Toussant Vacance (All Saints Break)

Each day I continue to be amazed by France’s old buildings, fine cuisine, beautifully romantic language and the rich history. I discover something new every day and am learning so much about France, the World, people, culture and myself. It is bizarre though, I am starting to forget how different things really are between France and Canada. I was running on a rural road the other day and got thinking about when I first arrived and my eyes were always wide open, looking at the things I had never seen before. Three months ago I would be running down the road, awestruck by how different the cars were; but now, it just seems normal. The cars seem to be average sized, even though they are really the size a Smart Car. The light switches are not weirdly shaped, like they were before. The amount of bread people eat isn’t absurd to me anymore. I am no longer scared that we are going to have a head on collision with the car coming toward us on a narrow road and seeing dog poop on the sidewalk is just another average day. It is kind of sad, the fact that the magic is dying down. But in another way it is good, it means I am adapting to my new life. It means that I am here, doing what I am supposed to be doing. Baguettes, little cars, old buildings, light switches, dogs pooping on sidewalks and narrow roads and are my life now, where before all those things would have been very strange for me.

My most recent adventure consisted of a trip over the recent school vacation a few weeks ago. My host family, two exchange friends and I headed to Paris for two days and then to Brittany for a week. Paris was just as I had imagined it and more. It made my year here feel like more of a reality, I am not sure why, but seeing the Eiffel Tower made me feel like I was really in France. My Norwegian friend from school met Daniela, Miso and I in Paris and we spend two days getting to know Paris and seeing the touristy sites. On our first morning there, Sunday morning, went to Mass at the Notre Dame and after we watched the France versus New Zealand, Rugby World Cup game at a local bar where we witnessed grown, French men crying after they lost. We met some locals who showed us around the rest of the day which was really good because before we met them we had our map laid on the sidewalk and I was about to try to jump into it like Dora the Explorer.  We ate in a little café and then went to see the Tour de Eiffel; it was so beautiful. We didn’t go to the top because the line was more than three hours but it was nice to finally see it. We visited the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, and got a taste of the night life of Paris. The next day we went shopping, and then ate a baguette and Nutella on the grass beside the Eiffel Tower. Sofie caught a train hone and then we went out with our new, French friends. I fell in love with Paris and I cannot wait for the next time go back; we’re thinking of going for New Year’s Eve!

After two busy days in Paris we headed to my Host Family’s summer home in Pornic, Bretagne. It was nice to spend a week relaxing at the sea side. We did a lot of biking, walking and exploring the little village of Pornic. There is a beautiful mediaeval castle in the town called Château de Pornic, which was very historic and lovely. The coast was breathtaking with sailboats on the horizon and rolling waves crashing into the rocks along the cliffs. We also took a day trip to Nantes, which is a city in western France, about an hour from Pornic. We went to a robotics museum and shopped a little.  The vacation was good and it was nice to see another area of France!

I moved in with a new host family a few days ago and I am much happier. They are a comfortable, loving, happy family and it was a much needed change. I have three host sisters who do not live at home during the week because they are at school but the house is full on the weekends. With so many people at home, it reminds me of a normal weekend in Canada and I like it a lot. The mother and father are caring and compassionate; they take interest in my life and help me a lot with my French. Things are still new and I am still getting used to the flow of a new family but I am really looking forward to learning new things and getting to know a different family.  

Last weekend we had our first “repas exotique” (exotic meal) which was a Rotary gathering that raises money for our district’s youth exchange program. Three times a year the district organizes an event where each country makes a meal for about twelve people and then serve tiny portions to about two hundred people. The other Canadian from Halifax made pancakes and I made 220 little Maple Cookies, 168 Chocolate Chip Cookies and 200 Rice Krispie Squares. I stayed home from school on Friday to have a Martha Stuart day.  They turned out delicious and I was happy with the maple cookies! As per usual it was fantastic to be with the other exchange students and nice to see a new town called, Lens. On Sunday we went to Canada! We visited Vimy Ridge to see the Canadian Monument which honoured the Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during the four year battle at Vimy Ridge. It was an extremely emotional experience and truly moving. After learning about Vimy in school, it was very interesting to see the actual land where the battle was fought. It was an eye opening experience and nice to go back to Canada for a few hours!

Friday marks my three monthaversary in France and time continues to fly by. I am really happy in my new host family and have lots of exciting things coming up like going to Brussels, Luxembourg and Lille’s Christmas Market. I still miss home but things are progressively getting better, so I am happy here!