How did I get here?

Sometimes I look around and still can't believe that this is all real. Going into freshman year I never would have believed it if someone told me where I would be two and a half short years later. I know when I decided to come on exchange I was beyond excited, but looking back now I see how naive I really was, thinking exchange would be one big party. I never would have imagined the obstacles I would face or the people I would be so lucky to meet. Sure I have only been in France for 4 short months, but this has become my life. When I log on Facebook now I don't see the faces of Bend anymore but rather the faces of the world. I see some of the most courageous, incredible people from all around the globe, I see the people who are really going to make a difference in this world, even if they don't know it yet. Before coming to France I considered myself independent, and sure I was but nowhere near to the way I am now. I think on exchange you are really forced to find what you like and who you are. There's nobody else there to make your choices for you and you must find what you stand for. Even with others' opinions you learn to ignore those and really find what you want and get a better idea of who you are. You take opinions from all over the world and somewhere in between find your own.

I don't know how I got here and sometimes I'd rather be anywhere else. I don't regret any of it for a minute though. There are people in my life now that I couldn't live without and lessons I've learned that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. 

As my time here in France gets shorter and shorter I have been trying to take advantage of every moment here. Last weekend was a four day weekend due to Ascension Day in France.
On Wednesday night I went to the circus with my host family which for me was like a scene straight out of the movies. It was in a large circus tent and lasted about 2 hours with some really impressive acts including amazing gymnasts and of course some animals. It was something totally new for me and I really enjoyed it.

Then on Friday I went to my host sister's best friend's birthday party. We dressed up in flashy clothes, had dinner in the park and just hung out. Some of the girls has a spaghetti fight but I managed to stay out of it, and keeping clean! Then Saturday I went with Luciana to Enzo's house in a small town on the countryside for an event his family was helping with. They rented the event center and turned it into a restaurant with some acts and dancing. We also had raclette which is a delicious french food. It consists usually of potatoes, ham and melted raclette cheese. It's one of my favorite french meals that I've tasted!

Sunday afternoon I went with my family, excluding my host brother, to a rugby match. A family member of my host mom is the president of the rugby club so there was a large classy lunch before the game started. It was my first time watching a whole rugby game and although it has many differences I found it similar to football (American). While at the game I started thinking of all the things I have seen with this family. They have definitely introduced me to a huge part of France, ranging from countryside to big cities and French food to European sports. I am really thankful for them and don't think I could ever give back as much as they've given me. I am truly thankful for them.

The other day talking with Luciana and Enzo I realized how little time I have left here and since then the ticking clock has been a bit haunting. There's really no way to describe this feeling, except for bittersweet. Of course I am so excited to see my family, friends and be truly relaxed in my home again but on the other hand there is so much that I will be sad to leave behind, mostly the people. And the real problem is I can't simply return to it all. Half of my time here I spend with other exchange students and Chalon wouldn't be the same without them. Leaving them in Paris is going to be one of the hardest things I have to do, along with leaving my host family and friends in Chalon. It's something I don't want to think about but it's so hard to ignore as each day passes by. When I left home I knew I'd be coming home soon and things wouldn't change that much, however I can't say the same for Chalon- and that's the hardest part. 

Second week of vacation!

Alright so it was about 2 weeks ago but I really should update about the rest of my vacation because it was definitely noteworthy!

Most of the week my host parents were busy with work but one of the days they had off and we went to a castle about 30 minutes away. All of my host family went except for my host brother because he was busy studying for the end of high school exams, aka the BAC. When we got there we hiked up to a cute little village that is from long before the founding of the Americas. In the town there was an extremely old church with an elderly man playing a harp inside, which really added to the beauty of the church and the atmosphere. Then we headed to the castle which was cool as well. It's always really impressive to see these buildings that are so old, especially because in the US everything is so new in comparison. It was one of those days were I looked around and remembered that even with the rough times here, I am so thankful to have the opportunity to be here.

The church

Where guards used to set their guns up to shoot anybody trying to attack the castle. 

Another day during the week I went with my host sister to my host mom's parents house to have lunch and go swimming. I am really jealous how my host family has the opportunity to go and see their extended relatives just about any day of the week, whereas in the states I rarely get to see mine and it's quite expensive. My host grandparents are really nice and interesting to talk to, especially because they have traveled all over the world and have lots of stories.

AFS meeting

Church in Lyon

Roman theater with Lyon in the background

Also during the break I had the opportunity to go to Lyon with my host parents to watch my host brother's handball tournament and do a little visiting. It's one of the biggest cities in France and is quite beautiful. My host brother had two handball matches- winning one and losing the other. Then we went and had lunch in a typical Lyonnais restaurant in the center of town, followed by visiting a few of the largest churches in Lyon. They were really beautiful and one of the churches was actually two in one. After that we saw an old roman theater above the city and then headed home. It was another great day and I was happy to finally be able to visit Lyon!

The last big part of my vacation was an AFS meeting in a big castle right outside of Chalon. It's always nice to see everybody again and hear about how everybody is doing. There was also all of the French students getting to go abroad. It was really strange talking to them about getting ready to leave and remembering that was me doing the same exercises on the other side of the world just 4 months ago. It's crazy just how much I have learned and grown since then.

Then unfortunately the vacation had to come to an end. However luckily in the month of May there are many holidays so we have some longer weekends.

Thats the end of my vacation update, hopefully I'll have a chance to update again soon because there is really so much to say!
Bisous!

Far overdue blog post

3 weeks later!
I have had a few downs lately from homesickness but I've also had some great ups!

During the 2 week vacation I went to see my friend Hannah in Nice and we had a great time! After a 7 hour train ride with a stop in Lyon I arrived in Nice to meet Hannah and the rest of her family! She has a really great family and they were very welcoming! The first day there we went to Monaco with her host sister who is going to the states next year with AFS. Then the second day Hannah and I went to Monaco again and a small town called Antibes for dinner. In Monaco we went to the aquarium, the prince's palace, Monte Carlo and some other places. I also learned that Monaco is actually it's own country even though it only has a population of about 35,000. Then the third day we went to Cannes for the day and then back to Monaco for the night. The last day we spent making pancakes and wondering around Nice! It was so great to see Hannah and discover her region. It's really stunning in her region and it was nice to see the beach again.

I'll update more soon but right now I don't have time! Hope everybody is enjoying spring! :)

Bisous!