Well the two weeks of french classes are over. Things have certainly gotten better--I've made some pretty cool friends, discovered I really like nutella and peanut butter and REALLY hate allergies.... I have also learned that I suck big time at speaking french, but am not too shabby with writing it. In talking with some of the other exchange students we've all come to the conclusion that once we dream in french, we know we've learned the language. Unfortunately that hasn't happened yet, for me at least. I came close in one dream, but it was me and a couple friends attempting to tell a french person what we wanted (similar to what we do when we go to the train station to buy some tickets).
Oh mon dieu! It's very slowly seeping in that I am, in fact, in France and will be for some time. on paper it's not that long. But in reality? Woah. In Canada we're kinda used to seeing french on our packaging, but we're also used to seeing english on that same packaging. When you're out grocery shopping (which I just came back from. Note to self: NEVER GO SHOPPING ON A FRIDAY NIGHT) you have to rely on whatever french knowledge you have and you're ridiculously good talents at looking at pictures (props to art history!! what?!?!) to get you by. Au revoir for now!
February 24, 2012
February 12, 2012
First few days in France....
Alright kids, I haven't posted in years I know, you must have been dying to hear from me....
So let's play catch up, I've been preparing for this adventure for a while now. Finally got my student visa in mid-January, got myself packed and boom, here I am. As cliche as it sounds, time went REAL quick. When I thought that I had 2 months left, I really had 2 weeks left. During the first few days of February I realized that it is incredibly difficult to pack your life into a suitcase for 4 months.....so I grabbed another suitcase and tried to pack the rest of my life in there (note: I was relatively successful in that endeavor, but alas, both bags were overweight and my parents and I had to Houdini some articles of stuff into their bag)
So on February 4, my parents and I jetted off to France--not without our adventures of course. We fly to London only to find out there had been a few snowflakes and they may not open Heathrow (beauty...). So we ended up flying into Heathrow and missing our flight to Lyon. Then after waiting in line for almost 3 hours, the company put us up in a hotel and re-booked up. Eventually we made it to Vichy and I made it into my residence. My parents have already flown home and now I'm all by myself. Understatement of the year: being on your own is an adjustment. It's scary. You don't know anyone, they don't speak your language and you don't speak theirs. So what's a girl to do? I have no clue. School starts tomorrow. Don't know who I'll meet or how I'll embarass myself, but I know that both will happen.
So let's play catch up, I've been preparing for this adventure for a while now. Finally got my student visa in mid-January, got myself packed and boom, here I am. As cliche as it sounds, time went REAL quick. When I thought that I had 2 months left, I really had 2 weeks left. During the first few days of February I realized that it is incredibly difficult to pack your life into a suitcase for 4 months.....so I grabbed another suitcase and tried to pack the rest of my life in there (note: I was relatively successful in that endeavor, but alas, both bags were overweight and my parents and I had to Houdini some articles of stuff into their bag)
So on February 4, my parents and I jetted off to France--not without our adventures of course. We fly to London only to find out there had been a few snowflakes and they may not open Heathrow (beauty...). So we ended up flying into Heathrow and missing our flight to Lyon. Then after waiting in line for almost 3 hours, the company put us up in a hotel and re-booked up. Eventually we made it to Vichy and I made it into my residence. My parents have already flown home and now I'm all by myself. Understatement of the year: being on your own is an adjustment. It's scary. You don't know anyone, they don't speak your language and you don't speak theirs. So what's a girl to do? I have no clue. School starts tomorrow. Don't know who I'll meet or how I'll embarass myself, but I know that both will happen.
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