If I didn’t already have the best mother in the entire world than I would have asked Madame to adopt me so that I could live with her in Paris! She continues to be warm and thoughtful, even though she has already housed multiple exchange students and I am just the next one! When I was introduced to the family it was funny because I could tell that they were used to quiet and random strangers at their family rendez-vous! Imagine, the only thing more awkward than the annual family gathering is having an exchange student, standing there and trying to be invisible, well, not exactly. I tried to talk with the family as much as possible, but hey, I just got here and they speak quickly and with colloquialisms! They were all friendly, however, and even the little children deigned to speak to the “tard” once! It was like a duty at some point for everyone to exchange a few brief sentences with me until my face was bright rouge and I just smiled. Occasionally they would feel so bad that they would say, “in English?” but to my credit, I only said what I absolutely couldn’t and continued in French.
It is funny how not understanding much dialogue at a social event creates a whole new experience! I tried to follow conversations and to ask questions if possible, but my general confusion enabled me to sit back a bit and to watch. I can only take in so much French at a time, after all, before my brain is overwhelmed and I can’t focus anymore. Classes at the university will be fun, won’t they? Oh, my, well let’s not even go there yet! A student hasn’t ever failed a semester abroad, have they? Ha Ha. Well, even if I do get straight D’s, I have already learned so much in less than a week to make it worth it! I am wondering when my positivity will wane however, because lately I have been uncharacteristically positive! “Lows” are inevitable in a change this extreme, so don’t be shocked if soon some of my entries lack “happy bunny” feelings in the future. For instance, when I gain five hundred pounds after days like today, where all I did was eat sugary foods!
Starting where I left off in my last entry, I was pleasantly surprised to be fed a delicious lunch, but I was once again confused when I saw Madame adding leaves to the dinner table. I thought it was strange that she prepared so many cakes for just the six of us, but now little surprises me! After our aperitifs of a marvelous champagne, our lunch of a roast with onions and warm prunes, I promise it was amazing, and haricots verts, the cheese and bread course, of course, AND the chocolate mousse cake, there was more! Oh, my goddess. I was also surprised that we were celebrating the Monsieur’s birthday, which is this Wednesday, I believe, in addition to the Catholic holiday with the traditional galette du rois! So many fetes, so little time! It really is a mystery that the French are generally thin when it seems that all they do is sit and eat! Okay, they do walk a lot and don’t use elevators!
A few hours after our lunch the doorbell rang and didn’t stop until the tiny French apartment was full of strangers, many of which were small children! It was a bit overwhelming, at first, but eventually I settled in and I had a nice time. She served us all a GIANT piece of the galette du rois, of course, and I ate it all because I couldn’t help myself. Dessert for dinner is not the worst way to end my first Sunday in Paris, I suppose.
I was not an entirely worthless interloper, actually, because one of the couples was asking for vacationing advice in Miami! Surprise, surprise. Their first time in the states and they pick Miami! Do I have to keep telling people that it is not exactly like CSI Miami down there or should I let them figure it out themselves? Not like I am the best travel guide but I recommended South Beach, original, I know, and I told them that Key West is mostly tourists and there is not much beach! It probably won’t matter to them because Europeans think anywhere near Miami is “it on a stick,” and they can’t get enough of the sun. The more time that I spend in chillier parts of the world, however I understand the fascination with a place that is always sunny and warm. I miss the sun, and yet Paris has plenty of other marvels in its place.
Although today was atypical for an American exchange student’s first Sunday in Paris, it was a very special evening that I would have otherwise never experienced without a homestay. To think that families like this open their home to students that they don’t even know, is remarkable and it makes you feel special to be a part of it. Even if Madame and Monsieur consider me just another friendly American from ACCENT, they will always be important to me as the family who introduced me to Paris, as well as to a perspective entirely different than my own. To anyone who has never done such a thing, I recommend stepping back from your life now and again, and trying to understand another perspective. Even if it is as simple as a democrat considering a republican’s opinions for once, or vice versa, it is worth the effort. It is tried and true that communities benefit from openness to new ideas, after all, so what harm could it do to listen?
I don’t mean to sound like Gandhi, however and I realize that tomorrow I will likely be grumping because of something that the French do and that I don’t understand. Once again, that is why it is so important to be aware of moments like these and to try to understand why we are so afraid of the unfamiliar. Different is usually not bad, it is just surprising, and more and more I find that surprises are often lovely, indeed!
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