inside. There's a weekend in France (this weekend), where all the private castles and gardens are open to the public. At least I think that's what my host mom said... I could be wrong. It was inside this Chateau that I admitted to being obsessed with photographing every single chandelier. Every. Single. Chandelier. They're just so pretty and intricate and beautiful and photogenic. I love them. I don't care how weird that sounds. Also fireplaces. Fireplaces are really cool. Don't judge me. I can feel you judging me, so stop it.
After Grignan, we went to Le musée de la soie. Now I had no idea what a "soie" was when I agreed to go to this museum. It's a silkworm and the museum was really cool. The first portion was about the life cycle of silkworms and how the silk thread is retrieved. The second part was about the industrialization of the silk manufacturing. It was really interesting to see yet another thing that I didn't know this region is famous for. I assumed that it was just wine, but it's much more than that. So far I've seen lavender, crickets, and now silk. There really is more to this place than I thought.
Update on school: I DON'T HAVE SPANISH CLASS ANYMORE AND THAT MAKES ME REALLY HAPPY. My host mom talked to the principal about it and we have found an alternative! Rather than Spanish, I will be taking a literature course (in English). It is taught by my English teacher (who is amazing, by the way) and I start it tomorrow! Hopefully, if this class is rigorous enough, I can convince my school counselor to accept it as credit when I return... But I doubt she will.
Update on life: I talked with my (real) family that lives in Montpellier! I was so nervous at first for French over the phone, but I actually understood it very well! Just as long as they speak clearly (and preferably slowly) then I can understand. It was a pretty big step in me realizing my improvement. Lately I've felt as though I understand less every day, but now I realize that is not the case at all. I need to be more positive about my language skills and acknowledge that I am getting better each day. Back to my family. I might get to spend a week with them in October! My host parents are going on a hiking trip (?) and are dropping their kids with my host mother's mother, so I have to go somewhere. Hopefully, Rotary will approve this and I can finally travel a bit! My family has also expressed interest in coming up from Montpellier to visit Montélimar for a day, which I hope will happen soon!
Update on Rotary (I guess): Next weekend is Inbound Orientation! I finally get to meet all the other exchange students in person! I am going to stay with my third host mother on Friday night and she will take me and the Brazilian in my city to the event near Annecy, a mere 2 and a half hour drive (.... not mere). The only event that I'm sure will take place is this talent show thing they're having. Now, I brought my mandolin and one of my friends and I are going to hopefully sing a song and hopefully not be completely awful... Just kidding, we won't be. I hope.
Well that's all for now! I know, I know, my posts are way too short ;) Au revoir!
Amelia
Yesterday, my host mom took me and my siblings to two event things. In the morning, we went to "la maison de la tour" in Valaurie for an art/music expo. We walked around this house, following a woman who would sing and play instruments while we looked at the art installations. The music was not something I could really categorize. It was a mix between swing, folk, opera, and jazz. I'm not really sure. It sounded really interesting and she was very talented. It opened with this- well I'm actually not sure at all what it was. It was like an upright flute thing and that's about as success that I can be at describing it. She then took us into another room where she sang while pushing rocks around, then sang and played guitar, and then she sang to these maracas. We then went into the next room where she sang while playing water goblets. That was so awesome. I have no idea how she did all of it. She then led us with a piece on the trombone into the garden down the road. There, she did another piece with small rocks and was finished.
In the evening, we went to a circus-type act. It was a duo who hoisted each other around, showing off their insane strength and balance. There had a storyline woven in, but I couldn't really follow, as they spoke very quickly (oh theater). It was all very classically circus. The man lifted the woman onto his shoulders and did most of the bulk work. However, at the end, the woman held up the man on her shoulders and her back. It was crazy! This man was so much bigger than her and she could hold his weight on herself. Needless to say, it was a nice plot twist at the end.
Today, we went to visit the Chateau in Grignan again, but today we got to go inside. There's a weekend in France (this weekend), where all the private castles and gardens are open to the public. At least I think that's what my host mom said... I could be wrong. It was inside this Chateau that I admitted to being obsessed with photographing every single chandelier. Every. Single. Chandelier. They're just so pretty and intricate and beautiful and photogenic. I love them. I don't care how weird that sounds. Also fireplaces. Fireplaces are really cool. Don't judge me. I can feel you judging me, so stop it.
After Grignan, we went to Le musée de la soie. Now I had no idea what a "soie" was when I agreed to go to this museum. It's a silkworm and the museum was really cool. The first portion was about the life cycle of silkworms and how the silk thread is retrieved. The second part was about the industrialization of the silk manufacturing. It was really interesting to see yet another thing that I didn't know this region is famous for. I assumed that it was just wine, but it's much more than that. So far I've seen lavender, crickets, and now silk. There really is more to this place than I thought.
Update on school: I DON'T HAVE SPANISH CLASS ANYMORE AND THAT MAKES ME REALLY HAPPY. My host mom talked to the principal about it and we have found an alternative! Rather than Spanish, I will be taking a literature course (in English). It is taught by my English teacher (who is amazing, by the way) and I start it tomorrow! Hopefully, if this class is rigorous enough, I can convince my school counselor to accept it as credit when I return... But I doubt she will.
Update on life: I talked with my (real) family that lives in Montpellier! I was so nervous at first for French over the phone, but I actually understood it very well! Just as long as they speak clearly (and preferably slowly) then I can understand. It was a pretty big step in me realizing my improvement. Lately I've felt as though I understand less every day, but now I realize that is not the case at all. I need to be more positive about my language skills and acknowledge that I am getting better each day. Back to my family. I might get to spend a week with them in October! My host parents are going on a hiking trip (?) and are dropping their kids with my host mother's mother, so I have to go somewhere. Hopefully, Rotary will approve this and I can finally travel a bit! My family has also expressed interest in coming up from Montpellier to visit Montélimar for a day, which I hope will happen soon!
Update on Rotary (I guess): Next weekend is Inbound Orientation! I finally get to meet all the other exchange students in person! I am going to stay with my third host mother on Friday night and she will take me and the Brazilian in my city to the event near Annecy, a mere 2 and a half hour drive (.... not mere). The only event that I'm sure will take place is this talent show thing they're having. Now, I brought my mandolin and one of my friends and I are going to hopefully sing a song and hopefully not be completely awful... Just kidding, we won't be. I hope.
Well that's all for now! I know, I know, my posts are way too short ;) Au revoir!
Amelia
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Other exchange students!
Bonjour!
This week, I have met more exchange students! These ones aren't with Rotary, but they are still here for the year. The cue has been English (or an accent) each time. While waiting in line for lunch, my friend overheard English and so I butted into the conversation because I'm lovely. The girl is from Slovakia, but she communicates here in French and English. She was so sweet. It's really comforting to know that you aren't alone in your struggles.
Today, I met another American. Again, I overheard a conversation, but this time the girl sounded like I do when I attempt French. My other friend (not the same one) yelled to her: "Your French is so good!" Then, I asked "Es-tu américaine?" And after she said yes and I said me too, she and I both kind of had a hugging session. I didn't even know her name, but we both missed hugs, so we hugged it out. It was interesting..... Of course I found out her name later, so don't worry. She told me there was also a Danish girl and my Brazilian friend (with Rotary) told me there was an Italian girl. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if there are more than that.
Also, my Spanish teacher told me I should try to get into an English class or a class in French that occurs during the Spanish periods. All I do in her class is doodle or zone out. I'm not disrespectful about it or anything, but I'm not learning anything. I'm happy she realized this and is more than willing to get my Spanish-less mind out of her class. Hopefully I can do something different.
Tonight, my Rotary counselor came by. He reminds me a lot of my uncle, not only because he's super tall, but just the way he interacts with people. I didn't realize how ill-prepared I was.... My parents and I didn't realize that I needed to bring the emergency fund in cash, so that isn't done. Also, I never printed out my itinerary to prove that I have a ticket back. OOPS. Sadly, he is holding my spending money hostage. </3 I understand why, but come on, that's a little harsh.
My host dad loves to be SUPER funny. When my counselor asked how my family liked me my host dad expounded on how terrible I am and how I talk way too much. I was laughing the whole time to make sure that my counselor knew it was a JOKE. Hahahahaha I don't talk a lot here. I might be terrible, but I definitely don't talk a lot. This wasn't an unusual event for me, because my dad does that all the time back in the States. Sometimes it's comforting to see the similarities between the two. Other times........................ Only joking. Sort of.
That's all for today, au revoir!
Amelia
This week, I have met more exchange students! These ones aren't with Rotary, but they are still here for the year. The cue has been English (or an accent) each time. While waiting in line for lunch, my friend overheard English and so I butted into the conversation because I'm lovely. The girl is from Slovakia, but she communicates here in French and English. She was so sweet. It's really comforting to know that you aren't alone in your struggles.
Today, I met another American. Again, I overheard a conversation, but this time the girl sounded like I do when I attempt French. My other friend (not the same one) yelled to her: "Your French is so good!" Then, I asked "Es-tu américaine?" And after she said yes and I said me too, she and I both kind of had a hugging session. I didn't even know her name, but we both missed hugs, so we hugged it out. It was interesting..... Of course I found out her name later, so don't worry. She told me there was also a Danish girl and my Brazilian friend (with Rotary) told me there was an Italian girl. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if there are more than that.
Also, my Spanish teacher told me I should try to get into an English class or a class in French that occurs during the Spanish periods. All I do in her class is doodle or zone out. I'm not disrespectful about it or anything, but I'm not learning anything. I'm happy she realized this and is more than willing to get my Spanish-less mind out of her class. Hopefully I can do something different.
Tonight, my Rotary counselor came by. He reminds me a lot of my uncle, not only because he's super tall, but just the way he interacts with people. I didn't realize how ill-prepared I was.... My parents and I didn't realize that I needed to bring the emergency fund in cash, so that isn't done. Also, I never printed out my itinerary to prove that I have a ticket back. OOPS. Sadly, he is holding my spending money hostage. </3 I understand why, but come on, that's a little harsh.
My host dad loves to be SUPER funny. When my counselor asked how my family liked me my host dad expounded on how terrible I am and how I talk way too much. I was laughing the whole time to make sure that my counselor knew it was a JOKE. Hahahahaha I don't talk a lot here. I might be terrible, but I definitely don't talk a lot. This wasn't an unusual event for me, because my dad does that all the time back in the States. Sometimes it's comforting to see the similarities between the two. Other times........................ Only joking. Sort of.
That's all for today, au revoir!
Amelia
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Cultural Differences
Bonjour!
Here is a list of some of the main differences I've come across between my life in France and my life in the States. I'll limit it to six for now.
- Kisses, not hugs. At first, this was a little difficult to get used to. I still don't fully understand the social cues yet. I mean I know that when you see someone you know for the first time that day you greet each other with the cheek kisses, but other than that, I don't know when else. Also, I miss hugs.
- Consistently distinct courses, not just a big meal. When my family eats a lunch or dinner, there is a premier plate (sort of like an appetizer, except it's a consistent course), a main meal, fruit and/or cheese, and dessert. I think it's better than just piling everything on the plate because you can pace your eating better.
- Silverware in the cafeteria (finally). Back in the States, students are given plastic forks, knives, and spoons and eat off styrofoam trays. In France, we have real silverware, a plastic tray, and an actual plate or plates. Also there are pitchers for each group of people, so you don't have to pay to get something to drink. The only option is water. Last year, I usually only drank water at lunch, so I like the system here.
- Sneezes. No, people don't sneeze differently. When someone sneezes, the French say "à tes/vos souhaits" (I think that literally translates to "to your wishes", but they rarely say it. Back in the States, when someone sneezed, multiple people would reactively say "bless you". Here only really close friends say it to each other, and even then it's pretty rare.
- Lunch/Breaks. As you (probably) read in my "Classes" post, students (usually) have a very long lunch time. Last year, I had half an hour to eat. There wasn't any time to actually take a break. Now, every other week I have a four hour break in between my first class and my second class on thursdays. It's so different.
- School Schedule. In addition to the longer lunch times, the class schedule is structured differently. It's kind of annoying, because I actually have to remember what day it is. Last year, sometimes I wouldn't know the day of the week until Friday. But I still never know the date, because I don't have to write it on EVERY PAPER, which is nice.
That's all for now. Au revoir!
Amelia
Here is a list of some of the main differences I've come across between my life in France and my life in the States. I'll limit it to six for now.
- Kisses, not hugs. At first, this was a little difficult to get used to. I still don't fully understand the social cues yet. I mean I know that when you see someone you know for the first time that day you greet each other with the cheek kisses, but other than that, I don't know when else. Also, I miss hugs.
- Consistently distinct courses, not just a big meal. When my family eats a lunch or dinner, there is a premier plate (sort of like an appetizer, except it's a consistent course), a main meal, fruit and/or cheese, and dessert. I think it's better than just piling everything on the plate because you can pace your eating better.
- Silverware in the cafeteria (finally). Back in the States, students are given plastic forks, knives, and spoons and eat off styrofoam trays. In France, we have real silverware, a plastic tray, and an actual plate or plates. Also there are pitchers for each group of people, so you don't have to pay to get something to drink. The only option is water. Last year, I usually only drank water at lunch, so I like the system here.
- Sneezes. No, people don't sneeze differently. When someone sneezes, the French say "à tes/vos souhaits" (I think that literally translates to "to your wishes", but they rarely say it. Back in the States, when someone sneezed, multiple people would reactively say "bless you". Here only really close friends say it to each other, and even then it's pretty rare.
- Lunch/Breaks. As you (probably) read in my "Classes" post, students (usually) have a very long lunch time. Last year, I had half an hour to eat. There wasn't any time to actually take a break. Now, every other week I have a four hour break in between my first class and my second class on thursdays. It's so different.
- School Schedule. In addition to the longer lunch times, the class schedule is structured differently. It's kind of annoying, because I actually have to remember what day it is. Last year, sometimes I wouldn't know the day of the week until Friday. But I still never know the date, because I don't have to write it on EVERY PAPER, which is nice.
That's all for now. Au revoir!
Amelia
Monday, September 9, 2013
A Real English Class!
Bonjour!
Today, I had my first real English class. Let me tell you, this class is so weird for me. I never thought I'd be able to even imagine properly learning English, and yet now it's a reality. I'm not exactly sure how much to participate in this class. I feel like I shouldn't answer every question, but I should still participate because it will help them to hear an American accent... unless they want to learn an English accent, then I will have to fake one. Which is no problem, but still. It's difficult to find the balance in this class.
Accents are difficult. Now I know that my French accent is terrible, but it's not like their English accents are rocking. I couldn't understand a lot of the English with a French accent, but I understand the struggle. And let me tell you, this struggle is very real. Because I want them to speak slowly with me, when I speak in the English class, I talk slowly. Now, they might think I'm stupid, but it's for their benefit. I could speak like lightning in English class, but that wouldn't help anyone learn, now would it? Hopefully, they'll learn that I'm still learning. Maybe they'll even slow down their speech! Just kidding. No they won't.
For a majority of the day, I felt like an English teacher. My new friends (yes, that's right, friends) kept asking me what certain things are in English. At first I was slightly annoyed, because I wanted to stay in French mode, but I realized that their interest in learning my language meant that they care. With that in mind, I happily taught them a few words in exchange for their French meanings. It wasn't deep, philosophical vocabulary, but it's still learning more of the language.
Until next time, au revoir!
Amelia
Today, I had my first real English class. Let me tell you, this class is so weird for me. I never thought I'd be able to even imagine properly learning English, and yet now it's a reality. I'm not exactly sure how much to participate in this class. I feel like I shouldn't answer every question, but I should still participate because it will help them to hear an American accent... unless they want to learn an English accent, then I will have to fake one. Which is no problem, but still. It's difficult to find the balance in this class.
Accents are difficult. Now I know that my French accent is terrible, but it's not like their English accents are rocking. I couldn't understand a lot of the English with a French accent, but I understand the struggle. And let me tell you, this struggle is very real. Because I want them to speak slowly with me, when I speak in the English class, I talk slowly. Now, they might think I'm stupid, but it's for their benefit. I could speak like lightning in English class, but that wouldn't help anyone learn, now would it? Hopefully, they'll learn that I'm still learning. Maybe they'll even slow down their speech! Just kidding. No they won't.
For a majority of the day, I felt like an English teacher. My new friends (yes, that's right, friends) kept asking me what certain things are in English. At first I was slightly annoyed, because I wanted to stay in French mode, but I realized that their interest in learning my language meant that they care. With that in mind, I happily taught them a few words in exchange for their French meanings. It wasn't deep, philosophical vocabulary, but it's still learning more of the language.
Until next time, au revoir!
Amelia
Friday, September 6, 2013
Classes!
Bonjour!
My Schedule is:
Lundi
8h: Mathmatiques
9h: Anglais
10h: Français
11h: Lunch/Break (for 3 hours)
14h: Physique-Chimie
15h: Fin.
Mardi
8h: SVT (Biology)
10h: Physique-Chimie
12h: Lunch/Break (for 3 hours)
15h: Anglais
16h: Fin.
Mercredi
8h: Mathmatiques
10h: Français
12h: Fin.
Jeudi
8h: Histoire & Géographie
10h: Anglais (every other week)
11h: Civiques (every other week)
12h: Lunch/Break
14h: SVT (Biology)
15h: Français
16h: Espagnol
17h: Fin.
Vendredi
9h: Histoire & Geographie
10h: Mathematiques
11h: Espagnol
12h: Lunch/Break (for 1 hour)
13h: Sport
15h: Fin.
At this point I have had at least one session of each of my classes, so I will give a brief description of each I guess.
Physique-Chimie
I first lesson in this class was a physics lesson on what I believe was light diffraction. It was on the first day and I could not comprehend practically all that the teacher said. So at this point, I am very lost in the class. I hope that I begin to understand more as the year progresses.
Mathematiques
This is the only class I completely understand, besides English. The first lesson was covering parabolas, which I studied last year, so at this point, I can follow it pretty well. I even did the homework for this class, and that's saying something.
Français
I am so utterly lost in this class. I cannot understand the texts we have been given and I just don't see this class getting any easier. It might, but at this point I am dubious of that. Français here is the equivalent of English class back home. It's more of a literature course.
Histoire & Géographie
I follow what happens in this class fairly well. By that I mean I at least now what we're studying at this point: the industrial revolution. It is still very likely that I am wrong about that, but for now I will pretend that I know what I'm doing.
Anglais
Obviously, I understand this class. The first day for the last half of the hour long class, the teacher told the class to ask me questions in English. In the first half she did her introduction, introduced me, and then gushed about how lucky they were to have a native English speaker with them. They were all a bit shy at first to be asking the questions, but they started eventually. It was the same 5 or 6 people, as well as the teacher. And there was probably a total of 10 minutes of awkward silence while they processed English. I hope they now have a better understanding of the struggles I face with speaking French nearly 24/7. And I must include the best part of this class. I said that I'm from Seattle and it is cold there. The teacher then asked the class, "And why is Seattle cold?" Their response: "Because it's near Canada." Made my day.
Civiques
This class is every other week and it appears to consist purely of discussion and response to questions. It may change later on but it seems like a sort of Socratic Seminar of a class. I sort of follow what's happening in this class, but not on a consistent basis. At all.
SVT (Biology)
Now my first experience in this class was interesting. First off, the teacher spoke like lightning. LIGHTNING. She seemed to be pretty funny, because the other students laughed a lot. I mean I would have, but I didn't even catch one word of what she said. I was able to answer most of the questions she posed, but it was making the answers sound French that was difficult. For example, she showed a picture of a karyotype and asked what it was. I knew it was a karyotype, but I had no idea how to pronounce it. I'll catch on eventually.... I hope.
Espagnol
I do not enjoy this class. It is year four Spanish. I have not even taken a minute of Spanish. The teacher just lets me sit there and do nothing for the hour. It's not the highlight of my day, but I tend to just tune out. I can barely handle all French, so I sure don't need Spanish piled with it.
Sport
I think sport is going to be alright. I talked with more people in those two hours than I did the days before that. I'm not sure if the teacher knows that I'm American, and I don't care at this point. I'd rather he treat me the same. Just to feel like I'm not so obviously foreign (even though I know, deep down, that it's really obvious and I cannot avoid that).
Generally, my comprehension of what's going on is alright in classes such as Mathematiques, SVT, and Histoire. COGNATES LITERALLY SAVE MY SANITY AND FALSE COGNATES TAKE IT AWAY. Cognates are words that are the same or similar in a language. English/French cognates include: motivation, equation, karyotype, mitosis, etc. Some false cognates are: attendre (not to attend, but to wait) and assister (not to assist, but to attend).
One of the things that gets me is the handwriting and abbreviations. I am very dependent on what they write on the boards, so when my history teacher threw in his abbreviations, I was so confused. And their handwriting is a mix between print and cursive. It drives me crazy. Mostly because my handwriting is starting to turn into a weird mixture of cursive and print. I don't like it, but it's happening.
Also, I don't understand the whole kisses system yet. It varied from pairing to pairing. Some did the casual three face touches with sound effects. Others did two where one person kisses the cheek for real and vice versa. Some did just one. It confuses me. I like hugs. No one really hugs here. I tried to explain to one of my new friends that we hug and she just seemed really confused by the concept.
Oh boy this post is getting far too long! Au revoir!
Amelia
My Schedule is:
Lundi
8h: Mathmatiques
9h: Anglais
10h: Français
11h: Lunch/Break (for 3 hours)
14h: Physique-Chimie
15h: Fin.
Mardi
8h: SVT (Biology)
10h: Physique-Chimie
12h: Lunch/Break (for 3 hours)
15h: Anglais
16h: Fin.
Mercredi
8h: Mathmatiques
10h: Français
12h: Fin.
Jeudi
8h: Histoire & Géographie
10h: Anglais (every other week)
11h: Civiques (every other week)
12h: Lunch/Break
14h: SVT (Biology)
15h: Français
16h: Espagnol
17h: Fin.
Vendredi
9h: Histoire & Geographie
10h: Mathematiques
11h: Espagnol
12h: Lunch/Break (for 1 hour)
13h: Sport
15h: Fin.
At this point I have had at least one session of each of my classes, so I will give a brief description of each I guess.
Physique-Chimie
I first lesson in this class was a physics lesson on what I believe was light diffraction. It was on the first day and I could not comprehend practically all that the teacher said. So at this point, I am very lost in the class. I hope that I begin to understand more as the year progresses.
Mathematiques
This is the only class I completely understand, besides English. The first lesson was covering parabolas, which I studied last year, so at this point, I can follow it pretty well. I even did the homework for this class, and that's saying something.
Français
I am so utterly lost in this class. I cannot understand the texts we have been given and I just don't see this class getting any easier. It might, but at this point I am dubious of that. Français here is the equivalent of English class back home. It's more of a literature course.
Histoire & Géographie
I follow what happens in this class fairly well. By that I mean I at least now what we're studying at this point: the industrial revolution. It is still very likely that I am wrong about that, but for now I will pretend that I know what I'm doing.
Anglais
Obviously, I understand this class. The first day for the last half of the hour long class, the teacher told the class to ask me questions in English. In the first half she did her introduction, introduced me, and then gushed about how lucky they were to have a native English speaker with them. They were all a bit shy at first to be asking the questions, but they started eventually. It was the same 5 or 6 people, as well as the teacher. And there was probably a total of 10 minutes of awkward silence while they processed English. I hope they now have a better understanding of the struggles I face with speaking French nearly 24/7. And I must include the best part of this class. I said that I'm from Seattle and it is cold there. The teacher then asked the class, "And why is Seattle cold?" Their response: "Because it's near Canada." Made my day.
Civiques
This class is every other week and it appears to consist purely of discussion and response to questions. It may change later on but it seems like a sort of Socratic Seminar of a class. I sort of follow what's happening in this class, but not on a consistent basis. At all.
SVT (Biology)
Now my first experience in this class was interesting. First off, the teacher spoke like lightning. LIGHTNING. She seemed to be pretty funny, because the other students laughed a lot. I mean I would have, but I didn't even catch one word of what she said. I was able to answer most of the questions she posed, but it was making the answers sound French that was difficult. For example, she showed a picture of a karyotype and asked what it was. I knew it was a karyotype, but I had no idea how to pronounce it. I'll catch on eventually.... I hope.
Espagnol
I do not enjoy this class. It is year four Spanish. I have not even taken a minute of Spanish. The teacher just lets me sit there and do nothing for the hour. It's not the highlight of my day, but I tend to just tune out. I can barely handle all French, so I sure don't need Spanish piled with it.
Sport
I think sport is going to be alright. I talked with more people in those two hours than I did the days before that. I'm not sure if the teacher knows that I'm American, and I don't care at this point. I'd rather he treat me the same. Just to feel like I'm not so obviously foreign (even though I know, deep down, that it's really obvious and I cannot avoid that).
Generally, my comprehension of what's going on is alright in classes such as Mathematiques, SVT, and Histoire. COGNATES LITERALLY SAVE MY SANITY AND FALSE COGNATES TAKE IT AWAY. Cognates are words that are the same or similar in a language. English/French cognates include: motivation, equation, karyotype, mitosis, etc. Some false cognates are: attendre (not to attend, but to wait) and assister (not to assist, but to attend).
One of the things that gets me is the handwriting and abbreviations. I am very dependent on what they write on the boards, so when my history teacher threw in his abbreviations, I was so confused. And their handwriting is a mix between print and cursive. It drives me crazy. Mostly because my handwriting is starting to turn into a weird mixture of cursive and print. I don't like it, but it's happening.
Also, I don't understand the whole kisses system yet. It varied from pairing to pairing. Some did the casual three face touches with sound effects. Others did two where one person kisses the cheek for real and vice versa. Some did just one. It confuses me. I like hugs. No one really hugs here. I tried to explain to one of my new friends that we hug and she just seemed really confused by the concept.
Oh boy this post is getting far too long! Au revoir!
Amelia
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
First Day of School
Bonjour!
I had my first "school day" today. I'm not even sure if it deserves to be called a day, since it was a mere hour and a half. This morning I woke up, attempted to look presentable, and even ate breakfast (which I I rarely do, so I've obviously become a whole new person). We first dropped off my little host sister at her school and then headed into Montélimar. Due to the fact that my host mother works for the school, we went into administration and I guess I just kind of stood there awkwardly.
Hold on I'm getting ahead of myself. My first thoughts when we drove up to the school:
- Oh my, that's a lot of people.
- Welp. There goes my sanity.
- I'm scared.
- Why do they all look so French?
- Why do so many guys have some mohawk hairdo?
- Why are people wearing high heels? Are they crazy?
- How am I going to talk to them?
- Okay, time for a new rule: I will talk to someone different in my class (or at least attempt to) until there is no one left.
- That's going to be difficult.
Continuing on. Once it hit 10:00 the students started flooding the halls, and the administration woman was like "Les deux viennent avec moi" (I think). Rugged translation: "Hey you two that are so obviously out of place that it's painful, follow me". She showed me to the classroom and I took a seat (in the front, but in the corner, because hey, I DON'T KNOW ANYONE. The teacher said she would find me a friend (a girl so I would be more comfortable I guess...?), but some other guy like sat down and she had to ask him to move. That was rather uncomfortable for me.
So on that awkward note, I made a new friend (not the person who had to move, but the girl that the teacher basically told to be nice to me). She was very nice and explained the introductory form that I didn't understand at all. The two girls behind us overheard that I am American and started to talk to me. It was actually pretty cool knowing that they didn't HAVE to be nice, but they were anyway. One of the girls loves Seattle. She literally said "C'est ma ville" (That's my city). So she likes me (or at least where I come from).
I understood a surprising amount today, but I'm still unable to remember French on a consistent basis once something has been said to me. So I know that I understood, but I don't remember a lot of it. That amount today only being during the orientation portion, because once the teacher started her Physics lesson, I was completely lost. My new friend (at least I hope we're friends, only time will tell) kept asking me if I understood, so naturally I just sat there shaking my head. It was a lot of French and a lot of Physics. Two things I have yet to master.
Now during these classes, I had no idea if anyone was staring at me because I chose not to look around the room like a lost puppy. I mean I did notice a few people looking at me funny, but I just decided to ignore that. Also I think someone asked how to spell my last name...? The "H" throws them off. It's actually hilarious to hear the French say my last name. It's something like "AIR-VAY" and I have to try super hard not to laugh, and I'm /usually/ successful in that. It concerned me a little that they were asking, but hey I wasn't about to get up and tell them it was none of their business.
Also, I forgot to mention that when she introduced me to the class, I just kinda stood there awkwardly. I had made up my mind earlier that I would attempt eye contact. I ended up doing a quick glance and then turned away and just stood there until she finished. Then I sat down. Then people obviously whispered and stuff, but hey it's whatever. You definitely have to embrace being awkward when you're on exchange. You also have to be crazy strong.
Moving on to what happened after the hour and a half of school! (Sorrynotsorry this is such a long post)
My host mother found me and we went to eat lunch at this café. I had a croque monsieur. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's basically an epic grilled cheese. It's bread, cheese, ham, cheese, bread, cheese. Basically perfection. We then went to the local Church and I lit a candle in honor of my friend. I'm not religious really, but he was, so I thought he'd appreciate it. My host mother suggested it the night I found out and it was really touching. The support system I have here is already magnificent.
After the Church was retail therapy. I don't normally do retail therapy, but I'll just say that wandering down the streets of Montélimar and going in and out of shops full of beautiful (and mostly expensive) clothing was actually very relaxing. I did buy a few things and I am looking forward to pretending that I might fit in. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Just kidding. If I wanted to fit in I would be back home, and I barely blend in there anyway.
I think it was a good day today. Hopefully even better days will follow.
Au revoir!
Amelia
PHOTO BLOG
I had my first "school day" today. I'm not even sure if it deserves to be called a day, since it was a mere hour and a half. This morning I woke up, attempted to look presentable, and even ate breakfast (which I I rarely do, so I've obviously become a whole new person). We first dropped off my little host sister at her school and then headed into Montélimar. Due to the fact that my host mother works for the school, we went into administration and I guess I just kind of stood there awkwardly.
Hold on I'm getting ahead of myself. My first thoughts when we drove up to the school:
- Oh my, that's a lot of people.
- Welp. There goes my sanity.
- I'm scared.
- Why do they all look so French?
- Why do so many guys have some mohawk hairdo?
- Why are people wearing high heels? Are they crazy?
- How am I going to talk to them?
- Okay, time for a new rule: I will talk to someone different in my class (or at least attempt to) until there is no one left.
- That's going to be difficult.
Continuing on. Once it hit 10:00 the students started flooding the halls, and the administration woman was like "Les deux viennent avec moi" (I think). Rugged translation: "Hey you two that are so obviously out of place that it's painful, follow me". She showed me to the classroom and I took a seat (in the front, but in the corner, because hey, I DON'T KNOW ANYONE. The teacher said she would find me a friend (a girl so I would be more comfortable I guess...?), but some other guy like sat down and she had to ask him to move. That was rather uncomfortable for me.
So on that awkward note, I made a new friend (not the person who had to move, but the girl that the teacher basically told to be nice to me). She was very nice and explained the introductory form that I didn't understand at all. The two girls behind us overheard that I am American and started to talk to me. It was actually pretty cool knowing that they didn't HAVE to be nice, but they were anyway. One of the girls loves Seattle. She literally said "C'est ma ville" (That's my city). So she likes me (or at least where I come from).
I understood a surprising amount today, but I'm still unable to remember French on a consistent basis once something has been said to me. So I know that I understood, but I don't remember a lot of it. That amount today only being during the orientation portion, because once the teacher started her Physics lesson, I was completely lost. My new friend (at least I hope we're friends, only time will tell) kept asking me if I understood, so naturally I just sat there shaking my head. It was a lot of French and a lot of Physics. Two things I have yet to master.
Now during these classes, I had no idea if anyone was staring at me because I chose not to look around the room like a lost puppy. I mean I did notice a few people looking at me funny, but I just decided to ignore that. Also I think someone asked how to spell my last name...? The "H" throws them off. It's actually hilarious to hear the French say my last name. It's something like "AIR-VAY" and I have to try super hard not to laugh, and I'm /usually/ successful in that. It concerned me a little that they were asking, but hey I wasn't about to get up and tell them it was none of their business.
Also, I forgot to mention that when she introduced me to the class, I just kinda stood there awkwardly. I had made up my mind earlier that I would attempt eye contact. I ended up doing a quick glance and then turned away and just stood there until she finished. Then I sat down. Then people obviously whispered and stuff, but hey it's whatever. You definitely have to embrace being awkward when you're on exchange. You also have to be crazy strong.
Moving on to what happened after the hour and a half of school! (Sorrynotsorry this is such a long post)
My host mother found me and we went to eat lunch at this café. I had a croque monsieur. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's basically an epic grilled cheese. It's bread, cheese, ham, cheese, bread, cheese. Basically perfection. We then went to the local Church and I lit a candle in honor of my friend. I'm not religious really, but he was, so I thought he'd appreciate it. My host mother suggested it the night I found out and it was really touching. The support system I have here is already magnificent.
After the Church was retail therapy. I don't normally do retail therapy, but I'll just say that wandering down the streets of Montélimar and going in and out of shops full of beautiful (and mostly expensive) clothing was actually very relaxing. I did buy a few things and I am looking forward to pretending that I might fit in. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Just kidding. If I wanted to fit in I would be back home, and I barely blend in there anyway.
I think it was a good day today. Hopefully even better days will follow.
Au revoir!
Amelia
PHOTO BLOG
Monday, September 2, 2013
Sad news
Bonjour,
Sadly, my friend did not make it. I will still be continuing my exchange, but rather than just be for me, it will be for me and for him. He wanted to do this next year, and sadly he is unable to. I know that this is not the most happy thing to be reading, but it's my reality, and this is my blog, so please keep it together and continue reading.
Through all of this, I have realized two things:
1) I cannot stop this from being a part of my exchange experience.
2) But I can stop this from preventing my experiences.
This is not easy, nor is it what I signed up for, but giving up the rest of my year is not an option. With that, I will continue on.
I start school tomorrow (no, I will NOT be skipping due to recent events). I am very nervous, scared, and basically every emotion ever right now at this point. I just want to get it over with. Break the ice with these French people. Be more foreign than I will ever be in my life. Have no idea what's going on. Get an idea of what's going on. Talk to people. Listen to people. All of it. I will update tomorrow on how my first day went, so stay tuned.
Au revoir,
Amelia
Sadly, my friend did not make it. I will still be continuing my exchange, but rather than just be for me, it will be for me and for him. He wanted to do this next year, and sadly he is unable to. I know that this is not the most happy thing to be reading, but it's my reality, and this is my blog, so please keep it together and continue reading.
Through all of this, I have realized two things:
1) I cannot stop this from being a part of my exchange experience.
2) But I can stop this from preventing my experiences.
This is not easy, nor is it what I signed up for, but giving up the rest of my year is not an option. With that, I will continue on.
I start school tomorrow (no, I will NOT be skipping due to recent events). I am very nervous, scared, and basically every emotion ever right now at this point. I just want to get it over with. Break the ice with these French people. Be more foreign than I will ever be in my life. Have no idea what's going on. Get an idea of what's going on. Talk to people. Listen to people. All of it. I will update tomorrow on how my first day went, so stay tuned.
Au revoir,
Amelia
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Mon nouveau lycée...et les nouvelles (My new high school...and news)
Bonjour!
Today, I went with my host mom into Montélimar to not only visit my new high school, but to meet my fellow exchange student who is also living in/near Montélimar, as well as my third host mom. The school building itself is fairly similar to the high schools in the States, but there are still differences. The main building is broken up into three sections: A, B, and C. There are (I believe) four floors plus the main floor. So the second floor is the 100 hall, the third is 200, etc. There is also a science building and a gymnasium. I have been enrolled in course S. S is for science.
This means I will have two science courses rather than a literature and an art course. My schedule varies day to day, which will be new since every day is so uniform in the States. I think it'll be a nice change. I received 8 text books today. They aren't the huge and domineering books like back home; they are paperbacks and relatively small.... but I do have 8 of them. I have books for: Biology, Chemistry/Physics, Maths, English, Spanish, French, History, and Geography. Also I will take a PE course, but there obviously isn't a book for that. The other exchange student is very nice and I am happy I have one friend already (in the same city that is).
On the less joyful side of things, I found out earlier this morning that one of my friends who moved to Minnesota last year is in the hospital. He has a very bad flu (they think) and he went into a coma. We became very close since he moved and this was a wrecking ball. I don't know if he'll make it or not, but I do hope with my entire being that he does.
Thank you to all my exchange friends who have been supporting me through this. It really does mean a lot. I found all of this out before I went to the high school and held it together until after lunch. This afternoon was really rough, but my host parents have been more than kind and supportive about it. The other exchange students have also been very supportive and wonderful. This is my family for the year, and I couldn't be more content with the people I get to be around and open up to.
No matter what happens, I will not be going home. Since he is in Minnesota it would not help anyway. He told me before I left that I need to be strong and see this exchange through, no matter how homesick I get. I am sure that even in this situation, he would say the same thing: to stay strong and see this through. I will not be giving up on this experience because of a bump in the road (no matter how huge it may be).
Sorry if this post was a bit depressing... hopefully the next one will bear good news and an interesting story.
Au revoir!
Amelia
PS: I have my SD card reader now, so pictures will hopefully be posted later tonight or by tomorrow :) http://la-france-en-photos.tumblr.com/
Today, I went with my host mom into Montélimar to not only visit my new high school, but to meet my fellow exchange student who is also living in/near Montélimar, as well as my third host mom. The school building itself is fairly similar to the high schools in the States, but there are still differences. The main building is broken up into three sections: A, B, and C. There are (I believe) four floors plus the main floor. So the second floor is the 100 hall, the third is 200, etc. There is also a science building and a gymnasium. I have been enrolled in course S. S is for science.
This means I will have two science courses rather than a literature and an art course. My schedule varies day to day, which will be new since every day is so uniform in the States. I think it'll be a nice change. I received 8 text books today. They aren't the huge and domineering books like back home; they are paperbacks and relatively small.... but I do have 8 of them. I have books for: Biology, Chemistry/Physics, Maths, English, Spanish, French, History, and Geography. Also I will take a PE course, but there obviously isn't a book for that. The other exchange student is very nice and I am happy I have one friend already (in the same city that is).
On the less joyful side of things, I found out earlier this morning that one of my friends who moved to Minnesota last year is in the hospital. He has a very bad flu (they think) and he went into a coma. We became very close since he moved and this was a wrecking ball. I don't know if he'll make it or not, but I do hope with my entire being that he does.
Thank you to all my exchange friends who have been supporting me through this. It really does mean a lot. I found all of this out before I went to the high school and held it together until after lunch. This afternoon was really rough, but my host parents have been more than kind and supportive about it. The other exchange students have also been very supportive and wonderful. This is my family for the year, and I couldn't be more content with the people I get to be around and open up to.
No matter what happens, I will not be going home. Since he is in Minnesota it would not help anyway. He told me before I left that I need to be strong and see this exchange through, no matter how homesick I get. I am sure that even in this situation, he would say the same thing: to stay strong and see this through. I will not be giving up on this experience because of a bump in the road (no matter how huge it may be).
Sorry if this post was a bit depressing... hopefully the next one will bear good news and an interesting story.
Au revoir!
Amelia
PS: I have my SD card reader now, so pictures will hopefully be posted later tonight or by tomorrow :) http://la-france-en-photos.tumblr.com/
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Lyon!
Bonjour!
Yesterday, my host family said goodbye to my host sister! She left for Canada and I think has arrived safely. She didn't have the gross trip that I did. Because we trekked the two hour drive up to Lyon, we stayed up there for the day. It wasn't very nice out, so we just went to this huge Catholic Church that overlooks the city. It's called "Notre-Dame de Fourvière". It was so beautiful and I took a lot of pictures. Alas, I still do not have my SD card reader so I will post them when I can! Sorry about the delay on that! The pictures really do speak more than I could describe so I guess you will have to be patient.
After the Church, we went to a HUGE mall. While there, I bought my phone for France. That was a bit of a struggle. I had to listen to and attempt to comprehend more French today than I have in the past five that I have been here. It was really intense and very tiring. But eventually, I selected a phone and I can call or text anyone in France all I want (because it's unlimited...yay). That literally took 3 hours.
In between the phone hunting, we had lunch at this sandwich shop in the mall. There had been a few of these shops scattered around with ads for their "L'americain" sandwich. Once again, pictures will be posted when I can do that. But I obviously noticed these ads and the sandwich surprised me, but at the same time did not. It was ground beef, lettuce, ketchup and.... fries (?) on a baguette. I could not stop laughing once I realized what it had on it. I explained to my host mom that we don't put our fries ON our burgers in the US. She seemed surprised, because apparently all "American" sandwiches have fries on them. It was hilarious though. I probably laughed for a solid minute about it and intermittently for the rest of the day. It has become apparent that the USA is no more than burgers and fries. ;)
After we sorted out my cell phone issues, we roamed the mall and my host parents looked for things. This is when I really bonded with my other siblings. They hadn't really talked to me until today. I don't understand all of what they say (because they don't slow down when they speak) so I make them repeat everything like 3 times. It probably gets annoying, but hey, it works. I'm going to watch "Raiponce" ("Tangled") with my little sister tomorrow and it's going to be awesome :)
Also one thing I've noticed: French women are always extremely put together. They always have enough accessories. Like they perfectly balance rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings and everything with what they're wearing. I must learn this art. Soon. I'm already going to stick out because everyone I've met so far is super tan and I'm whiter than cream cheese (as my best friend back home would say). Oh well, it will all work itself out... I hope.
Until next time! Au revoir!
Amelia
Yesterday, my host family said goodbye to my host sister! She left for Canada and I think has arrived safely. She didn't have the gross trip that I did. Because we trekked the two hour drive up to Lyon, we stayed up there for the day. It wasn't very nice out, so we just went to this huge Catholic Church that overlooks the city. It's called "Notre-Dame de Fourvière". It was so beautiful and I took a lot of pictures. Alas, I still do not have my SD card reader so I will post them when I can! Sorry about the delay on that! The pictures really do speak more than I could describe so I guess you will have to be patient.
After the Church, we went to a HUGE mall. While there, I bought my phone for France. That was a bit of a struggle. I had to listen to and attempt to comprehend more French today than I have in the past five that I have been here. It was really intense and very tiring. But eventually, I selected a phone and I can call or text anyone in France all I want (because it's unlimited...yay). That literally took 3 hours.
In between the phone hunting, we had lunch at this sandwich shop in the mall. There had been a few of these shops scattered around with ads for their "L'americain" sandwich. Once again, pictures will be posted when I can do that. But I obviously noticed these ads and the sandwich surprised me, but at the same time did not. It was ground beef, lettuce, ketchup and.... fries (?) on a baguette. I could not stop laughing once I realized what it had on it. I explained to my host mom that we don't put our fries ON our burgers in the US. She seemed surprised, because apparently all "American" sandwiches have fries on them. It was hilarious though. I probably laughed for a solid minute about it and intermittently for the rest of the day. It has become apparent that the USA is no more than burgers and fries. ;)
After we sorted out my cell phone issues, we roamed the mall and my host parents looked for things. This is when I really bonded with my other siblings. They hadn't really talked to me until today. I don't understand all of what they say (because they don't slow down when they speak) so I make them repeat everything like 3 times. It probably gets annoying, but hey, it works. I'm going to watch "Raiponce" ("Tangled") with my little sister tomorrow and it's going to be awesome :)
Also one thing I've noticed: French women are always extremely put together. They always have enough accessories. Like they perfectly balance rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings and everything with what they're wearing. I must learn this art. Soon. I'm already going to stick out because everyone I've met so far is super tan and I'm whiter than cream cheese (as my best friend back home would say). Oh well, it will all work itself out... I hope.
Until next time! Au revoir!
Amelia
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