Exchange Student - Sylvia

Posted by George Broderick 
on Sep 14, 2015
 
Hello Everyone,
 
I hope you are all doing well. As for me, I've settled in at my first host family quite nicely here in France. I was welcomed warmly at the Clermont-Ferrand Airport last Tuesday by my host family, and the Youth Exchange President of my district (D1740). The drive to my host home from the airport was a little over 2 hours. I live in a very small village, which is a 20 minute drive from Mende, the central town of the department of Lozère. The first few days, my host brother and sister took me around the area. My host brother took me on a hike (my village is in the mountains), and the next day my host sister took us to town, and I got to see their supermarket, the HyperU. 
 
School started last Wednesday. The French school system has a very different schedule than in Canada. Some days I have school from 8am to 6pm. My days have become much longer and much more tiring. The classes give out a lot of homework, especially French class. Whatever french I was taught in Canadian school was not enough to fully prepare me for what is here. I am struggling to communicate efficiently, and I don't understand everything people say. In classes, it's very hard to concentrate and pay attention to what the teacher says because they speak very quickly, like everyone else. I'm not enjoying it too much at the moment but I know that this is only the first week and it has to get better from here. 
 
I am however learning everyday. I pick up new words from my host brother, and I learn about different dishes from different regions of France at mealtimes. My host family is very patient and explains everything to me (although sometimes their explanations are even more confusing than the actual word). In addition, because every experience so far has been a new one, I learn a lot about their customs and ways here. For example, the French school system is very old school, and when you enter a classroom, you have to stand behind your desk before the teacher asks the class to sit down. 
 
I'm enjoying these new experiences and I find it very interesting to compare their culture to the North American ways I grew up with. It is what I expected when I applied to go on exchange and that makes me very happy. I guess now, I'm just struggling with adjusting to  school, and getting over homesickness.
 
Have a good week,
 
Sylvia