premiere post

Finally, I am on an American keyboard and I am able to get some of my thoughts about the first two and a half weeks down. Luckily I would say about one day of growth here is the equivalent to one week of being on 'autopilot' in my daily routine in Lawrence. It's funny though because this feels so much like a vacation at times. I had a cup of coffee at a cafe and a pain au chocolate and felt like, "Ok well I've done that." I felt that vacation mindset that you want to do cultural things once or twice and that will do it, but I forget sometimes that these things will become my habits because I am actually living here. All the natives in Angers is on their 'autopilot' and are certainly not viewing everything with new eyes. I feel like E.T.

The first day was strange because I was left in my new room and my family left to go do errands while I just sat in there with no internet access and nothing to do but think about what was on the horizon. It was definitely a sense of panic..not being able to communicate or having a question that you don't know how to ask. I just sat in my room and listened to The Beatles probably for comfort because they've been around my whole life. Culture shock is definitely something else, but I feel even more sorry for someone coming from an Asian country into this setting. France is different but not that much more than America really.

The shock for me really just lies in seeing tons of dog poop on the sidewalk and watching old people ride bikes in the heart of a city carrying baguettes and groceries everywhere. Their are also very fashionable people here but that requires an asterisk* They are fashionable and especially would be in America but EVERYONE wears the same thing. Darker colors, pea-coats, scarves and the women wear some form of boot. So they're fashionable here but they are also clones.

Speaking French is the biggest high or low. After successfully doing something new with the language I feel confident and happy and ready to risk it again. There are way too many times though when I feel like I have it down and then I get reprimanded and have to basically just throw a conversation out the window because it goes nowhere. I had the bus driver tell me I was going the right direction only to take me in literally the farthest place from where I could go. Sometimes at the end of the day I want to just hide from my host family to avoid the chatter but they always find me, it's a small house. It is completely beneficial to practice speaking though and it's the only reason I am making strides to this point.