French Rotary
Last Wednesday was my very first French Rotary meeting at it's much, much different than the Rotary dinners back home (not better or worse just different! Thanks Rotary). It was definitely more formal and longer than AK meetings, these ones go from around 8 until 11pm. I met lots of friendly adults and they asked me very simple questions about Alaska and if I like France. I pretty much just had to say, "Oui l'Alaska est très froid" and oui oui and they actually seemed pleased :') I also had to prepare a short speech about my life and family (short as in like 30 seconds lol). I tried fois gras for the first time and it was so bizarre. It didn't taste bad or anything, it was actually good, but I googled it because I didn't know what it was, and it's duck liver. Fattened duck liver... but everything is new and different here and I love it! Even the old, run down apartment buildings are different. I've been here for almost a month and every single day I learn so much about French culture and I'm excited I get to keep learning more.
Weeeeekend
Last Friday evening my host mom organized a get together with my three host families and the other exchange student from Peru, Bruno's, three host families. In my second host family I'm going to have four sisters and I'm so excited :) they remind me a lot of my cousins (love you guys) and are so patient with me! They spent an hour listing body parts and helping me count, then they'd test me and I wouldn't remember anything so we'd do it again. It was great. My third host family is actually an Australian family with two sons, but they all speak French so I'm not worried, and of course they were so sweet too. I don't know if people have all been so nice to me because I'm foreign or because the world is just a really good place but probably both.
On Sunday my host mom, her boyfriend, Philippine, and I went to Marseille, a huge port city about 2 hours south of Aubenas, and spent the day there. We went to a museum called MuCEM and a gorgeous basilica called Notre-Dame de la Garde. It's kind of mind blowing being in such historic, detailed places so often. There are castles everywhere. And churches. And they're all so old............. I'm so surprised all the time that these things are considered normal to French people.
School <3
Still something I'm getting used to. I finished at 6 today! 6pm!!! I did start at 10 and had 3 hours of no classes but that was just because some teachers were absent and substitutes aren't a thing here. I actually don't mind the school system in France. Every 5 or 6 weeks there is a 2 week break so it gives me something to always look forward to. Also, teachers have started to ask me, "are you here to study or are you here on exchange?" and when I say exchange they don't expect me to do anything but learn the language, so it's awesome. I still try in English classes though! Except I did get a 15/20 on an English test last week but I was never taught a super specific order of adjectives! I thought you just say things!!! I'm a disgrace to America. In result of so much school and learning a new language, I'm tired quite often. Like right now I'm just typing without thinking so I'm probably explaining a lot of useless information, but that's life sorry. It's almost 11pm and I don't know why I'm sabotaging myself when I know I have to wake up at 6:30. That's life sorry. By the way French people are really great and not snobby at all from my experience so far, they're just more honest haha.
In conclusion, France is super duper cool and incredible and this is the best thing that I've ever done and I'm so so so so so happy I'm here learning and struggling and pushing myself and meeting some incredible people. Also sorry I'm lacking with the pictures :((
Love, Grace