Le Transition :)

Right now I am over the Atlantic Ocean!! Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I will never ever be able to fly another airline, other than Air France, with out crying. Everyone has their own individual tvs, there’s a mini bar in the back, there’s foot room, we get a four course dinner, oh and did I mention it’s double decker and I’m on the second floor?!? I really should be sleeping right now, in France it is around 600am, we are landing at 830am and I haven’t slept this entire flight. I am so unbelievably excited. When we got on the plane I couldn’t stop fidgeting I was so happy. I spoke to my seat neighbors in French and was from that point on super excited. I have come to the realization that I am really not that great at French and so I will need to put a lot of effort into it, which is fine by me.

Orientation, although quite repetitive, was an extremely nice and helpful transition period. It was so amazing to be around people that had the same feelings of excitement and anxiousness. It was so cool to hear about all the different places people were living and all about their families. My hotel roommate, Nicolette, is living very close to Germany in a town of 250 people and parents that have a one-year-old daughter! Wow. I have met so many interesting and wonderful people. I hope I will be able to keep in touch with them and hear about their experiences.
Oh my!! I completely forgot to talk about where I’m living! Sorry about that. I was truly just notified a few days ago. I will be living in a town of around 50,000 people, Chateauroux. It is only two hours south of Paris! Very exciting. My host father, Pierre-Yves speaks some English, and everyone else in the family, Carole, the mom, and Lola, Luanne, Malou, my three younger host sisters, all only speak French. Although it might be a little challenging, I am happy that it will push me to use French all the time and expand my vocabulary enormously. I can’t wait to meet them, but I’m really nervous to meet them. I’m afraid they will have high expectations of me that I will not be able to meet right away, but I’m still in phase where I have a smile on my face no matter what.

Once we land in Paris (Charles de Gaul), we will have more orientation with AFS-FRANCE, and will be spending the next few nights in a hostile. That will be a new experience for me. I can’t imagine what it will be like with fifty other exchange students. Tomorrow we will spend the day touring Paris!! And the day after that we meet our host families! It is all happening so fast, my brain can hardly catch up. Okay time to get some sleep. Bon nuit!!

(written on the plane to France)