Second Week of Vacances!

As I had previously written, the first week of vacation was pretty slow. However the second week I had a lot more going on and it was a lot of fun! I also figured out how to get some pictures on my blog! Yay!

Tuesday morning we packed up the cars and headed to the Alps. My whole host family went, along with one of my host brother’s friends, and we stayed in a chalet in a small town at the base of the mountains. During our time there we skied, played games, watched movies, did a little bit of shopping, and just hung out. Then Friday afternoon we headed back home. It was absolutely stunning in the mountains and we were lucky enough to get incredible weather as well! My trip to the Alps was truly amazing but I must admit it was a strange feeling coming back from vacation to a different home than usual.

The view from the top of the mountain of the Alps! It was absolutely breathtaking!

Looking outside the chalet we stayed in, the mountain on the far right is where we went skiing;

Then on Saturday I took a train to Chalon sur Saone to see another AFS student from Brazil who is here for the whole year, named Enzo. It was my first time taking the train alone and I’m proud to say it went very smoothly, not like it’s hard. The transportation in France is something that I am definitely starting to appreciate! In Chalon, Enzo showed me the town, showed me his school, we had lunch, did a little shopping and visited a photography museum. Then around 5 I took the train back to Macon. With about 80,000 Chalon was a bit livelier than Macon and it has quite a bit of character. I had a ton of fun and I can easily say that it was one of the best days I have had here in France!

It was also really nice being able to hang out with another AFS student. I was able to share my experiences and problems with somebody who understands and has already gone through a lot of the same things. Back in America I always wondered why the exchange students stuck together if they were there to learn about the American culture. Now I know exactly why. There is this instant bond between exchange students, no matter their nationality, background, or interests. There is a life changing experience in common and it’s really something I have never experienced before. Exchange students understand each other and after a bad day they really are the only ones who can understand what you are going through. Exchange students are basically a huge support system for each other. It’s so cool to put aside all the things that usually matter and make these strong bonds with people from all over the globe.

The Saone river passing through Chalon

Typical French church, there are so many here in France and the architecture is really incredible.

During vacation I also had a dream that really freaked me out. In my dream my exchange was over and I had just returned to America. I was so upset and felt as if I wasn’t supposed to be there. It all felt so wrong. When I first got here, nothing sounded better than returning home to everything that was familiar. Now, no matter how much I miss my friends or how lonely I feel I wouldn’t chose to go home. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. I finally am starting to have a life in France and I am definitely not ready to leave it.

Now that vacation is over it’s time to get up early and spend long hours at school again.  Not much else is going on here, except this next weekend I have an AFS meeting up near Dijon, which I am really looking forward to.

Well that’s it for now!

Bonne semaine tout le monde!