Coucou!

I have not written on the blog for a few weeks, which I apologize for, but I think that's a good sign. I was using the blog as an outlet, a way for me to rant and rave, and communicate all the things I'm feeling that I don't know how to say in French yet. Therefore, me not writing on the blog means me not having a lot to complain about.

Things are still hard, but they are definitely looking up. I am slowly catching onto the language, there are things that now come to me as a reflex, no translating before in my head first, which I find really exciting. I have never realized how much time I spend only half listening to people, and when they are speaking in English, I still understand. Here I have to focus extremely hard, my brain needs to be 100% on during class and even just at the dinner table, which is new for me. My French teacher is putting a lot of time and energy into helping me learn French quickly. Instead of listening to the lectures during class, which I understand absolutely none of, he gives me elementary exercises to help with my vocabulary and grammar. So I sit through French class spending an hour with my little pocket dictionary as my right hand man working on exercises that the other kids could finish in five minutes, but hey they have already spent multiple years being drilled on their verb conjugations. I am still failing school, which is frustrating for me, but I just have to remind myself that I am here to learn about the culture and the language, not pass physics.

About a week ago, I was very close to breaking down, but just in time AFS put together a meeting for the exchange students living in the Centre Ville. We all met up in a little town named Orleans. They put together a scavenger hunt and we were separated into groups and had to go to different historical  monuments and take pictures to find the next hint. It was amazingly fun and reminded me why I am doing this. It reminded me how much I love France, the culture, the language, and just the feeling in the air. One of the places on the list, was an old classic hotel. At the time, there were three weddings going on outside of it. All different stages, one just about to begin and the other almost over. It was so beautiful to see. I just wanted to walk around with a classic black and white camera and take pictures. Unfortunately, that would have been a little awkward, considering I was neither attending the weddings nor was I the photographer. I tried to sneak in a few, but they didn't show up as well as I'd hoped.

Across the street from the hotel was a very huge, beautiful church. It was so French. Every little corner perfectly sculpted and the steps designed with all the right angles. The windows were beyond beautiful. And then you bring your head down and there are all these French teenagers skateboarding, doing bike tricks, and spray painting sheets of wood at the base of the church. It was actually really cool to watch, as oxy-moronic as it was. The town was beautiful and had so many French stores, I was beside myself with sadness that we couldn't go into them, but friends and I made pact to meet up there sometime in the next few months and go on a shopping spree together, which will be fun. halfway through the scavenger hunt, my group (which consisted of my family and a friend) got tired and cold, so we got a bunch of tourist pamphlets on the town and went into a cafe to drink hot chocolate, which was just what I needed :)

I will try to write more often. It's nice to look back and reflect on whats happening. :) Tonight I am watching some French movie and baby sitting my sisters, but I am making friends and meeting new people everyday, which I love. Bisous!