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!

And another 2 weeks of vacation!

Well I don't have a lot of time to update because I'm getting ready to take the train to go see my friend Hannah in Nice, so I'll make this brief.

A lot has been going on here though!
Since I last wrote...

• I went to a fashion show in a night club with my host mom and sister
• I went to see a dance battle with some girls in my class. This was really cool because there were some French rappers, DJs, and dancers of all ages. I enjoyed going out with the girls in my class and the show was fun to watch as well!
• I went back to Dijon with some of my AFS friends here in Chalon. 
• I went to Paris to watch my host brother's handball team play at Bercy, which is the biggest sports stadium in France and a huge deal. They won and it was super exciting! 
• We went to the town hall here to see the mayor and celebrate the team's win in Paris. 
• Today I went with my host mom and sister for my host mom to vote for the 2 president canidates. Then in 2 weeks we'll go back to vote for the president. 

Well I've definitely been keeping myself busy and those are only the highlights of what has been going on here! I've got a train to catch though so I'll write when I get back from Nice!

Allez Chalon!

Right after winning! After this they all got medals, a trophy for the team and there were little fireworks for celebration!

My amazing host family! <3

Not a very good picture, but this was the dance battle!

Another AFS student from Argentina, Luciana, who went to Dijon with me

Luciana (Argentine) and Enzo (Brazilian) touching the owl! 

Dijon mustard!

Bonne Vacances! 

Joyeux Pacques! (Happy Easter)

Not only is today Easter, but it also marks the end of my first week with my new host family!

I must say it has been my best week in France so far! I have really been enjoying myself here, both with my family and at school!

At school I am in what is called ES, which is the economy section of my grade. Therefore I have History, Math, Economy, Spanish, English, French, PE, and a class similar to criminal justice. It was only the first week but I'm finding that I am able to participate in these classes a lot more than I could at my last school. There is another exchange student in my class from Australia with another program. So on Friday our economics teacher asked us to do a small talk on the things that shocked us when we came to France or just the big differences.
The things that shocked me in France when I got here were:
1. The amount of smokers. Almost everybody here smokes. It was really shocking for me when I saw kids outside the school all smoking together while their teacher walks by and also seeing kids roll their cigarettes in class under the desk. I was shocked to see this much smoking and how everybody is so open about it!
2. PDA (Public Display of Affection) is everywhere! Here I have seen so many couples making out in public, sometimes even in the halls at school. The French are definitely a lot more showy about their relationships than people are in America. If people here are in relationships, they'll show it!
3. Everything closes down on Sunday. Sure in America stores have shorter hours on Sundays but in France everything literally shuts down. It is truly a day of rest and a day to be with the family or friends. At first I didn't like this, but now I find it to nice to have a day with nothing to do where you can just spend time together and relax.
4.Everyday you have school for a different amount of time. Usually I start at 8 but I finish at different times everyday. Wednesday is a half day so I finish around 11 but Mondays are long so I finish at 6
5. Substitute teachers are very rare in France. If the teacher isn't there you simply don't have class. I really like this, but for the French students it's not a good thing because they have to take the BAC(the test at the end of the year) and if the teachers not there they won't learn the material.
6. Lunch is much bigger in France. Here it is a full on meal usually with bread (like always, lots of bread in France!), an entree, main dish, yogurt or cheese, and dessert.

The first one is what really surprised the other students in my class. They were shocked to learn that smoking isn't as popular in the states and if students under 18 were to smoke in public, there is a good chance they could get in trouble with the law. It's really a huge part of their culture here!

Anyway, I have definitely been enjoying myself at school, but also with my family! Brief, this week: Monday I went to my host sister's handball practice, Wednesday I went shopping with my host sister in our town, Thursday I walked around with my host mom after school and she showed me some more of the town, and then Friday we went to a French basketball game! Then Saturday we went to Dijon and did some shopping! It was my first time to really see a big city in France and I had a lot of fun. One thing I really love about France is all of the old architecture. It's so beautiful and has a lot of history. Then Saturday night we went to my host dad's parents house for dinner and Sunday to my host mom's parents' house for Easter lunch. I enjoyed meeting the extended family of my host family and they were all so nice and welcoming. Our Easter meals were also delicious, but huge! There was about 6 or 7 parts to the meals. They really know how to eat here in France!

Well that is my week briefly! I already feel so at home here and like this is my real family! I can't begin to say how thankful I am for this family!

My new town

French basketball game

Cheerleaders or as the French call them, Pom Pom Girls

Dijon architecture

Lucky owl in Dijon

Dijon again

... and again

... and again

Easter egg hunting, there's my host sister and her two cousins

After the Easter Egg hunt with their Kinder eggs!

New Family, New School, and a New Town- Couldn't be Happier!

Wow it's been a long time since I last wrote and to say a lot has happened would be an understatement! Since the last time I wrote I attended an AFS weekend, celebrated my birthday, and changed host families, schools, and towns! So much has happened but I will try to briefly describe it!

To start was the AFS weekend in my region! There I met other AFS students and was reunited with some that I had met in Paris. While there we did a lot of talking about our time in France and how everything was going. We also did played some games, had a talent show, and did a lot of chatting! We only got a few hours of sleep but it was so fun and I loved seeing everybody. While there I also met Justine who is now my host sister, but I'll explain that later!

Roommates in Paris-Lucianna (Argentina), me, and Flavia (Brazil)

Then the Friday after was my birthday. I did a little celebrating but I must admit it wasn't a very good birthday unfortunately. At school I celebrated with my friends during an open period. Some of the kids made me cupcakes, brought a ton of candy, and gave me presents! They also brought some candles so I was able to blow out my candle, after they all sang happy birthday to me! Then that night I went to dinner with my host family. It was hard spending my birthday away from home and it didn't really feel like my birthday. However I really appreciate what all my friend at school did for me to celebrate my birthday in France!

My birthday celebration at school!

Then last Monday my liaison and another woman from AFS came to my host family so we could all talk because things weren't going to well there. After 3 hours of talking, it was decided I would switch host families. I loved my first host family and they were very nice, but we simply weren't compatible therefor I wasn't happy there. And for that reason I packed up my life in Macon and left everything that had become familiar behind to head to a new town with a new family. I finished up the week and said goodbye to all my friends there, which was pretty hard. However it's not far so I should be able to see them again! Then Sunday I took a train to my new host family! I had already met the daughter, Justine, and her father at the AFS weekend so I wasn't nervous at all, just really excited!

Now here I am with new routines in a new town with a new host family and I couldn't be happier. It was a bit sad to leave everything in Macon but now I realize it was the best decision I have ever made! My family here is incredible and a perfect fit for me! There is a 15 year old girl and a 17 year old boy named Justine and Romain. I get along with everybody in the family really well and they have all been extremely welcoming! I already feel at home here. The whole family plays handball and I'm having a lot of fun learning about it. My host family is really interesting and fun to be around. I'm so thankful and couldn't be happier here!

Then there's my new school which is amazing as well. It's a really great school and all the kids in my class are really nice as well. They are all welcoming and a ton of help for getting around. I was really nervous to start over at school but I'm finding it a lot easier this time. I've already made friends here and love my class! It's also nice because my school is pretty close to my house so it's easy to get around.

My new town is also really beautiful! It's a good size and there is a lot to do here. Also it's known has the birthplace of photography because one of the men who invented photography was born here. Today I did some shopping with my host sister here and we had a lot of fun.

I can't believe I only have a little over 3 months here and I know it is going to fly by so I'm trying to appreciate every moment I have here! I really couldn't be happier right now.