So, Day 3, as it were. I haven't
exactly done very much, but I've met lots of people, set up my room
(which didn't take very long cause I don't have much stuff), done a
fair amount of chilling, and a ridiculous amount of sleeping. I like
everyone I've met so far, especially my host family (important) and
my host sister's best friend.
Somehow it's incredibly exhausting (and
yet cool) to deal with all the insignificant differences in daily
life. It probably makes me look stupid – I couldn't figure out the
toaster or the doors, and was more briefly confused by the backward
lightswitches, the lack of trashcans in any room but kitchen and
toilet, the separation of bathroom and toilet room, the milk cartons,
and many others. Fortunately, the Badauds have been extremely
understanding. I can tell they have travelled abroad a lot because
they know how to speak slowly and clearly and are good at specifying.
One thing about French people, and I'm
pretty sure it's not just because I'm American: they're very direct
and blunt, which is awesome. Back home, I could very well imagine
that when a foreigner does something that isn't done,
one would just look the other way and fill the awkward silence with
some small talk about how cute babies are or something. Rare is the
practical and wise American who would gently and kindly correct the
foreigner, and even then they'd usually feel awkward about it. I
haven't felt that at all – on the contrary, they've explained lots
of French customs to me and it didn't seem like they felt bad for
“rebuking” me at all, just that they're explaining the new facts
of life (which is exactly how I view it as well). So I've gotten “You
aren't scared of us, are you?” and “In France, we wait to take
the first drink until everyone is seated and we have a toast.” (I
suppose this could be a universal custom, but in my family we've done
toasts but don't save the first sip for a toast. Thoughts?) I've also
gotten “Did I make the drink too strong for you?” which in the US
would sound terribly patronizing, but here it was meant literally and
kindly.
By no
means am I independent here. Poor Maman
has to keep fixing what I do wrong and telling me how to put it away
the right way, and she's helping me talk to the French bank, arrange
a cell phone for me, etc. Nonetheless, I've gotten lots of
compliments on my French, and have been able to express what I need
as well as carrying on conversations. In Boston, at Orientation with
the other exchange students, I got the distinct impression that I
speak much better French than all seven other students. I have no
idea how they are coping and how they will make friends with so much
more limited communication skills. Maybe for them it's okay to be
more dependent and less aware of what's happening, but for me that
would just about kill me. So, first of all, I am feeling incredibly
grateful to French camp right now, and second, to my French teachers
at high school.
I do
not yet know my schedule for high school, only that it starts on
Wednesday. I do know that they looked at my transcript and decided to
put me in the sciences track (the others are economic/social and
literature) in junior year. This sort of made me laugh, because while
I know that finishing calculus in junior year is not a common
achievement, it's very common in the Silicon Valley. Next to my
brother, I've never felt like a math/science buff, though I suppose I
might be compared to Average Joe. It'll all depend, however, on
whether I get the classes I need to graduate. I'll need to talk to
their equivalent of a guidance counselor and see what can be arranged
so I can at least get economics, a math, a science, and English.
(Yes, I need English to graduate. Silly, isn't it?)
For
those of you who don't have facebook (Hi auntie Sara! :) ) my pictures can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4619252846176.187607.1438307065&type=1&l=7109807a46
So far
it was just me freaking out about how cool Icelandic is, and also
pictures of my new room.
That's
all for today. I'm having a great time, slowly learning, fitting in,
and catching up on sleep.
Here's
your complimentary French song for today!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0emXuhPTWUM
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