Let’s start with school. I am in level 323, which is really close to being in classes for superior level students (levels 324-326 are slightly more advanced, and then after that, it’s superior classes). Many of the other students in my classes took classes at UCO in the spring and in September, so it is pretty cool to know that I did well enough on my placement tests to be decently close to advanced. I however have been a little concerned that the classes are going to be a little easy compared to my standards. I talked with my teacher today, and she said I am good enough to go up to the next level, but because there is a space issue with levels above me, she and I can meet every week and she’ll give me additional work to do if I want. So, I’m excited to have extra work to augment my skills. My classes are pretty great though, and I love my teachers. Traduction (translation) is really particular, Histoire de la France (history of France) is so amazingly interesting, and my other classes are good too. My listening comprehension is insanely better already, and I have no problem keeping up with the teachers in school.
Next, I am learning how to cook more! It’s not that I was a bad cook before, I just never really cooked anything myself. Now that I am preparing my food for myself, I am really enjoying being creative with different sauces and vegetables, and I’m excited to learn some really good French recipes this year. I’m thinking for the holiday I’m going to learn how to make some desserts. Get ready everyone for when I come home, because we are going to have a grand feast!
I found a choir to join!!!! It is called “Les Aquar’elles” and it is a group of about 21 girls that are college-aged, and we sing music of the world. I went to a practice last Thursday, and they were thrilled to have me. I am the only girl who isn’t French who is in the choir, so it was cool to have a new nationality in the group. We are singing a Chinese song right now and also an English song, so the conductor had me read the words in English for the group. Then everyone repeated the words, and it was great with the French accents. The tone of the group is surprisingly really good, and I feel so good to have a place to sing again.
While I was at choir last week, I talked with a girl named Isabelle who wanted to know if I would be interested in linguistic exchanges. Essentially, we are getting together one or two times a week to hang out and to ameliorate our speaking skills in French and English. She’s really nice and I think it’s going to be really fun and beneficial to talk and go out on the town with her this year.
There is an organization affiliated with the school called AFIA that for only four euros (like 6 dollars), you can be partnered with a family in our region of France to experience the culture a bit more. I ended up being partnered with the Bouget family. There are the parents, Stéphanie and Loic, and then two kids, Laurane who is 8 years old, and Timon who is 5 ½ years old. Stéphanie and Loic both know English pretty much fluently, and so if I’m struggling to figure something out, we can typically figure it out. I was invited to their house on Sunday for lunch and a surprise. Before lunch, we had an aperitif, where we talked for like 45 minutes or so, and drank some wine. I had rose wine, which I liked more than red wine. It is still really strong, but it was better. The lunch was really good, and then after lunch, they took me and the kids to L’événement Haras nationaux Mondial du Lion (Essentially it’s a really big international equestrian competition). It was pretty interesting and we had a lot of fun. Laurane is learning about Americans in school this year, and she was really enthusiastic to meet me. She also showed me here workbook for learning English, and it was really cool. And then Timon has so much energy, and he and I played a couple rounds of Mario Kart on the Wii. When Timon found out that I was not staying at their house, he got really sad too, which was sweet. Stéphanie and Loic told me that whenever I want to spend a day or weekend with them to let them know and they would love to have me, so I just feel so blessed to have them as my “other family.” I also met the family of Stéphanie’s best friend (Michael and Laure, and their daughters, Lou, Lynn, and Neomie). They were also really fun to talk to, because their daughters are also learning English.
Saturday, I went with the school to Mont St. Michel and Saint Malo even though I have already been to both places before, and it was such a good choice! In both places, we were free to explore as we desired, and Yiran (my really good friend and classmate) and I spent a lot of time away from the group. In Saint Malo, we meandered through the downtown, but spent a bulk of our time walking around the shoreline to the ocean. I was smiling so much as I picked up the sand, and I felt like I was back at Lake Michigan. It was a great feeling. Yiran and I met some funny boys near the bathrooms that made us laugh a lot. They were probably between the ages of 8 and 12, and they were hilarious. After leaving Saint Malo, we went to Mont St. Michel, and it was also wonderful. The architecture was wonderful as I remembered, and the atmosphere was so quaint. We walked along the “shoreline” and marveled at the water. Mont St. Michel is in the middle of a river where the tide rises and falls very quickly, and the ground is essentially clay. I took a lot of pictures, and I was quite content at the end of the day.
I’ve also spent a lot of time making friends at school and trying to branch out more outside of school. My friends here are from all different countries, but my closest friends right now are from China and the USA. I do want to say though that I can’t imagine being here without talking to my friends and family. It has been such a release to talk to you guys from home. My family, I always love talking to you, especially now that we are so separated. And my friends, Sara, Kristyn, Brent and Nick especially, thank you so much for always talking to me. I love having you guys to talk to.
The last thing to report is that I have embarked on sort of biblical journey while I am here. I decided to read a Psalm a day, and it has actually been really fantastic how much some of these Psalms have hit home. Whether despairing or rejoicing, God is always at the forefront of each Psalm, and I love letting God lead me where I am meant to go. Some verses I’ve really connected with have been Psalm 1:2-3 and Psalm 8:3-4. That being said, I will leave you all with a quote. My history teacher was talking about the roots of Christianity, and she said last year she asked the students why Christianity thrived in France, and an Asian (non-Christian) student replied by saying “le Christianisme est la relgion de l’amour.” Indeed, Christianity is the religion of love. Rock on and Amen.
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