Ok, time to write another blog! so in my last week and a half, i met up with all the other foreign exchange students in my are, 14 people, 7 boys 7 girls, and we all went rafting, to a hot spring, and finally to a ropes course in the woods. It was a really excellent weekend and everybody had a lot of fun. There are 7 Americans, 2 Canadians, 1 Mexican, 1 Brazilian, 1 Japanese, 1 South Korean, and finally 1 Bolivian! Everybody was really nice and we got to share some stories about our current situations with host families and such, and i'd have to say my situation seems to be one of the best! The only problem with our local Rotary Club is that they only want to have meetings around once every 3 months, and we, the exchange students and me, believe that is a little too little, so we have taken it into our own hands to arrange more frequent events.
The week after the Rotary Reunion was a lot of school, which i'm still getting used to. All of my teachers now fully understand my situation and they are all very supportive about it, but the classes are still quite difficult to understand and articulate into notes and such. Even though that sounds a little bit dim, i have found that i can understand much more French than when i first got here, not only from context now, and i can also speak more casually and with new and more useful words. One thing the classes don't teach you is how many different ways there are just to ask one question, and thus, my biggest piece of advice at the moment is just to think about the context of the question if you can't understand it, and answer accordingly.
Last Saturday i went into Aix-En-Provence with two of the other exchange students, Rebecca and Imelsy, and we got the chance to further explore the city. Seeing the huge market with all of the different types of soap was very interesting, and so was all of the old architecture and cathedrals. After eating at a small cafe, we took a promenade over to the shopping district, and then saw a movie named Killer Joe, which i have absolutely no words for. After Aix-En-Provence i went to a party with my host brother, and I've never seen so many 15 year olds with cigarettes! Yes mom i turned down every single one that was offered to me, i'm no sheep!
I'm really starting to get more relaxed in the lifestyle now, and i even have stuff planned for the next two week-ends, so there's bound to be some excitement coming up! Oh and as a side note, i translate just about everything i think into the best french i can now, just so you know! Soooooo bye-bye!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
First Week of School
So, in the time interval between my posts, i have started and finished one full official week of school! The high school in France is very different from America. The structure of the school resembles more of a college, with a schedule in which you have different classes just about every day and at different times, making some days last for only 3 or 4 hours while others last for 8 or 9 hours. I personally prefer the system in America a little more, but the school is still fantastic so far.
Having most of the same classes as another exchange student is really nice, and it makes things go much smoother with the overall transition from the more guided home life to a more independent setting. I have talked to a lot of students in my classes and have made friends with a lot of my older host brother's (Hugo) circle of friends. The classes are quite difficult to understand, but a lot of the subjects i have already studied and know a fair amount about, such as math, lab-bio, history, and of course, English. English class is kind of seeming like a little bit of a let down at the moment because the teacher is visibly "uncomfortable" when she speaks the language, with a bizarre French British accent by the way, and it seems like is true hat most French people really don like speaking other languages then French! Coming up his weekend i will also be getting to meet he other foreign exchange students in what seems o be he whole south eastern area of France, and we are going o some mountain resort thing or something, not entirely clear.
As for my own progress in French, i can kind of notice that i am able to better break down sentences and when others talk it seems to be slower than it was when i first got here, though i'm not entirely sure. As for making replies and speaking in French, i have a small arsenal of phrases that i feel pretty relaxed with, such as regular greetings and very basic topics of questions. Understanding the context of a situation better, or just outright guessing what a person just said, allows me to look less of a fool when i am in a conversation, which i have progressively gotten better at. And my last thought on my progress in French is that i translate most of what i think into French just as a habit now and i also had a dream with a few French phrases in it. I'll be sure to post pictures on some other day, maybe on the weekend.
Having most of the same classes as another exchange student is really nice, and it makes things go much smoother with the overall transition from the more guided home life to a more independent setting. I have talked to a lot of students in my classes and have made friends with a lot of my older host brother's (Hugo) circle of friends. The classes are quite difficult to understand, but a lot of the subjects i have already studied and know a fair amount about, such as math, lab-bio, history, and of course, English. English class is kind of seeming like a little bit of a let down at the moment because the teacher is visibly "uncomfortable" when she speaks the language, with a bizarre French British accent by the way, and it seems like is true hat most French people really don like speaking other languages then French! Coming up his weekend i will also be getting to meet he other foreign exchange students in what seems o be he whole south eastern area of France, and we are going o some mountain resort thing or something, not entirely clear.
As for my own progress in French, i can kind of notice that i am able to better break down sentences and when others talk it seems to be slower than it was when i first got here, though i'm not entirely sure. As for making replies and speaking in French, i have a small arsenal of phrases that i feel pretty relaxed with, such as regular greetings and very basic topics of questions. Understanding the context of a situation better, or just outright guessing what a person just said, allows me to look less of a fool when i am in a conversation, which i have progressively gotten better at. And my last thought on my progress in French is that i translate most of what i think into French just as a habit now and i also had a dream with a few French phrases in it. I'll be sure to post pictures on some other day, maybe on the weekend.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Settling In
A ton has happened in these last few days, i will start out with where i left off, Wednesday. On wednesday, i had the pleasure of meeting Pascal, the host mother of another American exchange student in my area, Clay. After the pleasantries we got in our little French car and went into Sisteron. On the way here we stopped in a little town to get the sim card the Clay and me need for our European phones, and it was he most French little town you could have ever imagined. There was a cobblestone walkway and on each side little stores, and of course, a cafe. After discovering ordering the sim card online was cheaper, we left the little own and went on to Sisteron to see the school Clay and i will be attending.
The school is fantastic and it is known for its talent in the arts of cooking, so the cafeteria must be good! Outside of the main classroom areas, where the students go for lunch break, there are little concrete ping pong tables, which i discovered is the one of the favorite activities among French kids. The sports that are played at the school aren't that odd, with one exception, hat being Handball. After seeing our future high school, We parted ways and headed home for the night.
On Thursday i met a few friends of my host brother, Timothe, which was interesting to say the least. I was surprised at how similar they were to american boys of the same age. I was also surprised at how much American music they listen to, such as Rihanna and other various artists. After saying goodbye to Timothe's friends and family, we headed home for another dinner made by my host mother, which by the way is always fantastic.
For Friday, we wen't over to the project that Quentin, Pascal's son, is currently working on, as he is a construction worker. This place was literally every kid's dream. He is working on building this small house and he is working alone as well, making it a pretty long-term job, so he has kinda set up camp there for now. He installed a rope swing, and a zip line for whoever feels so inclined to use them. While we worked he played music out of his stereo system, and i got a chance to scroll through his iphone, and he had a lot of music that i know and/or listen to. After a fine day of manly working, we decided to go back the chez moi and enjoy another dinner cooked by my host mother. I was feeling extra manly that day and decided to have some beer.
Yesterday was another day of outside work and getting to really utilize the zip line to its full potential. After we went back to the house and had another meal, and some of the conversation at the dinner table was about the strange accents of the northern french and of the Canadian French. I decided to jump right in and have my try at explaining the kinds of accents the american community find amusing, such as the southern accent, which i actually was able to demonstrate. One of the dinner attendees , The brother of my host mother, Jean-Baptiste, Told me that i sounded exactly like a man who was featured in one of the songs of Johnny Cash.
After being here for only just a week i have learned so much about so many different things. The language barrier that exists between the French and me is difficult to work with, but it has given be the chance to better analyse the way that people interact with each other in France, and it has also allowed me two connect what i can understand about the French language and what i can get from closely watching people as they talk to create a better understand when i am spoken to. Only in some instances can i really fully understand what is being told to me though, which results in a lot of Je ne comprende pas as my reply.
My exchange has brought about many perks, but there are always the negatives in any instance. It is quite easy to tell when i am being spoken about by the people around me and every once in a while you hear something that isn't necessarily too nice. The language barrier is often very frustrating for me as it hinders my ability to know what i need to know greatly. Right after dinner or even just during dinner, the fatigue starts to set in. Having to use all your mental ability just to understand the most simple of phrases or questions and formulating an appropriate response really does take a lot out of a person.
The positives of my situation far outweigh the negatives. I can really feel myself picking up more and more of what i have observed to be more vital to conversing as the days have gone on, and i am learning outside of the enclosed bubble that i call America. One of the observations, it may seem weird, is that everybody in France is more attractive than in the U.S., and they all seem in better shape and more active.
The Family Room
My Room
More of the Family Room
View from Backyard
Tower Thing in the Backyard
The Pool and Porch
So that's how my last four days have been here in the land of the French, Ill update again sometime in the next week or so. Au Revoir!
The school is fantastic and it is known for its talent in the arts of cooking, so the cafeteria must be good! Outside of the main classroom areas, where the students go for lunch break, there are little concrete ping pong tables, which i discovered is the one of the favorite activities among French kids. The sports that are played at the school aren't that odd, with one exception, hat being Handball. After seeing our future high school, We parted ways and headed home for the night.
On Thursday i met a few friends of my host brother, Timothe, which was interesting to say the least. I was surprised at how similar they were to american boys of the same age. I was also surprised at how much American music they listen to, such as Rihanna and other various artists. After saying goodbye to Timothe's friends and family, we headed home for another dinner made by my host mother, which by the way is always fantastic.
For Friday, we wen't over to the project that Quentin, Pascal's son, is currently working on, as he is a construction worker. This place was literally every kid's dream. He is working on building this small house and he is working alone as well, making it a pretty long-term job, so he has kinda set up camp there for now. He installed a rope swing, and a zip line for whoever feels so inclined to use them. While we worked he played music out of his stereo system, and i got a chance to scroll through his iphone, and he had a lot of music that i know and/or listen to. After a fine day of manly working, we decided to go back the chez moi and enjoy another dinner cooked by my host mother. I was feeling extra manly that day and decided to have some beer.
Yesterday was another day of outside work and getting to really utilize the zip line to its full potential. After we went back to the house and had another meal, and some of the conversation at the dinner table was about the strange accents of the northern french and of the Canadian French. I decided to jump right in and have my try at explaining the kinds of accents the american community find amusing, such as the southern accent, which i actually was able to demonstrate. One of the dinner attendees , The brother of my host mother, Jean-Baptiste, Told me that i sounded exactly like a man who was featured in one of the songs of Johnny Cash.
After being here for only just a week i have learned so much about so many different things. The language barrier that exists between the French and me is difficult to work with, but it has given be the chance to better analyse the way that people interact with each other in France, and it has also allowed me two connect what i can understand about the French language and what i can get from closely watching people as they talk to create a better understand when i am spoken to. Only in some instances can i really fully understand what is being told to me though, which results in a lot of Je ne comprende pas as my reply.
My exchange has brought about many perks, but there are always the negatives in any instance. It is quite easy to tell when i am being spoken about by the people around me and every once in a while you hear something that isn't necessarily too nice. The language barrier is often very frustrating for me as it hinders my ability to know what i need to know greatly. Right after dinner or even just during dinner, the fatigue starts to set in. Having to use all your mental ability just to understand the most simple of phrases or questions and formulating an appropriate response really does take a lot out of a person.
The positives of my situation far outweigh the negatives. I can really feel myself picking up more and more of what i have observed to be more vital to conversing as the days have gone on, and i am learning outside of the enclosed bubble that i call America. One of the observations, it may seem weird, is that everybody in France is more attractive than in the U.S., and they all seem in better shape and more active.
The Family Room
My Room
More of the Family Room
Tower Thing in the Backyard
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