Two Month Update

Spring has arrived in central France, and the past week especially was very beautiful and warm. Even though school days are very long here, I have a lot of breaks in my schedule, so I've been able to spend some time in the sunshine, enjoying what I wouldn't have been able to enjoy back home in Cleveland. Today I ate lunch outside with my host family, which was very nice and still seems too good to be true to me. (Waiting for one last snow? C'mon, haven't seen any since January. Something is wrong with that.)
Last Monday I was very happy for the sun and warm temperatures when I got out of music class at six o'clock in the evening and found my way to the bus stop by myself (for the first time!!) and then realized...I had forgotten my bus card. Making the decision not to go back to the school and ask for help from the kid with spikes in his face, I decided to use my new ("new"...hand-me-down from a host sister.) cell phone instead, also a first for me. Sitting on the side of the road, I attempted to understand my host dad through static and traffic, which wasn't easy, but I finally got that he wanted me to ask the bus driver to let me ride to Menetou, where my host dad would be waiting with my card. This was successful, and I was very relieved to finally get home around seven, where dinner and stinky cheese were waiting for me as usual.


Monday's trauma was balanced out by a relatively easy week. My French is coming along very well, and I am able to have conversations with my classmates and follow the lessons at school, even if some of the details are still lost. Sometimes I'm still a little unsure about what's going on around me--for example, a random rock concert on a Friday afternoon (during class!) seemed strange to me, but turned out to be a part of the Semaine des Arts at my school. After zoning out in theater, I missed the part where we decided to perform our play outside...in a tree. But, all in all, I think these were acceptable things to be confused about.

And, finally, I've been bringing American culture to France, as well. I had Wednesday afternoon off, and since I didn't have anything better to do, decided to make cupcakes. The shape was somewhat of a failure (turns out, we don't have a muffin tin...) but they tasted alright, and were a success with the family. I also made potstickers (that's American, right?) which was a good, familiar taste of home. Mixed with requests to translate Lady Gaga lyrics, presentations about the United States, and the Internet, I don't feel too far away at all.

One MONTH

Time is flying here in France, and it's hard to believe that I've already been here in Menetou-Salon for a month. I've started getting into the swing of things and the culture shock is starting to wear off. I had the last week off for vacances de février and I have this week off as well, so I haven't been in school for a while, but even there I'm beginning to get used to the way things are done. Most of my teachers are very kind and understanding, although my Spanish teacher hasn't said one word to me since my first day in her class (might drop that one, since I don't speak any Spanish at all). My littérature teacher is also my théâtre teacher, and we've been talking about absurdism, which is fun and very interesting. I also might have a part in our play (Doll's House by Ibsen) if I can get my accent together. Even if my new French friends have told me that my accent is très mignon, I would like to sound a little more French. I have been enjoying my classes, and especially liked going to the cinéma with my history class, and finding out that we have a darkroom in art class. :)



The town of Menetou-Salon is pretty and quaint and my host parents are very involved around town, so I've met a lot of the people here and gone to quite a few events. The towns here are pretty close together, so I've also been to events in nearby towns including a "bal" (traditional French dance) and a concert by Eric Lareine et leurs enfants, which was less traditional.Menetou-Salon is very close to Bourges, where my friend Gabi lives, and we've been able to meet up a few times (having Wednesday afternoons off is one of my favorite parts of the French school system). One of the times we saw each other was at the AFS weekend in Loches, near Tours. We took the train with Laura, an exchange student from Colombia, and met up with Rosa from Iceland and Irinja from Finland on the way. We all baked desserts to share in the evening, and I made snickerdoodles (or gateaux de Anna, as they've been come to be known in my house. Snickerdoodles are always a success--I've been asked to make them a few times, now.)

As I said, I'm on vacation at the moment, and spent last week with some cousins in Sceaux, France, convieniently located right next to...

Paris!! I was glad to be with people who knew the area, and the trip was a nice mix between the normal touristy stuff and visits to favorite restaurants and neighborhoods of the family. There was a lot of walking, a lot of food, and a lot of chocolate, so all in all, it was a success. I got back Friday and have spent the weekend hanging out with my host sisters and sleeping in--it's tiring being an exchange student!!

Check back soon for updates (I don't know exactly how soon, as you can see, I've been pretty busy). I miss the United States, but I've been having a blast here in France. :)

Week One. Whew.

^photo from the bus tour of Paris during the AFS orientation. Orientation probably deserves its own post, but isn't as interesting as the ACTUAL French stuff.


After my first week with my French family, I feel...very very tired. But happy!! A lot has happened this week and I feel like I'm already changing. First of all, school. School is a bit different in France, especially the length of the school day. This week I've gone almost every day from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon. Oof. Combined with the stress of taking courses in a foreign language and the horrible food at the cantine, school has contributed a lot to my coming home every day ready for bed. That being said, school is also really fun for me. That might have to do with the fact that I won't have to take le Bac this summer. :P

Contrary to what I thought they would be like, the students were actually very friendly and welcoming. I had been warned by both my French teachers and AFS returnees that the French tended to be less welcoming than Americans in that they wouldn't be likely to come up to you and start a conversation, so I was very surprised when the secretary announced who I was before my first class, and by lunch I'd already had to turn down probably 3 or 4 invitations to eat with people. Another great thing about school is that we have a lot of breaks and if one of our teachers isn't there, we don't have that class. The first time that happened, I was a little bit hesitant, because not only did it seem too good to be true, but I also had no idea what to do with my free time. Fortunately, my classmates are very kind, and I have been invited to attend many classes just to have something to do, and ended up enjoying them. I'm frequently invited to English class (surprise) but I've also gone to rock climbing and art history.

At home, I've been enjoying my family very much. Two of my three host sisters are currently living at home, and they are beginning to become like real sisters. My host parents are also very kind, and seem to think I need to eat more. Well...I'm not likely to say no, am I? Dinners this week have included crepes, galette, and vegetable soup. Mmmm. There is also plenty of cheese and bread laying around at all times. In addition to good food, my host parents are interested in theater (which is probably why I'm taking five hours of theater a week) and they've had 3 rehearsals this week for a play they're putting on next Saturday. It's very fun to watch and it's helping me improve my French. It also stresses me out less than conversation because I'm not expected to reply.


AFS warned me about culture shock, and I didn't listen. I thought that learning about the French culture would prepare me for when I actually got here. Wrong. I'm probably a lot better off than someone who doesn't know a thing about French culture would be, but the first time someone gave me the traditional French greeting--a kiss on each cheek--I kinda freaked out. Since then, I've given countless bisous. It still freaks me out. However, I do understand that it's part of the culture, and I haven't been too awkward about it (although I still blush most of the time) and I wouldn't be surprised if, by the end of my six months, I'll actually be in the habit.

So, all in all, the week has been very stressful, but I can already tell that my French is improving (or my comprehension is, at the very least) and that the next 5 and a half months will be very fun and very interesting indeed.

Watch out France, here I come!

After all the planning, all the paperwork, and all the headaches, we're finally down to one week to departure! I just got my host family last week, so I know I'll be headed to the small town of Menetou-Salon and staying with a host family of a mother, a father, and three sisters (one of whom is away at school). I'll be about 20km away from my best friend in Bourges and studying at the Lycée Alain Fournier, which is also in Bourges. I can't wait for all the great experiences I know I'm going to have as an exchange student in France, learning about the culture and the music and the food. I know it will be hard, but I'm hoping I'll get the hang of it pretty quickly. I hope to keep up this blog while I'm away (and my family does have Internet!) so check back soon for updates!

ACCEPTED!!

This is just a quick post--I wanted to let everyone know that I've been accepted by AFS France, and the next step is a host family! I'm so excited, this makes everything real. Even though I know it's still almost three months away and I probably won't get a family until December, I can't stop thinking about how many great experiences I'll be having shortly. Thanks to everyone who helped me get to this point, and thanks to those who continue to support me. I know I'll have a great time thanks to all of your help!

France Update

It's been a while since my last post, so I just wanted to give a quick update. I finished my application and it's been accepted by AFS USA and forwarded to AFS France. I should hear about whether or not I've been accepted in a few weeks, so I'll be posting then. After that I should receive my host family and placement information. I'll be leaving in late January for the whole semester! My best friend is in Bourges, France for the whole year, and hopefully we'll be able to meet up once I arrive and she'll be able to help me out a little, but other than that I'll be on my own.

Here in the States, I'm taking AP French at school, hoping it will help prepare me for my arrival in France (though I know there will still be some pretty serious culture shock and the French speak a lot faster than my teacher, so I won't be completely prepared), I'm participating in the AFS club at school and building up my good exchange student karma. Last weekend I had a sleepover at my house with a few exchange students and members of the club, and while many weren't able to attend because of annual mid-September colds, we had a great time and I hope I was able to help them learn more about the American culture. We made t-shirts and watched movies and shared our cultures, and it was a lot of fun.

A few weeks ago there was also orientation for the students who are here in the United States from other countries. It was a sleepover as well, and they were allowed to bring guests. My friend Mary from Kenya invited me, and it was so much fun. We played games and listened to music and I was surprised at how little our cultural differences affected our friendships. Even after years of participating in AFS and planning to go abroad myself, it was inspiring to see how much staying up late, giggling and telling stories, and just sitting around talking when it got late, was just as great with foreigners as it is with my American friends. I hope that my experience with AFS France will be as great as my experience with AFS USA.

ChipIn

Just a quick post to say that I've added "ChipIn" to my blog, so you can help me raise money to go to France. The application is almost done now, so we'll be sending that off ASAP, and hopefully I'll have more information once I turn that in.