First Week
Ok, so I've been here for less than a week, and I think that I'm holding up really well! When I first boarded the plane in tears I thought that I would hate being here and want to come back as soon as I got home, though I think subconsciously I always knew that I was mean to go here (however dramatic that sounds). There have only been a couple times throughout the time that I've been here that I've really had the urge to go home.
I think that one thing that's really helped me is that I got placed with the perfect host family! The mom and dad are both really nice and then they have three children, two are in middle school, and the other one is starting his first year at the University. Both of my host parents are teachers, the mom is an high school English teacher, and the dad is a PE teacher I'm pretty sure... All of the children are really nice and the youngest one is so cute! Oh! And what makes this family even better for me is that they have an adorable cat who loves to be held, but can also spend hours chasing his tail, he is one of the cutest things that I've ever seen!
School so far has been an interesting blend of complete and utter frustration, and going over stuff that is way too easy! I know that the school put me in a level that is way to low for me, and the reason that they did this is because I do horrible on French tests, especially ones that last for two hours. To start things off it was the second day here when we took the test, so I was still kind of jet lagged. And then the first part of it was Oral Comprehension and I didn't know that it had started until we were like three questions in, I was not happy when I realized that. And then as the time went on I just continued to get more frustrated and so I started not paying attention and rushing through things because I just wanted to be done. Also it doesn't help that the test was like the stupid SAT's and you're marked down if you get the wrong answer, I've always found that system to be stupid. I'm hoping that the teacher will realize that I should at least be one level up and change me, but if not, I can say that it will be an easy class that I'll be able to pass with flying colors.
In away I still can't believe that I'm here and that I'll be staying here for a while. I'm not sure when or if it'll ever sink in that nine months can be a long time. I'm hoping that the months will fly by and I'll be able to speak flawless French and come back to the States and be with my loved ones! That would be really nice! Though on the plus side I found out yesterday that when I apply for my carte de sejour the French government is basically going to give me free money that covers for my living expenses, though I think that it only covers my rent, but considering that I paid for all of that beforehand it'll be really nice to get that when it starts coming. Though it'll be a pain to go through the application process (especially since i was also told that I'll probably have to do it twice, once in Angers, and then again when I move up to Lille, how annoying is that?). But I guess I'll live as they say "C'est la vie"