Dupont Family

 

 The Whole Family

    

Antoine, Miso and I

 

Camille and I 

I am lucky to have been placed with such a nice family, and another exchange student. My host parents are Martine and Denis and I have a brother named Antoine. I have a host sister, Camille, who lives in Lille with her boyfriend, Pierre. The Duponts have another daughter, Flavie, who is on exchange in Taiwan. I also live with Miso, who was supposed to be with Pascalyne but didn’t work out.

I moved in with the Duponts after the holidays and they took Miso and I to the Alps. It started off to be a great host family from the beginning. My second host family was great, but for some reason it was not the same. In this family, I feel so comfortable and I feel like it is my house. This might have to do with the fact that I was with another Exchange Student but it was different from my other families. 

In my first host family, I was always on edge. Always thinking about what my host mom was doing, thinking or saying about me. It was hard to be relaxed and I never felt at home there. My second host family was great, they were super nice, but again, I never felt like their home was my home. I had the flu while I was there and it was kind of uncomfortable and awkward. I wanted my own parents and my own bed.  At the Dupont house, I felt like I could sleep in until midday if I was tired, eat if I was hungry, and walk around in my pajamas if I wanted to. I had food poisoning while I was there and I was a complete mess but my host mom showed a lot of affection to me, I lay on the couch, sat on the kitchen floor and complained. Those things might seem normal to you, but they are not something I would do in just any host family. They came and checked on me often and it made me feel better just knowing how much they cared. 

My host brother and I get along really well because we are similar in age and although we do not have a lot in common, we’re friends. He really bothers me sometimes when he acts like a child, or when he is in a bad mood, but he’s fine.  Miso, him and I hung out a lot and watched a lot of movies together. He would take us out to Discothèques, drive us places and help us with French. One time, we went out on a Thursday night with his friends and got home at 4:30a.m. and then Miso and I had to get up at 6:00 for school. We both slept in class all day. It was the first time I lived with  a host sibling full time and I was lucky. 

Camille and Pierre didn’t live in the house but they were around often and we went out with them a few times too. They are such a happy couple, kind of like Hailey and Nick, and have such a great sense of humour. I love talking with Camille and fighting with Pierre. My favorite soirees were when they were at home. 

My host parents were so great. They really care about Miso and I and they are always looking out for me. For example, one time my Rotary Club President yelled at me on the phone and I came out of my room crying, and my mom talked to me for a bit and then she said, “Give me his phone number.”  Miso and I heard her speaking sternly with him from her bedroom for a good 15 minutes. And when she was finished she told me how she understood why I was crying, because he was so terrible. And then she told me that she was going to teach Miso and I a life lesson. Basically, she said that there are people in this world who are negative, mean and sad people (she used some gros mots). She said to ignore them. She also told me that when I go to my Rotary meetings, to never look him in the eyes, to look at his forehead to freak him out. She’s the best.  My host dad always lightened up situations and made jokes when my host mom was being strict or stressed. He is really happy all the time and he and I joked around all the time. I was fortunate to have good host parents like that. 

When I moved out of their house, I was so upset but I knew that I was always welcome back. Since then, I have been back a few times and they always text me. My current host family cannot drive me to the airport, so Martine and Denis offered to drive me. They are also having a going away party for Miso and I with our French friends. It is hard to explain why this particular family was so great, they just were. They opened their home and their heart and I guess that’s how I always imagined my host families to be before I went on exchange. I’m so lucky.