Yesterday, I arrived in Angers, France. Me and several other exchange students took the train from Paris to Angers early Sunday morning to meet our host families. I had just spent two days in Paris, getting to know the other exchange students who came from twelve different countries. We all made really good friends and got to learn a little about each country represented at the orientation. I became friends with two girls from the United States, a girl from Finland (I think), a boy from Argentina, and a boy from Belgium.
We stayed at a hostile in the outskirts of Paris. There were showers and beds, but not much else. It was an interesting experience... Its amazing how people from all around the world can communicate so well and become friends so quickly when we are all about to embark on the same adventure in France.
The first day with my host family was awful. I was extremely tired and became homesick immediately after arriving at my new home. Being surrounded by people who speak a different language than you is not fun and is very tiring. Once I got to my host family, it hit me that I really won't be seeing any of the people I knew in America for ten months. I wasn't very willing to speak French because if I had, I would have started sobbing. After a snack at a neighbor's house, and meeting some very nice French people, we got home and I went to bed (skipping dinner) at 7:30. I woke up this morning, all rested and cried out, and went merrily off to school.
I took the public bus to another town (Saumur) where I followed many many many other student going to my school. I found the office where the three other exchange students at my school were waiting. Luckily, the Belgian, who I had become friends with in Paris is in almost all of my twelve classes. We started off the day (missing the first class because the administration took a very long time to get their stuff together) with some kind of science. I have no idea what it is but I think it has something to do with chemistry or physics. I'm definitely bringing my chem notes from the US to class.
After that we had another science class, which I think was biology. Since I already took biology last year, the class was a breeze, besides the fact that everyone was speaking French of course. I can't even begin to tell you about the other classes because I have no clue what they're about. One has something to do with the library, and another has something to do with public speaking?? I don't know. When lunch time came, a guy named Maxime(1) showed me and Tom to the cantine and we ate lunch with him and another boy in our class, also called Maxime(2). They were both really nice and talked in French to us, explaining in English when necessary. Maxime (1) introducedd us to some girls in our class, all of whom were very nice, and then we went to our next classes.
Fabienne, my host mom, picked me up from school and took me to a SuperU (comparable to Walmart) and I got a simple phone. It looks a little like a BlackBerry but I can't do anything besides texting and calling on it. We then went home and ate a very healthy meal of salad (fresh from the garden), with vegetables like radishes and cucumbers (also fresh from the garden) and baked chicken which was really good. It was the first meal in days where I've had any kind of appetite. Even the delicious pastries they had in Paris was unappetizing for me. I have completely lost any kind of craving for food.
Even though I can't understand anywhere close to all of what the teachers say, I know for a fact that I have learned so much already. I can hear that I have less of an American accent and that my vocabulary is improving. I'm even beginning to think in French. Even when I'm writing this, I start to write something in French, quickly realizing that French is the wrong language to use right now. Its really stressful not knowing any words to have a full conversation, no one drinks enough water here (I'm always thirsty), I dropped and shattered my phone this morning, I may or may not have told my family that I am sexually excited (funny story regarding the misuse of words), and I am without my friends and family for ten months. But I get to learn another language, live in a beautiful town, make plenty of new friends, and become a stronger person. Today, I don't regret my decision to go on an exchange program.
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