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!