Well, I planned to write this during my 13 hours of travel yesterday, but it didn't happen. I am safe and sound now, at home, but my blog needed an ending. So this is my evaluation of my semester:
I spent 128 days living in Europe.
My goal was to learn French, but I got more than I bargained for :)
I got to visit various cities in 7 different countries in Europe, I've taken 11 planes and more trains than I can count. Traveling was ABSOLUTELY amazing, and I have a better understanding of a lot of history now that I've had the chance to see where it took place. And I have around 7000 pictures to prove it :)
I gained a new world perspective by living in a different culture. My ideas and opinion changed, but my faith only got stronger, I think I've grown up a lot.
I've learned to deal with problems in a more calm rational manner. Once the train has left the station without you there is really nothing you can do about it, no amount of worrying is going to bring it back, so why panic?
I've also made some wonderful friends, both French and American. My host family became like my real family, and I miss them (and Miss Lindsey Whitfield) already! I now have friends ALL over the world, and I'm looking forward to visiting them again.
French. Hmmm, yesterday I had just woken up and the flight attendant walked by and I yelled after her in French without even thinking haha. Ok, so my goal was to become fluent, I don't think I am fluent, and I wouldn't call myself bilingual, but I speak French pretty darn well. Definitely enough to communicate easily and enough to impress any French stranger on the street, I still really love the language.
I had a list, of things I wanted to do in Europe, like visit Rome and London. Go see Emma, buy a beret, try foi gras. I did EVERYTHING on my list, except go skiing in the mountains, but I had a pretty long list, so that's not bad. And I am very content :)
Overall, I had a very full study abroad experience. Some things were exactly how I imagined, but most things were so much better :) The semester was incredible, I couldn't ask for more. It is a miracle that I'm home, on Sunday my plane was the only one to go to Paris, and on Monday my plane was the only one to go to Philadelphia. I'm so happy to be home, it is great to be in my house, with my family (and boyfriend too) again. And I've never been so excited about Christmas.
However, I will always carry a little piece of France around in my heart, a little part of me is very French now, and I really hope I can go back someday. In the meantime, if anybody wants to practice their French with me, let me know!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Ma Famille Francaise :) Blog 22
This blog is dedicated to my host family! I've spent a lot of blogs telling everybody about deep meaningful revelations, funny travelling mishaps and France as a whole, but I thought I would share a little about the people who have made the biggest impact on my study abroad experience.
I live with a host family, very close to the University where I go to school. I have a host mom and a host dad, as well as two host brothers ages 15 and 19 and a host cat. I also have a host sister and host brother-in-law, but they don't live with us, and I currently live in my host sister's old bedroom. And I also have a host grandma, who is sweet as sugar and tells me my accent is cute, while everybody else just makes fun of it (in a loving way.)
At first, I was really nervous about the idea of living in somebody else's house, especially because I've never had brothers before. But my host family was very welcoming and I was pretty comfortable. At first it was very hard, because I barely understood anything at all, and it is difficult to make relationships with people when you don't speak the same language. I was living with them, but for awhile we were all strangers to each other, except for the cat, she has always loved me, despite my lack of French skills.
Slowly but surely, my French started getting better, and as we could communicate more, things got better :) I bonded with the brothers by swapping youtube videos (you don't have to talk so much when you are showing people videos online.) My host mom was always the easiest to get along with, because she was an exchange student when she was 18, so she understands exactly what it is like. And my host dad...he is a character...always making fun of me, but when I finally got up the nerve (and learned enough French) that I could joke back, dinner time became very very amusing. Finally, I won all the kids over when I started passing out the silly bandz I had brought from the USA, and periodically making brownies and peanut butter cookies.
My host family has taken me in like one of their own. I do some chores around the house to help out, like emptying the dishwasher, setting the table, vacuuming and closing the shutters every night. And they take me everywhere with them too! We have gone to the movies, the Fair here in Pau, Christmas Tree shopping, over to Grandma's house for dinner, and I went to this really cool spa place with my host sister, and church every Sunday :) And I get to practice my French with them every evening, and enjoy delicious French cuisine for dinner each night :)
In the last couple weeks things have gotten even better, and they are really like my family now. It is kinda sad that just as my French is getting good enough to communicate, and just as I'm really starting to fit in, I will be leaving. But I know that my study abroad experience would have been so different if this family had not taken me in. I am so blessed to have people that would be willing to take in a stranger, and care for her like one of their own children.
So, I will enjoy my last two weeks here with my family, because even though they aren't related to me, they are definitely part of my family now. I really hope that one day they can all come visit me in the America, then I will be the one who can tease them about not knowing how to speak English ;) (evil laugh)
I live with a host family, very close to the University where I go to school. I have a host mom and a host dad, as well as two host brothers ages 15 and 19 and a host cat. I also have a host sister and host brother-in-law, but they don't live with us, and I currently live in my host sister's old bedroom. And I also have a host grandma, who is sweet as sugar and tells me my accent is cute, while everybody else just makes fun of it (in a loving way.)
At first, I was really nervous about the idea of living in somebody else's house, especially because I've never had brothers before. But my host family was very welcoming and I was pretty comfortable. At first it was very hard, because I barely understood anything at all, and it is difficult to make relationships with people when you don't speak the same language. I was living with them, but for awhile we were all strangers to each other, except for the cat, she has always loved me, despite my lack of French skills.
Slowly but surely, my French started getting better, and as we could communicate more, things got better :) I bonded with the brothers by swapping youtube videos (you don't have to talk so much when you are showing people videos online.) My host mom was always the easiest to get along with, because she was an exchange student when she was 18, so she understands exactly what it is like. And my host dad...he is a character...always making fun of me, but when I finally got up the nerve (and learned enough French) that I could joke back, dinner time became very very amusing. Finally, I won all the kids over when I started passing out the silly bandz I had brought from the USA, and periodically making brownies and peanut butter cookies.
My host family has taken me in like one of their own. I do some chores around the house to help out, like emptying the dishwasher, setting the table, vacuuming and closing the shutters every night. And they take me everywhere with them too! We have gone to the movies, the Fair here in Pau, Christmas Tree shopping, over to Grandma's house for dinner, and I went to this really cool spa place with my host sister, and church every Sunday :) And I get to practice my French with them every evening, and enjoy delicious French cuisine for dinner each night :)
In the last couple weeks things have gotten even better, and they are really like my family now. It is kinda sad that just as my French is getting good enough to communicate, and just as I'm really starting to fit in, I will be leaving. But I know that my study abroad experience would have been so different if this family had not taken me in. I am so blessed to have people that would be willing to take in a stranger, and care for her like one of their own children.
So, I will enjoy my last two weeks here with my family, because even though they aren't related to me, they are definitely part of my family now. I really hope that one day they can all come visit me in the America, then I will be the one who can tease them about not knowing how to speak English ;) (evil laugh)
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