February Vacations

(Faites descendre l'écran pour lire mon blog en français)
If you find my writing to be more choppy than usual, know that I do too. I challenged myself this time around. I first wrote my blog in French, had it edited by my host sister, then directly translated my French for my English speaking friends. I didn't want to add too many details that I hadn't written in French. #Sorrynotsorry. Enjoy!

Monday was my first day back at  school after three weeks of vacation. Three weeks! Normally there are only two weeks each vacation but I traveled with my school a week before vacations started. We went to La Plagne in the Alps. I already had my second star in skiing but was placed with the beginners. Monday, the eleventh of February, we skied three hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. That night music was played in a big room where all the kids could hang out.
Tuesday morning I asked if I could move to the second level ski group. It was great! We skied on blue and red slopes and even a little bit on the black slope. I started to make some friends, a little. It was hard to really make friends at school because I was always with the other exchange students. That evening there was a soccer game in the snow.
Wednesday morning there weren't any lessons. Instead, everybody from my school skied together, well, in two groups. That afternoon I realized that I'm not scared anymore at all. At the beginning of a red slope, the other girls in my group would talk about how scared they were. I just saw a challenge. I was scared to find my own route down a slope in December, but now I get a thrill of finding my way down and seeing how fast I dare myself to go. That night was karaoke night.
Thursday was Valentine's day. In the States it's a big day, people buy  flowers, chocolates, and little presents  for the ones they love, but I found that it's forgotten here. It's a little sad. I didn't see little heart shaped chocolate boxes, balloons with "I love you" written on them, or even Valentine's day cards. There was a dance in the evening for the kids but it still didn't feel like Valentine's day. Oh well, not a big deal.
Friday was the last day of skiing. I earned my third star, now I hope that I can go skiing next year in the States. We came back to Bourges and I arrived home at almost 11pm. I unpacked my suitcase and repacked it right away for the next day.



Saturday morning, the beginning of my second week of vacation, I went to Versailles with my host family. My friend Amanda, who is American also, tagged along with us. After lunch at Macdonald's we went to the castle of Versailles. Our your guide was a cousin of the family. We saw the interior of the castle and Marie-Antoinette's little village. It was magnificent, I wanted to be in the 17th or 18th century wearing a large fancy dress. The castle is truly beautiful. We went back to the house of the mother of my host father. We celebrated his birthday. Amanda played the ukulele for everyone and I played one of the songs I've composed on the piano.
The next day morning, when everyone was at mass, Amanda and I explored the town of Saint Germain. (We were in a suburb of Paris.) I bought flowers for the grandmother. At lunch I met a sister of my host dad along with her husband and kids. Amanda confirmed that she thought my family is beautiful. In fact, a lot of people who see pictures of my host family think that they're beautiful. Aren't I lucky? ;) Anyway, later that day we returned to Bourges.
Monday morning Amanda went home (in France). I discovered that my family would be going to their vacation house in Mayet de Montagne. I rushed to pack my suitcase again. The vacation house was gorgeous, I had the impression that I was in a European movie. The house is giant, there is a tree house,  a swing, a pool, and three donkeys! It was the setting of a dream.
Tuesday I sled with my host brothers and sister who were there. (Charles, Etienne, and Benedicte.) Later we went to a small ski station. We ate lunch there and skied afterward.
The next day we woke up earlier to go to a larger ski station father away. Before we left my host mom received some bad news. Her aunt had died that morning. I was surprised we carried on with our day as planned. We skied between two and threes hours before lunch then again after lunch until closing. In the evening we returned the ski articles to the smaller ski station and went back to the vacation house.
Thursday we stayed at the house. I was able to help Benedicte with her math homework. I hope that I will be able to remember all the math that I learned last year. I am not taking a math class this year.
Friday, the end of my second week of vacation, we went back to Bourges and stayed there for the weekend. My host parents went to Rennes on Friday night for the burial of Anne-Catherine's aunt. They came back Saturday night with Anne-Catherine's mother.

We all left together Sunday to go to Rennes. The younger boys, Therese, Anne-Catherine, her mother, and I. My older host sister was already there. We stayed at this grandmother's house for the whole week. I saw the city of Rennes and I met lots of extended family members.
Thursday we celebrated the birthday of Anne-Cecile, my older host sister, at the house of my host mother's godmother. The next day we played a game of laser tag. That night Benedicte, Louis-Marie, and my host father joined us in Rennes.
Saturday we celebrated Anne-Cecile's birthday again. Later I asked my host mom if I could stay in her house until the beginning of June. She agreed! That makes four months with my first host family, five months with the second, and my last month I'll return to live with my first host family. I can't imagine having less time here. I love both of my families a lot and it will be hard to leave. I will cry, I know that already.
Sunday I came back to Bourges in the car with Louis-Marie and my host dad.
I realized that I only have four more months in this country. I will leave the end of June... it's much too soon. I feel like I can't leave these people. I've seen so many things and met so many people. I can't leave this place. Especially when I do not know when I will see my families again. The other exchange students neither. I hope that my families will be a part of my life for all of my life. They will have a piece of my heart.
Okay, well, the point of this post is to inform you, Miss/Misses/Mister Reader, that I was very busy during these past vacations, they were truly fantastic. I am very happy and ever so thankful for these opportunities.

Lundi etait ma premiere journee a l'ecole apres trois semaines de vacances. Trois semaines! Normalement, il n'y a que deux semaines les vacances mais j'ai voyager avec mon ecole une semaine avant les vacances. Nous sommes alles a La Plagne dans les Alpes. J'avais  deja ma deuxieme etoile mais j'etais avec les debutants. Lundi, le 11 fevrier, on a skie trois heures le matin et deux heures l'apres midi. Le soir il y avait de la musique dans une grande salle avec les jeunes.
Mardi matin j'ai demande si je pouvais aller avec des gens sur les pistes plus dur. C'etait genial! On a fait les pistes bleu et rouges et un peu d'une piste noir. Je commencais a me faire un peu d'amis. C'est dur de se faire des amis a l'ecole parce que je suis tout le temps avec les autres etudiants etranger. Le soir il y avait un jeu de football dans la neige.
Mercredi matin il n'y avait pas de lecons. Par contre tout le monde de mon ecole on skie ensemble, enfin, dans deux groupes. Cette apres midi j'ai realisee que je n'avais plus peur du tout. Au debut d'une piste rouge les autres filles dans mon groupe ont dit qu'elles avaient peur. Moi, je n'ai vu qu'un challenge. J'avais peur de descendre une pente en decembre mais maintenant j'ai un frisson quand je vois une pente et quand je vois comment je peux aller vite. Mercredi soir on a fait un karaoke.
Jeudi c'etait la fete de la Saint Valentin. Aux etats-unis c'est un grand jour. On achete des fleurs, des chocolats, et des petits cadeaux pour la personne qu'on aime, et j'ai trouve que c'etait un peu oublie ici. C'est     un peu triste. Je n'ai pas vu de petites boites en formes de coeurs, de ballons avec "je t'aime" ecrit dessus, ou de petites cartes de la Saint Valentin non plus. Le soir, on pouvait danser entre jeunes. Je n'ai pas tellement eu l'impression que c'etait la fete de le Saint Valentin. Bon, c'est pas grave.
Vendredi etait le dernier jour de ski. J'ai gagnee matroisieme etoile, maintenant j'espere que je peux skier l'annee prochaine aux etats-unis. On est rentre a Bourges et je suis arrivee chez moi presque a vingt-trois heure. J'ai defait ma valise est je la refait encore pour le lendemain.

Samedi matin, le debut de ma deuxieme semaine des vacances, je suis allee a Versaillles avec ma famille d'accueil. Mon amie Amanda, qui est americaine aussi, est venu avec nous. Apres le dejeuner a Mac do on es alle au Chateau de Versailles. Notre quide touristique etait un cousin de ma famille d'accueil. On a vu l'interieur du Chateau de Versailles et le petit village de Marie Antoinette. C'etait magnifique, je voulais etre dans le dix-septieme ou dix-huitieme siecle avec une grosse robe. Le chateau est vraiment beau. On a rentre chez la mere de mon pere d'accueil. On a fait un fete pour son anniversaire. Amanda a joue de son ukulele pour tout le monde et j'ai jouee ma chanson que j'ai composee sur le piano.
Le lendemain matin, quand tout le monde etait a la masse, Amanda et moi avons explores la ville de Saint Germain. (Nous avons ete dans un faubourg de Paris.) J'ai achetee des fleurs pour la grand-mere. Au dejeuner j'ai recontree une soeur de mon pere d'accueil avec son mari et leurs enfants. Amanda a confirmee qu'elle crois que ma famille d'accueil est tres belle. En fait, beaucoup de monde qui voient les photos de ma familles et pensent qu'elle est belle. J'ai la chance, non? ;) Bref, plus tard on est rentre a Bourges. Lundi matin Amanda est rentree chez elle (en france). J'aidecouvert que ma famille va aller dans sa maison de vacances au Mayet de Montagne. J'ai me depechee faire mon valise encore. La maison est super jolie, j'ai eu l'impression que j'etais dans un film european. La maison est grande, il y a une maison dans un arbre, une balancoire, une piscine, et trois anes! C'etait le cadre d'un reve.
Mardi j'ai fait de la luge avec mes freres et ma soeur d'accueils qui etaient la. (Charles, Etienne, et Benedicte.) Plus tard on es alle a une station de ski. On a dejeune la et apres on a fait du ski.
Le lendemain on a reveille plustot pour aller a une station plus grande. Avant de partir, ma mere d'accueila recu de mauvaises nouvelles. Sa tante est morte ce matin. J'etais surprise surprise que l'on a continue la journee comme projete. On a skie entre deux et trois heures avant de dejeuner et plusiers heures apres dejeuner. Le soir on a rendu les affaires de ski et on est rentre a la maison de vacances.
Jeudi on a reste a la maison. J'ai aidee Benedicte a faire son devoir de maths. Je m'etonner de savoir me souvenir de faire de maths que j'ai apris l'annee derniere. Je n'ai pas de cours de maths cette annee.
Vendredi, le fin de ma deuxieme semaine de vacances, on est rentre a Bourges er on y est reste pendant le week-end. Mes parents d'accueils sont alles a Rennes vendredi soir pour l'enterrement de la tante d'Anne-Catherine. Ils sont rentres samedi soir avec la mere d'Anne-Catherine.



On a reparti ensemble a Rennes dimanche. Les petits garcons, Therese, Anne-Catherine, sa mere, et moi. Ma grande soeur d'accueil etait deja la. Nous sommes restes chez la grand-mere toute la semaine. J'ai vu la ville de Rennes, j'ai recontree beaucoup de cousins et tantes et oncles de ma famille.
Jeudi on a fete l'anniversaire d'Anne-Cecile, ma grande soeur d'accueil chez la marraine de ma mere. Le lendemain on a fait un jeu du laser. Ce soir Benedicte, Louis-Marie, est mon pere d'accueil sont venir a Rennes.

Samedi nous avons fete l'anniversaire d'Anne-Cecile encore une fois. Plus tard j'ai demande a ma mere d'accueil si je pouvais rester chez eux jusqu'ua debut de juin. Elle est d'accord! Ce fait quatre mois chez ma premiere famille, cinq mois chez ma deuxieme famille, et mon dernier moi chez ma premiere famille encore. Je ne peux pas imaginer d'avoir moins de temps. J'aime beaucoup mes deux familles et ca va etre dur de repartir. Je vais pleurer, je le sais deja.
Dimanche je suis rentree a Bourges dans une voiture avec Louis-Marie et mon pere d'accueil.
J'ai realisee que j'ai que quatre mois dans ce pays. Je vais partir le fin de juin... c'est beaucoup trop tot. Je vais me sentir que je ne peux pas laisse ces gens que j'ai recontree. J'ai vu beaucoup de chose et j'ai recontree beaucoup de gens. Je ne peux pas quitter cetter place. Particulairement quand je ne sais pas quand je vais voir mes familles encore. Les autres etudiants etranger non plus. J'espere que mes familles vont etre dans ma vie pour toute la vie. Ils vont avoir un morceau de mon coeur.
Bon, bref, j'etais tres occupee pendant ces vacances, c'etait vraiment genial, je suis contente et tres reconnaissante de ces opportunites.

5 Months

Monday, January 28th marked the end of my fifth month living in France.

I do not really have a lot of words that come to mind when I think about it.

I am in the very middle of my exchange, I arrived in France only 5 months ago, and I will be leaving this wonderful country for who know how long in a short 5 months. The time both feels like it has passed really slowly and really quickly. Sometimes I feel like I have lived here for a long time (despite my lack of friends and language skills), but when I look back, I feel like I came here only a month ago.

Looking forward, I am not sure whether these next five months will take as long or as short as the previous five months. (If that makes any sense, lately I have been losing English skills.) Right now, I feel like I do not want to go home in five months. I do miss my family, friends, school and my church, but I do not feel like I want to completely move back. I would like to visit for some time then be on my way, off to another adventure. I want to continue this experience I am having, I want to move in with people I do not know in a country I do not know and learn everything about the culture and language first hand.

Part of me feels like I could form a life here. I would have to try a bit harder in school and such, but I think part of me will always be here and never want to leave. I want to stay yet I want to see everything else the world has to offer. I want to visit a lot of places, but it seems to me like I can not be somewhere without leaving  a piece of myself there. I guess I will end up leaving parts of me all over the earth, and all the places of the earth and experiences and people I meet will always have their imprint on me.

Sometimes I feel more homesick than not or just feel really down, but lately I have been pretty great! I had a great time the other weekend when I met French students who will leave for exchange next year and we all had a dance together. This week my class gained two new exchange students from Paraguay and Chile. Today I received a package from some of my greatest friends from school and I have four boxes of Mac n Cheese sitting on my shelf, so you could say my mood is pretty bright!

Seeing the amount of people I have met, the relationships I have created, the places I have seen, and the things I have learned in the first half of this exchange, I can only imagine everything that I will experience during the second half. I have created friendships with people from all over the world, and I know that we will always keep in touch and possibly find ways to visit each other. I am looking forward to my Euro Trip in April when I will be visiting other countries in Europe and, no doubt, meeting more fantastic people!

This exchange is sure to change who I am, the way I think and the perspective I present to different situations, and it probably already has. I'll always be me (the loud, obnoxious, fun-loving, off-key-singing Lydia you all know), but this year will give me insight that I would otherwise have yet to discover. I can not wait to see what is in store for me, yet I can because I do not want this year abroad to end.

Now that is one way to turn "I do not really have a lot of words..." into about six hundred.

Vacances de Noel (Part 2)

I finished off my Christmas vacation in the Alps. Saturday, the 29th of December, my first host family and I departed on a six hour car ride to Notre Dame de Bellacombe. The following morning we woke up early to rent skis, boots, poles, and helmets for the week. After we dropped those off at the house we bought our ski passes. Before our ski lessons my host family left to ski together. I stayed at the house with the family's friends that we shared the house with.

My lesson began at 12:30 that afternoon. I shared an instructor with the other children in our house: a boy and a girl, both younger than me. The moment we began it was clear that I was the worst of the three. We started out in what I like to call the "Kiddie pit". It was very difficult for me to catch on.Eventually we were able to move on to a stretch of land that gently sloped down. After a bit of practice on that we moved on to some small hills. My instructor adopted the term "Stay cool". I wasn't really scared bit I didn't want to fall, I was just anxious I guess. After that first lesson I had pain in my right calf and decided that i did not like skiing at all and that it would be impossible for me to learn how to ski. I was definitely not looking forward to skiing the next day.

December 31st was "Kiss an Exchange Student Day". Haha! Maybe for other exchange students but certainly not for this one. We all skied on the easy hills before our lessons. I thought I was doing better but a video shows me slowly sliding down the sloped stretch of land with my feet turned in and my knees bent. What progress! At least I wasn't sliding down on my booty. After my second lesson I was sure I didn't look so much like an idiot. We ate pizza and relaxed at the house for the rest of the day.

Now, that day was New Year's Eve, so I was expected to stay awake until after midnight. Thing was, I was so incredibly tired from skiing that I knew it would be difficult for me to stay up that long. I also knew that I would get emotional thanks to the fatigue and I was thinking back to last year's new year. Last year I spent the night with my best friend and her family. We all ended up crying after midnight because we had lost someone close to us in that year. I eventually did have to explain myself because I didn't want to seem like I was trying to be rude. The moment I managed to say "I miss my family" to my host sister I had to run upstairs so the others wouldn't see me crying. She followed me and I explained that I was missing my family a bit but mostly missing my dad. She asked if she could do anything and I just asked for her to explain to her mom why I was acting the way I was. My host mom understood, I wiped away the tears and after eating candy and playing Angry Birds I went to bed. So that's two New Years that I've ended up bawling my face off.
That's alright.

Anyhow, the following day during the lesson we warmed up by skiing down the small hills then moved onto "La grande piste". This slope is apparently one of the easiest, but it sure was challenging for me. First we had to take the "Tire fesse" to the top of the slope. This is a bar with a seat at the bottom. You grab the pole and sit before it pulls you up the mountain. I remember I was fervently praying that I wouldn't die or hurt myself all the way up. I'm not afraid of heights, I actually love heights! I am afraid of falling and hurting myself, I tend to fall a lot. We were just above the halfway point when we stopped to watch people practicing slalom racing. My legs were trembling as we stood there because I was so scared!  We turned to continue on our way but of course I managed to slide down a couple feet and entangle myself in a net fence that separated the people leisurely skiing from the people training. Eventually we continued on our way, the younger kids and I forming a line directly behind the instructor. I was in the back skiing as slow as humanly possible. We probably took twice or thrice as long to get down the rest of the slope as it would have taken the instructor just with the two children. I was going to fall, I was going to tumble down the mountain, I was going to zoom down and crash into people, I was going to break my body, I was going to go into a coma. Those were thoughts of mine while we made our way down. I was so relieved when we were back at the base of the slope. I was glad that I did ski down the piste, but I was terrified the whole time so I didn't really enjoy it. Part of me wanted to go again to prove that I can do it, part of me wanted to run back to Bourges. I wasn't looking forward to the following lessons. After the lesson Marie and I bought postcards, filled them out and sent them off, then played in the snow until we were too cold.

Wednesday Marie and I skied on the small hills before our lessons. She wanted to ski on the grande piste but I was too much of a sissy. I told her I would ski the piste with her the next day. I was afraid to do anything without my instructor. During my lesson we skied down from the halfway point on the grande piste then skied down the side I wasn't familiar with. We were going to different slopes. It was pretty easy, but I'm sure I had already psyched myself out too much therefore I still fell a bit. We reached the bottom, had to remove our skis to walk up stairs, then skied some slopes in this new area. We took the ski lift back and had to ski down the grande piste. Fell a few times again. I loved the opportunity I had, I loved the Alps, but I still wasn't catching on to this whole skiing idea. We ate lunch at the house, played in the snow again and relaxed until dinner. Most of the days I had to take a nap before dinner because I was so exhausted.

Thursday Marie and I practiced a little on the small hills before taking the tire fesse halfway up the grande piste. My host mom and the younger boy were with us but the boy and Marie ended up skiing ahead. Eventually my host dad caught up with us and I followed him the rest of the way down. I was uncomfortable choosing my own path, I felt like I had to follow directly behind someone else. I practiced on the hills a few more times before my lesson began. This time we took the tire fesse straight to the top of the grande piste, took the ski lift, and went to another slope. This slope was supposedly the same level as the grande piste (green) but I felt it was easier to ski down. Maybe it was the angle we approached it, but I'm not sure. After skiing down that slope a few times we took the ski lift back to the grande piste. I felt like I was doing a lot better than earlier that morning. After lunch Marie and I did the grande piste twice, each time taking about 10 minutes or less. Much, MUCH better than I could do the day before. I was definitely sore all over my body by the end of the day because I had skied about 4 hours. (Yeah, that's probably not a lot to some people, but oh well.)

Friday, I'm pretty sure Marie and I skied down the grande piste before our lessons. During the lesson we went to all kinds of other slopes, thankfully they were never harder than level blue (which I find easier than green). I had the idea of skiing by now and found it easy to follow the tracks of the instructor and the kids. If someone told me I'd be skiing that easily four days earlier I wouldn't have ever believed it.

Saturday was the last day of skiing. We went to a bunch of different slopes again with my instructor. We of course had to take ski down the grande piste near the end of the 2 hours to get back. My instructor asked us to try switching directions quicker which meant skiing down the slope quicker. I was the last to try, and due to the lucky hand I was dealt at birth, I ended up crashing into my instructor and the younger girl as I was trying to stop. I tumbled about fifteen feet below them. I had broken my instructor ski poles and my wrist hurt a bit. We continued down, he switched his ski poles, and we went to the halfway point to finish up the lesson. I noticed that my wrist was hurting more than it did when I fell. I told my instructor  he pressed on some points and asked if they hurt, the didn't so he told me it wasn't broken. That, I had already figured because I could move it. After my lesson my family and I went back up the slope and took the ski lift to get to a restaurant that you can only get to by skiing to it. We ate hot dogs and had dessert then started the journey back. I had already skied this area, but I found I was more hesitant than when I had skied the area with my instructor. I was following Marie, but at about a 50 foot distance rather than a 10-15 foot distance. I had to make my own path.

Back in the town we went to the pharmacy to buy a wrap for my wrist, gel stuff, a icy/hot pad, and Tylenol type pills. We moved from the house into a hotel for the last night, and Sunday we returned back to Bourges.
Overall, sure, I like skiing now. I'm going on a ski trip with my school in February. It's not my favorite sport, but it's alright.

Oh! This sprain I got is my first injury....ever. Also, I earned my "Deuxieme Etiole" that is now displayed on my Rotary blazer. Yep, this clumsy ballerina chick learned to ski in a week, let her be proud.

Vacances de Noel (part 1)

This week was the first week of Christmas break.

Saturday the 22nd of Decemeber I slept till about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and I have no idea why. Sunday I moved in with my second family. My first host parents drove me the second family's house and left pretty quickly. I was shown to my room, had a tour of the house, and settled down in the living room for coffee and initial conversation. In my new host family I have nine brothers and sisters, quite the change from having one sibling. Only the four youngest children live at home but everyone is here for the holidays. After coffee I went to my room to unpack and afterwards we all went to the lake to play some football (soccer). By this time I had decided that I really like this family as well! Everyone is very welcoming and nice. We returned to the house to play a board game and eat dinner.

The next day was Christmas eve, so at about 10 at night we walked to the giant cathedral down the street called St. Etienne. The service was beautiful and ended at midnight. We came back home for some hot chocolate before going to bed. Christmas day, after we ate breakfast, we all went into the living room to open presents. The family went to mass again but I stayed home to relax. Later I was able to skype a friend and my family. The next morning I woke up throwing up at 4 am, and stayed up till just after 7 when I was throwing up again and my host mom brought me a bucket and water and a change of bedding. I didn't eat anything except for a bit of bread until dinner that day. Luckily I felt fine by the time I went to bed the following night. Today another exchange student from the USA came over and we hung out acting like American teenagers: We watched countless youtube videos and spent hours on facebook, 9gag, tumblr, etc.
Tomorrow I will be going to the Alps with my first host family to learn how to ski. I know I will fall a lot and I wouldn't be surprised if I hurt myself.

Hurrah for new families and adventures!
We'll see how this skiing thing goes..

Busy December

For pretty much every weekend this month I'm busy, which  is great! The only slow parts of  the month are the weekdays.
Last weekend my host parents and I joined two other  couples on a bike ride. We were only going to ride about 6 miles,  eat  lunch, then head back. After lunch one of the couples decided they wanted to do something else and wanted us to come along. None of us were quite sure what we were doing or where we were going. We ended up biking 15 more miles in a large circle until we got back to Bourges. 21 miles total. (35 km) Let's just say my host parents and I were definitely not prepared and weren't the most ecstatic people about it. But hey, I got a really (really  really) good work out.
This coming weekend my host mom, sister and I are going to Paris again. We'll visit Valerie's mother and maybe do some Christmas shopping.
The following weekend the Rotary students in my district (1720) are all coming to Bourges. We were told to bring a present under 15 euros so I'm assuming there'll be some kind of exchange and celebration of Christmas. I'll be wearing my new ugly Christmas sweater as well!
The next weekend I move to my next host family's house. That'll be interesting. I love the family I'm in so much I wish I could stay but I'm also excited to meet  these people. I hope I can memorize the names of all 9 children pretty quickly.
After spending Christmas with them, my 1st host family picks me up to go skiing with them. I'll have beginning lessons with a couple younger children. Hopefully I won't make a fool of myself.
Aaaand that' all for now. Ciao!

School in Bourges

School in Bourges is quite different than school in Tacoma. The first day was two hours devoted to learning our schedule. I arrived at the schoool with my host dad and met up with Camila, Anika, their host dads and the Rotary club president Alain Birer. We were already receiving stares from students but that was kind of expected. Alain showed us the lists that informed us which class we were in. At my school here you stay with your class for all of the courses, which is nice because I could follow a classmate to the next classrooom and not get lost on my own. We found out that Camila was not in the same class as Andika and I so she wasn't looking forward to being the only exchange student in her class. I sat silently for the first hour when suddenly a bell rang and the students were walking out to the hallway. I didn't understand what was happening so I just followed along. Turns out students get about a five minute break every hour even if they're in a two hour class. I tried to talk to some people because they were looking at me but they became bashful and would only say "Bonjour" back to me. Andika introduced me to Sarah who speaks English pretty well. We returned to class for another hour in which I sat quietly once again understanding nothing and thinking to myself "What the heck am I doing here?". After that hour the teacher allowed me to take a picture of the schedule so that I could write it down later. I was unsure as to where I was supposed to go from there so Andika and I wandered out to the courtyard and found someone in our class. With the help of her friends she was able to tell us that we were finished for the day. The schedule is a lot like college, or seems that way  to me. We might have a class in the morning, an hour of nothing, then two hours of class. It felt a bit disorganised to me because I am used to having a set three or four hours of class, lunch, then a final two or three hours to finish off the day. Throughout these last couple of weeks classes have been added, subtracted, cancelled, and unknown. Finally last Thursday we were given a concrete schedule. Unfortunately I followed this new schedule on Friday when I was supposed to follow the old schedule.

The thing about staying with your class throughout the day means I have to attend classes I have no knowledge about. For instance: Spanish. I have never taken a class of Spanish yet I have to go to the 2nd year Spanish class with my classmates.During my first class of Spanish each student had to introduce themselves in Spanish. I listened as the other people presented themselves and repeated what I would say roughly a hundred times in my head. When it was my turn I said "Me llamo Lydia, tengo diesiseis anos. (Switched to French) Pardon, je suis americaine, je ne parle pas français ou espagnol". The teacher exclaimed "Oh!" then rambled on in either Spanish or French. Don't ask me which, she spoke too darn fast for me to decipher! For the remainder of the class I did as I do for every class: I sat quietly and wrote in my notebook what was written on the board. I don't believe Spanish will be a favorite class this year along with History. The first class of history the teacher clearly didn't understand that I don't speak english. I decided to talk to her after class and I led with "Je ne parle pas beaucoup de français.." and she too began rambling in French. Okay, they're not getting the hint, but I'll be speaking French soon enough (hopefully).

One shocking difference at the school is the bathrooms! There are bathrooms specifically for boys and specifically for girls, then there are also bathrooms for both boys and girls together. WHAT?!?! One day I was walking out to the hallway from class for the five minute break and asked a friend where the bathroom is. She pointed to an unmarked door so I was a little skeptical but she insisted that was it. I walked towards it as a boy walked out. I quickly turned and walked friskly away then watched as a girl walked into the bathroom. I decided to investigate and sure enough I found a bathroom with both boys and girls in it. Thankfully there aren't any urinals! I found it super odd that no one else looked shocked. I realized that I probably looked really dumb gawking at this sight so I quickly checked my hair and shuffled out of there. I found Camila and her friend who is aso from Mexico, Natalia, and told them about the bathroom. They went to look at it and all three of us were mindblown. We had never seen a dual bathroom in our countries.

Another giant difference is the amount of students who smoke!There's a fifteen minute break around 10h00 and nearly everyone goes outside the schoolyard gate to smoke. In the morning the teachers will be passing through the parking lot and pay no mind to the dozens of kids smoking. Last week I hung out with about ten other girls after school and after a while of walking we stopped to sit and rest. About eight of the girls immediately began smoking. I knew a lot more Europeans smoked than Americans, but I didn't realize to this extent. It's just really different. (No worries mom, I haven't touched a cigarette and don't plan to!)

Week One - First Impressions

What is it about this place I love so much? Is it the shutters on every house? The brick roads, the 13th century cathedral, people all day walking around with a baguette... or four? Every day I fall in love with Bourges more and more. I am nonstop admiring the details on the oldest buildings, the people who walk to the boulangerie everyday for a baguette, and even the noises French people make to describe things. I feel like I was dropped into a little girl's dream after she watched Beauty and the Beast. It's unreal, and the thought that I left Tacoma to live on the other side of the planet for a year is kind of... apauling. Yet I love every second of it!

I arrived in Paris, France about 11:30 in the morning (so 1:30 am Tacoma time) and easily found my luggage then my Rotary club president. I met Andika, an exchange student from Indonesia, and we went on our way to exit the airport. We went to eat at the heart of the tourist attractions in Paris. We ate at an outdoor restaurant and afterward walked around a bit. I saw the Louvre museum, the Arc de Triomphe , and the Eiffel Tower all from afar. Three hour car ride to Bourges meant a three hour nap for me! My host sister and mother, Marie and Valérie, were waiting for me at the Rotary club. They were so excited to meet me, and I them. Marie is ecstatic to have an older sister for four months. I met other rotarians and the exchange student from Mexico, Camila. We proceeded to go home because it was clear how exhausted I was. Dinner was really nice, I tried two tartes (kind of like flat pies with meat) and loved them! Soon after I showered and went to bed.

My second day in Bourges commenced with Valérie showing me around via her mini cooper and walking. I was in absolute awe about everything about Bourges! It's so cute! Later Valérie and I walked to my school from the house. It only takes five to ten mintues and I'll be walking everyday. At noon we picked Marie up from her English class and returned to a delicious lunch. Chicken, green beans, and "pomme noisette". Pomme noisette is pretty much mashed potatoes in a ball, but it's crisp on the outside. That's the best I can describe it and I have no idea how it's made, but it is drool-worthy! I met Sandrine who was Marie's nurse when she was little, and she helps keep the house clean and makes lunch for Marie and I while Valérie is at work. Later Valérie, Marie, and I went to the supermarket. It's pretty much just like a big grocery store back home. Back at home Marie and I played a child's matching game so that I could learn the names of completely random objects. After Marie's orhtodontist appointment I showered, ate dinner, and went to bed about 7:30. I was pooped!

Day three. Valérie gave me her old phone and we bought a SIM card with unlimited texting, so that should come in handy once I make friends! I bought postcards for freinds and family who have birthdays in August and September. Marie and I walked around Bourges a lot and I was able to see the inside of Cathedrale Etienne. It's absolutely breathtaking! So many details in the architecture and the art is beautiful and the glass work is very intricate. I believe it was built in the 13th century. So gorgeous! I decided by the end of the day that Bourges has got to be one of the most picturesque places in the world! To finish off the day I believe I finally rid my room of the mosquito that was pestering me ever since I arrived. I found it funny because in middle school French class we made stories of mosquitos chasing people around their house. You're super amused I assume. Okay, moving on!

Day four was pretty "chill". I read and wrote for a while, then Marie and I rode bicycles around Bourges. I got really excited because they have parts of Bourges that are like the country side right next to the city so I saw horses! I explained to Marie that you don't find horses right next to the center of the city in Tacoma. That night the family went to a Mexican restaraunt which was very different from American Mexican restaraunts. At one point Valérie asked me what I ate in China. I tried to think of a good answer to that.... but the best thing  I came up with was "Uhh, Chinese food?" The family got a crack out of that and Tim repeated that Valérie's question was stupid. They like to joke around a lot with each other so we always get some good laughs.

Valérie took me to the market on day five. I believe Sandrine told me the market moves streets everyday! Valérie asked if I wanted to ask the man for a basket of strawberries, but I am still too afraid of making mistakes to do that! I'm working on my confidence though.We stopped by the post office to send my post cards and later I went to the bank to meet up with my club president. Camilla, Andika and I received information to set up a bank account here. Later that night I found I do like the taste of champagne!

My host parents hosted a birthday party for Sandrine on day six. The party lasted for about six hours so during that time Marie and I took the two children that came to the park. We were there for about an hour and had a lot of fun, but I could not understand the kids at all! They would speak to me and because I still don't understand a lot of French I would nod, smile, and ask Marie what they said. When I did speak French they were really confused as to why I was speaking French and English. The little boy got to show off his English by counting to ten. After the party my family and I watched Super 8, which I think is good, I just want to see it in English now! By day six I'm starting to get into the swing of things here.

Day seven was the day I finally watched Indiana Jones! Marie was so surprised I hadn't seen it yet, so she was really excited for me to watch it. We watched in French with English subtitiles just so that I stay used to hearing French. Marie owns all four so hopefully I can watch them all before these four months are up!
I learned that I do have three families, but I still do not know who they are. Today Sandrine and I rode bikes to a part of Bourges with a lot of gardens and small farming with a little river. It's the most peaceful beautiful place ever. I would love to go there someday to do devotions. While we were riding a little (and I believe harmless) snake crossed our path and Sandrine freaked out! She told me to stop and wait to make sure it was gone then to ride away really fast. It was pretty funny, she explained that she hates all snakes whether they're dangerous or not.

Tonight I have my first Rotary meeting and tomorrow I begin school! I'm pretty nervous for school, but that's life! I just hope I can make friends quick. Friday I might go climbing with Marie and Sunday may be going to a pool. For school I believe I will choose to do volley ball! What an adventure that'll be. I haven't done another sport since I was little besides ballet.

Well, gotta run! Au revoir!