I HATE GOODBYES. THEY ARE THE WORST THING EVER.

When I first signed up for this exchange, I was so excited to find a new place, discover so many wonderful things, and meet the most amazing group of people. I did not sign up for all these goodbyes! I guess you could say that I've been in denial for a while. I don't think I'm in denial anymore, but that doesn't mean I have to be ok with this.

Today was the last Rotary event in my district. Only about  half of the exchange students were there, but that didn't make it any easier to say goodbye to them. Everyone started out with the normal happiness that comes with seeing everyone again. However, once the first person said they had to go (this person happened to be me), tears started flowing (from my eyes first). 

I don't know how to describe what I was feeling. I was happy because I know all these amazing people from around the world. I was sad and disappointed that I had to leave them. I was confused (and still am) as to why it had to end. I was angry that I didn't have any time left. I was just a mess all around we'll say. 

For the car ride back to Montélimar, I told myself I wasn't going to cry in front of the family of the girl who's going on exchange next year. Next thing I know, a song comes on the radio. The song that I sang in December with one of my favorite Brazilians (eu te amo João <3) and started crying again. The tears didn't stop for about an hour and they've been making off-and-on appearances since I got back to my host family.

On top of all of that, I'm going to see my mother for the first time since leaving Seattle on August 21st, 2013. In about 5 minutes. Needless to say, I physically cannot function right now. With my mom, we're going to visit each of my host families, our family in Montpellier, and a couple of my friends. I'll be leaving France on friday and will be back in Seattle on friday (time zone changes are weird).

It's all ending. Please make it stop ending. This is torture.

Amelia


PS: To any exchange students that I have met this year, I love you more than words can say. Even if I barely spoke to you, you'll have a special place in my heart forever and always! <3 

Not "goodbye", but "see you soon" (I hope)

Sorry I haven't been posting at all. As my exchange is winding down to the end, I just haven't been motivated to explain it. So excuse me for that. 

On June 11th, I had to say goodbye to the majority of my French friends. I kept telling myself that I was going to cry so much, but in reality, I only cried once... at the end of it all. The actions didn't seem real at the time, but once I got back to the house it all hit me at once. Saying goodbye to the people who have accepted me all year was one of the most painful experiences of my life. I know I'll see them again someday, but the thought of facing next year without them scares me.

Next sunday, I will be saying goodbye to all the exchange students left in my district. That is going to be extremely difficult. I know that I'll probably never see most of them again. The thing about the exchange students is that everyone will be so spread out after it's over. I'm looking forward to seeing them one last time, but it won't be the same atmosphere. Everyone will know that it's the last time. Everyone will be crying (yes, even the strong ones). Everyone will have to face the fact that it's ending or is already over.  

Another important event next sunday will be the arrival of my mother in France. I plan to introduce her to my host families and show her around the area that I have fallen in love with this year. She'll even get to attend a Rotary meeting here in France. While I know that constantly translating between French and English will be difficult, I'm looking forward to the challenge. I want to show my mom how much this year has given me, but I doubt a few days will be enough.

The people that I have met this year mean the world to me. I could not imagine a better group to have shared this experience with. Saying goodbye hasn't been easy and will not get any easier, but it is part of exchange. Nothing lasts forever, but at least the connections we have all made this year will last a long time. 

11 days until my flight back... I can't believe it's coming to a close.

Amelia

Eurotour Schedule

Eurotour Program

April 26th: Tour of Paris, France and a guided tour of the Pantheon. Night in Reims, France (a city in between Paris and Strasbourg)

April 27th: Tour of Strasbourg, France. Night in Germany along the border.

April 28th: Tour of Munich, Germany. Night in a city near the border of Germany and the Czech Republic.

April 29th: Tour of Prague, Czech Republic. Night in the center of Prague.

April 30th: Tour of the castle in Prague. Night on the border of the Czech Republic and Austria.

May 1st: Tour of Vienna, Austria. Night outside of Vienna, where we ran into a Rotary bus trip from Germany. 

May 2nd: Day in the bus. Yippeeeee sleep. Night in Jesolo, Italy. 

May 3rd: Tour of Venice, Italy and a gondola ride. Night in Jesolo again.

May 4th: Tour of Milan, Italy. Night along the French-Italian Border

May 5th: Visit to Mont Blanc and the ice caves. Night in Annecy, France.

May 6th: Tour of the United Nations center in Geneva, Switzerland. Chocolate in Switzerland. Visit of Lake Annecy. Night in Annecy. 

May 7th: Tears.

A more detailed post on the trip will be done after I am not sick and have gotten enough sleep. :)

Amelia

PS I'm sorry I didn't have time to post the itinerary before or during the actual trip. 

New Family

So last week I changed host families! I'm sorry this is so late but I've been adjusting to the new family and I haven't had the time to write. Anyway, last Sunday was my last day with my second family. It was also right before my birthday. So naturally I was a little bummed to be leaving such a wonderful family just before my birthday. But my second family, being the amazing people that they are, surprised me by inviting my first host family (who I hadn't seen since the switch) and my third host family over for an afternoon celebrating my birthday. 

Yes, I cried.

No, I am not ashamed of that.

Okay, maybe a little bit.

But still.

Anyway, moving on. With my new family, there's an entirely new rhythm (PS it took me a full minute to spell rhythm right and I'm still not sure). For one, there are no children at the house. This is a rather big change for me since I'm not an only child in the states and in my other two host families I have had two sibling who were almost always at the house. There is one daughter who comes on the weekends, but other than her, it is just me and my host parents. 

Since there are no children, dinner is not as early as it was in the other families. I had gotten used to eating around 7:00 or 7:30 in the other two families, but with this one we eat around 8:15 or 8:30. Also, I no longer have a 14 year old sister to discuss my day with. That is probably the hardest part about changing. I got really close with my host sister in my second family and now I have no one to talk to about my pointless daily problems that won't matter in 5 years. 

Things at school haven't changed much, but now I feel like the friendships I have are actually going to last beyond this year. Being able to actually speak and fully understand the language has really helped with that. Hopefully French will get even easier by the end of this all. 

Speaking of the end... The end is less than three months away. I dooooooon't liiiiiiiiiiiike thiiiiiis.

I'll be going on a bus trip around Europe in less than two weeks and I'm SUPER excited for it! I'll get to spend 10 days on a bus with a bunch of awesome exchange students. :D YAY.

Amelia

JRJ Weekend in Paris!!!

Imagine this:

500+ exchange students from 35 different countries in Paris for the weekend.

Yes. It is as wonderful as you're imagining it. Maybe even better. 

This weekend, the two Rotary districts in Paris hosted the "JRJ Weekend" that happens every 2 (maybe 4?) years. Basically, Rotary gets all of it's inbounds together for a fantastically amazing, beautiful, unforgettable, exhilarating, and just all around wonderful weekend. 

Friday, my district took the bus up to Paris. After 7 long hours on the bus, we finally arrived at the Hostel. Now, this Hostel was not the classiest place. In fact, there were only 3 outlets per floor. On my floor, they were being shared by about 35 girls... Definitely not enough for all the hair straighteners and cell phones. But anyway that isn't what was important. What is important is the people. My district of about 40 students shared the hostel with two other districts of about 20 and 30 students. I was the first from my district to go talk to one of the others. Once everyone realized that no one was going to bite, everything went really well.

Saturday morning we piled into the bus after breakfast and drove to a spot in front of the Eiffel Tower. This was the first time that all the exchange students were in one place. It was so crazy and hectic. There were hugs happening everywhere and a bunch of different languages being spoken. I got to see some of the Americans that I got my visa with in San Francisco as well as some people who I had friended on Facebook knowing I would get to meet them. Everyone took lots of pictures. I, being the slightly crazy person that I am, went up to random groups of people that I didn't know at all and started random conversation and then hugged everyone. I also retained A LOT of names. I surprised myself at how many names I was remembering. 

After the Eiffel Tower, we went to a presentation. Now, mind you, we were 500+ exchange students who wanted nothing more than to TALK TO EACH OTHER. Needless to say, we didn't really pay attention to the presentation. I felt bad for the speakers, but at the same time, they didn't really consider the fact that we would all instantly love each other to pieces. Following the presentation, we took "Les Bateaux Mouches" along the Seine River with our districts. The sun was shining and everything was so beautiful. I spent the ride talking with one of my best friends just about life in general. I think it brought us a lot closer together. 

Saturday night was the grand event. It started with a chaotic "organization" of the flag presentation. 500 students in one hallway with Rotarians yelling different orders. Lovely. After the presentation got underway everyone found seats and waited for their turn to sing their national anthems. Once all 35 countries were done, we sat down to eat dinner/walk around aimlessly to find our new friends. During dinner the talent show started. Each district presented something really cool and/or adorable. Two of my Brazilian friends, one of my Mexican friends, and I sang a medley to represent our district. It went really well (despite the fact that we had been losing our voices all evening). 

Once the talent show ended, everyone went to the dance floor -- including the Rotarians. Now I thought it was weird when I danced next to all the Latin Americans, but Rotarians next to Latin Americans is something else (that is absolutely wonderful). The night ended around 2 am, but with the hour change, it actually ended at 3 am. We got back to the hostel at 3:45 am and had to wake up by 7 am that morning. I took advantage of the empty showers (there were only 2 per floor for the girls) and ended up going to bed around 4:15. Basically I was dead on Sunday.

Sunday morning we all went to Versailles. I had been to Versailles for the bus trip, but I didn't really get to see the gardens the first time. After walking through with my friend who had never been there, I met up with some friends I had made the night before and wandered through the gardens with them for a few hours.

My district left Versailles around 2 pm. The bus ride back was LONG. It took about 7 hours to get to Lyon, but those 7 hours seemed to last a day because I couldn't sleep. At one point, everyone on the bus was asleep...except me and the driver. Ugh. But it was alright I guess since I didn't get bus sick. I ended up back in Montélimar around 9:30 pm and at the house around 10:00 pm. 

This morning I woke up sick, so I didn't go to school. Hooray for sleeping all day. I just feel bad for the exchange students who had to face that today after such a gloriously tiring weekend. I wish I could go back and relive every second of it. Hopefully I'll be able to see some of these people again. They truly add a whole other side to this experience and I love them for that.

Bisous,

Amelia 

Paris/Barcelona Photos

Paris/Barcelona Bus Trip

For the first week of vacation I was on a bus travelling across France and into Spain. My host family  drove me to Lyon Sunday night. I stayed in a hotel with most of the other exchange students in my district who were going on the trip. We all hung out until about 11:00 or 11:30 and then went to sleep. The next morning we all woke up at an ungodly hour and got on the bus at 5:30 am. We drove to the airport/train station and picked up the rest of the students. Everyone was either from my district or the district in Lyon. 

We spent the first day driving up to Paris. Continuously riding in a bus with very few breaks is not very fun at first. Eventually everyone found their groups and talked (after sleeping for a few hours). Once we got to Paris, a tour guide got on the bus and talked to us about Paris as we drove around. After the tour we got to walk along the Champs Elysees and see the Arc de Triomphe. Afterwards, we went to the hotel and ate dinner. After dinner, no one was tired, so the chaperones took us out to a bar (no, we did not drink alcohol) so that we wouldn't disrupt the rest of the hotel. 

The next day, we visited the Eiffel Tower and the Palace at Versailles (pictures soon, I promise). At the Eiffel Towers, we took the stairs to the top, which was super super fun (PS that was sarcastic). We all took pictures on each level of the tower and some of us went to the very top, including me. On the third level, a group of us met some Italians and spoke to them in a couple broken languages. After the Eiffel Tower, we went to the Palace at Versailles. In the beginning they gave us portable audio guides, but no one really used them. Everyone took pictures and talked.

We later got on the bus again and drove to Limoges. We stayed in Limoges for the night and then went to Chateau de Chenonceau in the Loire Valley. We walked around and took pictures of course. We then began the descent to Barcelona, Spain. It was a looooong bus ride, but when we finally arrived, it was well worth the wait. 

The first day in Spain, we had another guided tour that was very similar to the one we had in Paris. Sadly, these tours are a little pointless since most of the exchange students weren't listening. The guide took us to a beautiful church and then a fruit market in the center of Barcelona. She then left and everyone had free time to go shopping in Barcelona. I walked around with one of my American friends and we went to STARBUCKS. I really miss that coffee sometimes. I got some in Lyon for the Fete des Lumieres, but it's such a change. You really start to appreciate how ubiquitous they are in the Seattle area after being so limited. 

The second day in Barcelona, we went to the Sagrada Familia and the Picasso museum. The Sagrada Familia is a stunning, unfinished cathedral that is in the middle of being restored. They are supposed to finish the restoration in 2028. Even though it was in the middle of construction, it was still stunning. The architecture is really different from any building I've ever seen. The Picasso museum was interesting, but we had a guide. I prefer to tour museums at my own pace so that I can focus on what interests me. Despite the guide's priorities, it was still really interesting. 

The last day in Spain, we went to the Dali museum. We once again had a guide with priorities, but the art was still really fascinating. Sometimes I wonder how this stuff manages to become famous. I will never understand it. Or art for that matter. After the tour and lunch, we got in the bus and went back to France. We stopped in Montpellier for dinner and dropped off our two chaperones. It was a tearful goodbye, but somehow everyone managed to get back on the bus and return to Lyon.

It was really difficult to leave everyone at the end, but we have Paris in two and a half weeks. In Paris, all the Rotary exchange students in France will meet up at a conference for 3 days. Knowing that we don't have too long to wait for that helped a little. 

I have one week left of vacation and then it will be time to return to school. I'm looking forward to seeing my French friends again, but not to waking up at 6 every day. Hopefully it won't be too difficult to transition to.

I promise I'll post pictures as soon as I can!!

Amelia

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde...

So I don't want to say that I have two personalities, but I kind of might have two personalities. This weekend I was with a couple exchange students to prepare for Paris at the end of March. I spoke in English for a majority of the weekend. I didn't really want to go into English mode, but it wasn't too bad. One of them said that she feels like a different person in the different languages that she speaks (Portuguese, English, French). After thinking about it, I realized that I do too. Also, that I prefer myself in French. 

It's a little weird, but I find that I'm different when I speak French. I don't think it's just because I've been here for six months and that it's my life now. Honestly, French words are just more accurate when it comes to describing things that happen to me. In English I tend to ramble and use a lot of different words to say the same thing (kind of like I do in these blog posts...), but in French I find that I'm more concise and I really have to choose my words. Because of this, it's a little easier to express what I want to say. 

Then again, there are times when I don't know the word for something (which bugs me... a lot). That's more a matter of translation though and not really being me. I just find that I articulate my ideas a little bit more in French than I do in English. Since this is the case, I am more of the person that I want to be and my personality is a little different. As you have probably noticed, I tend to ramble a lot when I speak or write in English. That can be great for a blog post, but in person it's tiring and makes me sound as though I don't know what I'm trying to say.

Basically, I prefer speaking French instead of English. That's actually pretty convenient seeing how I'm in France. It's just a little concerning for the return (which I will probably not speak of at all in any of my upcoming posts seeing how I HAVE NO DESIRE TO GO BACK). So I guess I just wanted to say that I've finally found out who I really am and it took learning another language for me to figure that out. But now that I have figured that out, I hope I won't switch back to the person I was before this all began. I guess we'll see how the cookie crumbles (yay, expressions that I haven't used in forever are suddenly useful!).

 Amelia

PS: To any of you reading this who are exchange students, I hope you have been able to see another side of your self, even if it isn't your favorite side. It may be different for those who are finding a side they don't like. If you're having a little battle with yourself, just remember that if exchange was easy, then everyone would do it, and that just isn't possible. Keep on going. :)

PPS: I have an issue with the fact that there isn't a word for the plural/formal form of you in English. Whenever I speak in English I always hesitate before saying "you" when I'm talking to a group and I wonder if I forgot the word. It's honestly getting really annoying.

Friends

Today I'm going to talk about the French people I've met here and I guess just the (very) general idea of how my friendships have formed this year. I've spent some time talking about exchange students, but I've never really explained my school friends and how I even got them. That may also be because I'm still not sure how I got them. 

I'll start with the girls in my class, because they were the first ones to really become my friends. One in particular is definitely my best friend here. Even though she was basically assigned to me on the first day, she hasn't ever left me to the wolves (the wolves being scary French people who I don't know). It's because of her that my French is at the level it is. Mostly because she isn't afraid to correct me (which is lovely) even if I seem annoyed by it. I guess it was because of her that I became friends with the other girls. I love all of them to bits and pieces. I had also met a few other girls in the various English classes that I helped with in the beginning of the year. 

It was relatively easy to become friends with the girls, but the guys on the other hand.... We'll just say that it was a little more complicated. After a couple awkward experiences with being lab partners in SVT (Biology) I had basically given up on getting guy friends. But the day came when one of the girls from an English class helped me break down the barrier. I'm pretty sure that I've already ranted about the separation of guys and girls with foosball and everything and if I haven't... I just did sort of. But anyway, this girl helped me get a place to play at the foosball tables. After about a month of more awkward interactions, I gradually made friends with a few of the guys. 

Mission accomplished, right?

You may be laughing, but people don't realize how impossibly daunting it can be to make friends on exchange (at least with the locals). I started with no one. I had no history with any one of them and I could barely speak the language in the beginning. I don't know how to properly describe the experience. Even though I have them now, it isn't really the same as what I was expecting. It gets really annoying every time I realize how long they've all known each other and that they all get next year together. All the people I've known for a long time are super far away, and I didn't really mind leaving them. I thought that starting over completely would be simpler. I was definitely wrong. Simple is not a word I would use to describe any of this. It's hard hearing them talking about all the things they did last year or what they might do next year. I only have this year. I can only wish that it was longer. 

My struggles with this year have switched from: "This is too new, I don't really like it as much as I thought I would" to: "I can live like this for the year" to where I am now: "I love everything about this and I never want to leave it behind". 

I have no desire to leave at this point. I hate when people say the April is soon, because after April I only have May and June. I hate when people ask me when I'm leaving. I hate when people ask me when I'm coming back... I HAVEN'T LEFT YET! I hate being reminded that it's going to end, because I love what it is. 

I definitely CAN wait for it all to end!

Amelia

Are you really happy or just really comfortable?

The other day I came across this picture:

This scares me. 

The moment when I finally thought I was happy on exchange was when I became comfortable. When I first went out of my comfort zone at the beginning of this exchange, I wasn't truly happy. I was more excited about all the new things that were happening. As these things grew less and less intimidating and daunting, I found myself becoming more and more comfortable. 

There are people out there who say that it isn't good to stay comfortable for too long. I have to say that I disagree -- sort of. What we have to do rather than avoid our comfort zone is expand it. I am aware of how weird this sounds, but I'm going somewhere with it... I think. When you leave your comfort zone, you have to adapt. Eventually, you will adapt so well that this new experience will be within your comfort zone. Now it isn't some instant gratification, but it's something you have to work for. 

My life before exchange was within my comfort zone. My family, friends, high school, lifestyle, and everything else there was all in my comfort zone. At the beginning of my exchange I had none of that. I had a host family, no friends, a new high school, a completely changed lifestyle, and so many other different and foreign aspects that had transformed in a matter days. Needless to say, France was (literally) 5,329 mi (about 8576 km) outside of my comfort zone. 

Around the two and a half month mark, I had adjusted to the family, had made a few friends, and sort of liked the high school. The lifestyle, however, I had not adjusted to, as well as the language. In fact, around the two month mark I was just starting to fully (well relative to before) understand the French around me. 

At this point (5 months in...ahhhh) I feel completely comfortable. I love my second host family, I have made friends (who I HOPE will stay my friends long after I have to leave again), high school is just kind of high school now, and the language I think I've got a pretty good understanding of. The lifestyle has been a difficult thing to adjust to, but now I think it's pretty normal. 

Communication is one of the most important things in all of this. Being unable to communicate with people was definitely out of my comfort zone. Coming to another country with a very very basic understanding of the language is frightening. The moment when France was added to my comfort zone (wow that still sounds weird, but I don't know how else to put it) was when I felt that I had a grasp on the language. 

Basically what I'm trying to say is that it's good to be in your comfort zone, but you need to reach out and take a little more of the world in for yourself. I swear to you this made sense in my head. Hats off to you if you understand what I'm trying to say. 

Basically: Change is good, but eventually that change won't feel any different.

This may have just been me trying to express my feelings about being closer to the end than the beginning... Maybe I'll have an interesting story soon :)

Amelia

Halfway....

I just wanted to let you know that I have reached the halfway point. 

I have no idea how I feel about this. I'm confused.

Amelia

Talent Show Videos

If anyone is interested in seeing the Talent Show acts I participated in:

"Impossible" (by James Arthur) Cover

"Fix You" (by Coldplay) Cover

Rotary Weekend #2!

Bonjour!

This weekend, I had another Rotary Weekend with all the exchange students in my district. We went to St. Sorlin, a ski village in the Alps. On Saturday, a few other exchange students and I left Montélimar. We were within 30 km of the village when our route was cut off since the passes are closed for the winter. We then had to turn around and return to the nearest big city and take a different route. This added a little over two hours to our already long car ride. Rather than arriving at 4:00 pm, we arrived around 5:45 pm. 

After saying hello to everyone and putting our things in our rooms, we just started hanging out. The guitars were brought out and a group of us just started singing. I loved just relaxing with everyone and being normal for once. It has taken a while to get back to the normal interactions. There were still language barriers, but we all got along and found ways to communicate. After hanging out for a while, we had dinner: Raclette. Perfection. Nothing more, nothing less.

After dinner everyone did their last minute rehearsals for the Talent Show (by the way there was a talent show). It was so much fun to see everyone just be themselves and show their talents, even if they were uncomfortable (like me). I sang with two Brazilians and a Mexican. NORMALLY, I DO NOT EVER SING IN FRONT OF PEOPLE, but this weekend I just felt comfortable with it. Until people said nice things.... Then I just turned really awkward and tried to get them to stop talking about it. I should probably get over that soon. Mostly because the Rotarians chose the Talent Show act who will represent District 1780 at the Conference Weekend in Paris where every Rotary exchange student in France will meet up. That means I need to get over stage fright and talking to people about it afterwards. It's really exciting to know that people trust you and your friends to creatively represent a large body of people. 

After the Talent Show, we danced. Once again, it's really difficult to dance when you are surrounded by a bunch of South Americans who can move without looking like awkward seals (like me). You just kind of have to accept the fact that you will not move like that and maybe you never will. It was a difficult process, but it was successful. Exchange students just love being around each other and it was cool to just have everyone there.  

I loved having everyone there and I realized that I wasn't really adventurous last time. In September, I mainly talked to Americans, Canadians, Australians, and people who were willing to just speak English. This time, I decided to go meet other people who spoke other languages. I ended up spending a lot of times with the South Americans and making friends with them. Even though 75% of the time they were speaking Portuguese or Spanish, it was still really fun. Of course I had to ask for a translation to either French or English, but it worked somehow. I'm really happy that I switched it up. I still love the others, but now I've gotten to know even more people. 

The next day, we went snow-shoeing along the mountainside. For 4 hours. I'm just going to say that it was very difficult to walk up stairs the next day... Despite the fact that everyone was extremely tired, the view was gorgeous. There was a good amount of snow, but it never snowed while we were walking. I normally don't like snow, but when the snowball fights started I didn't just stand on the sidelines... 

Getting to be myself during this whirl-wind that is exchange has been one of the best things that has ever happened. I'm no longer afraid of how people see me. I just act how I act and let people make the decision for themselves. Trying to fit in isn't worth it anymore. Rather than trying to fit in on exchange you just have to fall into your place. You won't fit perfectly with everyone, but you'll find people and they'll find you. I've realized that I need to stop searching for a spot to be and just find it naturally.

I wish every exchange student the best of luck in stumbling across who they are. I wish families the best in supporting the exchange students in their lives. I wish Rotarians the best in continuing to give this gift to many future exchange students. This year has been truly magnificent so far and I cannot wait (except that I totally can and will wait) to see the end result. 

Au revoir!

Amelia 

Just a side note...

For those of you who might care:

I almost got off at the wrong bus stop on Tuesday.... It was probably one of the most embarrassing things that has happened to me this year. I walked up to the front of the bus and it stopped. I saw the sign through the window (and obviously noticed that it wasn't the right place) and told the driver that I was mistaken and that it was the next one. He just kind of stared at me.... along with every other person on the bus. Oops?

Bonne Année! Happy New Year!

Bonjour!

It's been awhile, and this post will be very long, so bear with me. The last time I posted was just before winter vacation. The friday before break, my (real) dad's cousin (I think that makes him my second cousin...? I don't know so we'll just call him and his family my cousins) came and picked me up from Montélimar to spend Christmas and New Years with him and his family in Montpellier. After arriving in Montpellier, I spent a lot of time with my little cousins. They are two of the sweetest little girls on the planet. On the 23rd, we went to Bordeaux for Christmas. It was difficult to celebrate in such a different manner. I spent Christmas with a bunch of strangers. However, these strangers welcomed me with open arms. That afternoon, we went to the center of Bordeaux. It was MAGNIFICENT. I used to think that cities weren't very pretty and that the bustle was always overwhelming, but I admit that I was wrong. That evening, I tried skyping with my family, but we didn't talk for very long. 

On the 24th, I baked cinnamon rolls for everyone (that was a success). Dinner on Christmas Eve was raw seafood..... which is not exactly my cup of tea, so I didn't really eat anything. The Père Noël arrived around 11 pm on the 24th. Apparently, the only one of the five children (who were all under the age of 12) still believed in the magical man who brings gifts on Christmas. He was around 5, but others were 7 or 8, and I just felt bad that the magic didn't last very long for them. For dinner on Christmas Day, there was roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and a mushroom/truffle sauce. MUCH better than the seafood.

We returned to Montpellier on the 26th. Around midnight, I skyped my parents and little brother and had a mini Christmas, complete with the stocking that they sent me. The next day, I went with my cousins to see "Belle et Sébastien", which is a beautiful French film that was recently remade and released. I understood all of it and was very proud of myself. I highly recommend it. I then spent a few days with my great aunt, who lives just a ten minute walk away from the center of Montpellier. We strolled around the center and I did my Christmas shopping for my first host family (it was more thank you shopping than for Christmas). After the shopping, we returned home and watched some TV. We watched "Castle" (I had to set in on English with French subtitles...the voices were horrible in French) and then a Charlie Chaplin movie. 

After returning to my cousins' house outside Montpellier, I got the chance to watch real French television. My little cousins and I watched "Fait pas ci, fait pas ça" (Don't do this, don't do that). Apparently, it was really funny, but I only understood a few of the jokes. I felt like such a downer not laughing with everyone else, but I don't just laugh when everyone else does. I've learned that it's better to show that you don't understand rather than faking it. Faking it doesn't help me learn. 

For New Year's Eve, I colored. Rather than watch more of "Fais pas ci, fais pas ça", I colored in my room and listened to Stromae (Belgian hip-hop/electronic/rap artist). I didn't even notice the year change. New Years Day, we spent a day without technology and played board games and relaxed. The next day, I rejoined my host family. We spent the afternoon in Nîmes and returned to Montélimar in the evening. When we got back, we had a gift exchange. I gave them their presents and they gave me an absolutely gorgeous necklace. After dinner, I had a long conversation with my host parents about everything and anything (instead of packing). 

The next morning, I packed up my bags and mentally prepared myself for the family change even though I had no idea what to expect. That evening, we went to my second family's house to officially change. We spent about an hour and a half talking. When my first host family left, it was the weirdest feeling to not go with them. I couldn't even watch them walk back to their car. They were the first people to show me this new culture and helped me adjust to everything. You know that heavy feeling you get after you cry? I felt that as they left. I didn't actually cry, but it felt as though I had cried for an hour. Luckily, my new little host brother came and gave me a hug. 

My second host family sent their son to the States about 3 years ago, and I will be their last exchange student (if my host sister changes her mind and no longer wants to go on exchange that is). I have four host siblings, but only two are always at the house. My older host sister is studying in Paris and only returns for long vacations. I may not see her again during my exchange. My older host brother on the other hand, is studying in Lyon and comes back on the weekend sometimes. Then there's my younger host sister, who is 14. I've never had a sister before, let alone one relatively close to my age. She and I get along very well and I already love her to bits. Finally, there's my 7 year old host brother. He is such a sweetheart and we also get along very well. My host parents are really kind and it's easy to talk to them. It has been a little easier to find a rhythm in this family because I know the language better and don't have to change cultures completely. 

Today, school started again with a new bus. I was really worried that the bus would be awkwardly full when I got on, but it was practically empty. After I got on, it filled up very quickly. It's definitely a different rhythm already, but I think (hope) it will be a quick adjustment. My first class today was math (obviously everyone's favorite course to start with). After school, I had to wait two hours for the bus and my host sister. Tomorrow, I won't have her to show me where the stop is, so I'm a little freaked out about that. I tried to pay attention with the timing and the scenery, but I'm just not sure enough. Well hopefully that goes well tomorrow. 

Au revoir!

Amelia