Mathématiques

On my first day of school, after accidentally being brought to the wrong class, I walked into math. I had heard that Europeans were far better at mathematics and sciences than Americans, so I expected the lessons to be impossible to follow with my level of french. Fortunately, I am in the literature (L) section, and the math enthusiasts are in the science or economics divisions. I also only have 3 hours a week.

<- Here is a random page from my textbook!
In France math isn't divided into algebra, geometry, etc, but so far the course material seems similar to trigonometry, which I took last year. Therefore, I usually have a pretty good idea what's going on even though the lesson's in french. It's the only class where I can explain to other people rather than vice versa.

My professor assured me I can ask him if I don't understand something, and the atmosphere is relaxed enough that I can ask the people next to me too. Math might be my most casual class, which is useful because we can figure out the problems together if needed. 

Still, that doesn't mean it's easy. On our first test I misinterpreted the directions and received a 3.5/10, with the remark, "Attention, vous ne répondez pas à la question posée." Whoops.

Obviously, the most difficult type of question is a word problem. Word problems are much more common here than in American high school. For example, yesterday we were tested on percentage of augmentation and reductions. One question, although I understood all the words, bewildered me. It seemed to be asking this: "If 5% of L are boys and if 8% of boys are in L, there is necessarily more boys than students in L."

Well there can't be more boys than students, can there? I raised my hand. " Pardon, Monsieur, je crois que je comprends pas la neuvième question." He tried to explain, I got it wrong anyway. Ah well. 

In class we work out of the textbook (which is developed for ES and L students), take notes (thankfully from the board), and complete problems on the chalkboard. There's not too much homework, but the few tests given are important. 

I realize my notes may look OCD to Americans… I'll explain that tomorrow. I haven't had a lot of time to post lately but I'll try to keep up better than I have. :)

America: The view from across the ocean

First let me clarify that although a lot of the things mentioned below are negative, the French do not dislike Americans. The culture is quite different, and obviously they prefer their's, or they would not live in Europe. Also, a lot of the conceptions about American life are based on media, especially movies. Of course, films do not usually provide a normal glimpse of everyday life. 

Speaking of films, the United States has a reputation for producing stupid movies without any artistic value. I've seen enough predictable chick flicks and over-dramatic action movies to agree. Still, even the french, especially teenagers, enjoy a good stupid movie now and then. 

A lot of people have asked me questions about things they've seen in American films like, "do people really put kick-me signs on other people's backs?" The most common question I get is about high school. The impression is that the quarterback is always with the head cheerleader, and they rule the school social scene. Of course, they phrase it differently, since I'm not sure "quarterback" and "cheerleader" exist in the french language. They say pom-pom girl, which reflects the general negative attitude towards the activity. 

One person told me that she had a friend who went to the US and said school was really like that, with big metal lockers and everything. I tell people that it depends on the school, and although it's not as dramatic as disney and hollywood make it out to be, the student body is more clique-y than in France. 

As for adults, the perception is that they drink a lot of coffee and work a lot. Our country does consume a lot of coffee, but I don't think we're work-a-holics. This view probably stems from our capitalistic "if you work hard enough you'll succeed" attitude. 

They also believe that families have multiple, big cars and don't care about the environment. I think that most people do care, they just don't do as much about it as Europeans. It seems that there is a lot of finger-pointing and talk about reform, but very little gets done. Here, measures are constantly being taken by the government and individual families to improve conditions. They think the US is not doing their part. 

When I was  talking with a friend, she pointed out to me that American's tend to say "we did this" instead of "they did this" when referring to the government. For example, I might say, "we had a problem with the Mexican border, so we decided to…" even though I had no direct influence on the decision.

Some people apply the Texas stereotype to all the country. I've been asked a few times if I have a gun, if my family has guns, etc.  

We're known for an impossibly expensive university system. Education and health care are two things that are significantly cheaper in France. The US is also looked at as very conservative because we tie for the highest drinking age in the world, ban the purchase tobacco to those under 18 (or 19 in some states), and seem to censor everything. 

There is a slight notion that American's aren't too polite. This is partly true, but party cultural. In public, I think Americans have a subconscious idea that since they are the consumers, businesses should accommodate them, not the other way around. Also, if I walked into a room in the United States, waving and saying "hello" would suffice for everyone. In fact, If no one directly addressed me I might not even have to do that. In France it is the opposite. I would have to greet each person individually, be introduced if we hadn't met before, and give la bise. Students never enter or leave a classroom without saying hello and goodbye to their teachers. There are many things like this which aren't important in the US, but would strike a European as impolite. 

Truthfully, if you ask someone what the first things are that come to mind when they think of America, they'll probably mention McDo. It fits four stereotypes: overweight, rushed people who don't sit down and eat healthy food as a family. I believe few people eat fast food as often as the french believe, but it's more common than here. And I agree that you're more likely to eat a healthy home-cooked meal at the table with your family in France. 

Of course, all these things are generalizations of both cultures, and not everyone thinks or acts this way. 

La langue: deux mois

I glanced at a box, looked away, and suddenly wondered why it was in english. I looked back. It wasn't. I had just read the top without thinking about it.
I catch snatches of conversations when I pass people on the street.

One day I read a sign and then realized I had read the sign. And this was no billboard with "voulez-vous?" and a picture of a car, this was 4 whole sentences. Impressive.

I can understand a lot of the news on tv without relying on the footage.

By now I can pick things up at the store without having to explain that I don't speak french.

Wait. Notre Dame means "our lady" of course. And Lefou in Beauty and the Beast is "the crazy." I see what you did there, Disney.

Small victories. 

A few weeks ago I bought a gigantic pad of colored paper squares and started writing words I wanted to learn. I stick them on the wall beside my loft bed, and when I'm sure I have all the meaning's committed to memory I take it off and write something on the other side. Hopefully the red will quickly disappear, and then the orange and yellow….

There are some words which I'm not sure how I picked up, and there are some which I remember someone explaining to me. But for the majority I can recall hearing them, looking them up, forgetting them, hearing them again, looking them up again, writing them down, forgetting them, looking at the paper, and finally remembering what they mean. Memorization has always been difficult for me, from formulas to lines in a show. Once I do learn a word, I hear it everywhere.
There are a number of words that are close to the english equivalent, but it's risky because there are also a lot of faux amis (words that sound similar but mean very different things). I also have to work around phrases like "it doesn't matter" that don't translate with my dictionary. 

Reading is easiest, because I have time to look at the words and see if they're similar to those know if I don't recognize them. Writing is alright if you ignore my grammar, because once again I can take my time. Listening is difficult, but it's nothing compared to speaking. I have to quickly arrange the french words I know so that the other person will understand, and say it properly. I understand many more words than I can remember off the top of my head. 

Still, my friend tells me "Your sentences make sense now!" so that's… encouraging.

At this point, I can have a conversation with someone if they're willing to go slowly and stop for clarification. I can also understand most of a conversation between two people. But participating in a conversation with a group is difficult because they're usually speaking fast (or at a normal speed, which is fast to me), and going from one topic to another. 

Another problem is I'm getting better at the basics, but missing the key ideas in a conversation. For example, listening to two people, I hear something like this:

"So yesterday I decided to ___."

"Oh really? That's good, I wouldn't want you to be ___."

"No, actually it's more ____."

"Maybe tomorrow then."

I understood most of it, and yet none at all.

Now that I've been here two months, people are beginning to ask me "are you fluent by now?" No. No I am not. When people said things like this last month it was funny, but it's beginning to be rather depressing.

However, I am pretty good at telling people that I don't speak french and why, where I'm from, how long I'll be here, who I'm living with and the school I'm attending. The range of topics I'm good at is so dry.

I knew the meaning of what sounded like "on hiva" but I couldn't figure out how it was spelled, and therefore couldn't decipher the literal translation. One day while checking facebook I saw it in a sidebar advertisement. It was actually "on y va." Thank you, facebook.

I also kept hearing "comme mȇme," which I thought must mean "like the same." But it was actually "quand mȇme," an expression which has about five different uses.

I'm not afraid of answering the door now, because now I can manage without having to explain that I don't speak french. The phone is still scary.

Any picture of me since September is a picture of me learning french, so here's one with two other exchange students, Manu and Shuangyi at a reunion last month (taken by Eli).

Le prix et le temps

At orientation one of the volunteers asked where I was going, and when I said Alsace she immediately replied "oof, rainy and cold."

It didn't seem rainy and cold though, perhaps because I come from upstate New York, which is snowy and cold. There is a lot of mist at night and in the morning, which I love. September was generally beautiful, lots of warm and sunny days. The rain didn't seem unreasonable, except once when we were out hiking and barely made it back to the car on time. 

Of course, as it became fall the temperature dropped from 25˚ (77F) to 6˚ (43F). The worst was riding my bike 15 minutes to school in the morning at 7:45, but it wasn't too bad. 

Then one morning it rained. Foreign exchange requires you to do a ton of things you wouldn't normally, and most of them are good, but riding a bike in freezing rain is not. The worst part about it was that it was Wednesday on a week when I only have one class in the morning. By the time feeling had returned to my hands and they had their normal color, I went back into it. Fortunately the rain cleared before I returned in the afternoon. 

That day I realized there was no way the four flimsy sweaters I had brought were warm enough. It wasn't even November yet. I decided I wasn't going to buy anything that wasn't warm. Which brings me to the next topic.

I went shopping with two things in mind: warm sweaters and a giant scarf. Every shop sells these, because in France (or Strasbourg at least) people dress for the weather a lot more than in the US. Hardly anyone wears short sleeves to school after September, and they usually have scarves and hats even if it's just chilly. 

I walked into a store and immediately found the warmest sweater I had even seen. It was thick and lovely and… oh 40 euros ($56). Hmm. This one's 30 euros ($42) but it has short sleeves. Oh that shirt's only 10! But it's sleeveless, that's useless. 

Clothing is generally made better in France, but is also more expensive. Even H&M is noticeably more. 

Food is also generally made better in France, and is also more expensive. The only exception to this is bread and pastries, which are actually cheaper. Two weeks ago I ate with friends before seeing a dance show, and they decided to go to "MacDo". I thought "well at least it won't be expensive." Wrong. True, it was actually better than US MacDonald's food, but I still wasn't expecting to pay 11.20 USD for a salad and medium fries. Whoa. That's twice what I paid for the delicious pesto I had for lunch. Who would pay $6 for a 6-piece chicken nugget? Apparently a lot of people, the it was a busy place. 

If MacDo was the only thing with higher prices things would be easy, but folders, floss, books, and pretty much everything else costs more. I don't know if this has to do with the value added tax, the economy, or the materials, but it took time to adjust to. 

I'll end on a positive note by going back to the first topic. This past week (of vacation) has been beautiful. It was even warm enough to sit outside with my dictionary and papers. Today there's a high of 17˚ (63F). 

The food: mmmm

I know it's been quite a while since my last post, and since I've been on vacation I have no excuse. I apologize.

This deserves to be a be a really long post.

Of course, meals and eating habits vary by family. Mine might be more traditional than some, but in general the trends are the same. 

Breakfast is a bit more important than in America. There's tea, orange juice, milk, or hot chocolate in a bowl. Usually I have bread with honey, jam, or nutella, but sometimes there's granola or pastries instead. When I don't have to rush to school or I'm not eating with someone else I read the paper. Or rather, I stare at the paper and absorb the general meaning of the articles. 

On Wednesday I have a long break in between my morning and afternoon classes, and on Thursday I don't start until the afternoon, so I eat at home those days.
At school I only buy my lunch with the others once or twice a week, because it's definitely pricier than LACS cafeteria lunch. A bunch of little shops 5 minutes away from the lycée sell food à emporter (to take out). Pasta is especially popular. The bakery/pastry shop down the street sells sandwiches (made with fresh baguettes) to those in more of a hurry. 

At dinner  the courses are more separated than in the US. You eat one thing, then the next, perhaps salad, cheese, bread, and just when you can't possibly eat anything else, dessert. And you find that it is very possible to eat more.
Alsace is known for it's wine and potatoes, so there's quite a lot of both.  Vegetables are sometimes cooked and pureed with the mashed potatoes, which is really delicious. 

Dessert is sometimes pie or cake (it's not cake in the American sense but I don't know what else to call it), but more often yogurt or fruit.
Sometimes after the meals tea or a small cup of coffee is served. It's not as rushed as a typical American meal, and everyone sits at the table until the end. 

I feel that in America it's acceptable, perhaps even polite, not to finish absolutely everything on your plate. But to scrape the sides of the soup bowl or pick up every last morsel of food on your plate is expected in France. In the first week I didn't finish something entirely, and it was assumed that I didn't like it.

I'm often asked if I like a food or the meal, and I always answer yes. This is not mere politeness, it is the truth. It's actually a joke with my family that I never say no. On October tenth I answered "no" to a question and it was written up on the refrigerator whiteboard beside the shopping list and phone numbers. 

Contrary to American belief, the french typically eat a lot more at meals. However, the food is healthier and there is less snacking. Most people have something in the afternoon, perhaps with tea, but that's all. Since dessert is served directly after the meal that's usually the last thing eaten for the day.

Last month I told my friend, "The food is SO good. I'm going to roll back to the US."

"No," she replied. "French people are skinny."

The next day she mentioned it to the LACS french teacher, who agreed that it was unlikely, since the french walk or bike everywhere.

Yet, here I am, 6 pounds the heavier.

It's probably the bread, the potatoes, and the cheese. None of which I would think about giving up. So let's hope my body realizes it doesn't need to savor the food as much as I do. If not, I will continue the tradition of AFS: Another Fat Student.

The bread is really, really, good. Usually we get ours from the local bakery two blocks away, but sometimes elsewhere. This weekend was the first time I saw sandwich bread in the house, and I was honestly surprised. The cheese is not really comparable to American cheese, because it's completely different. I thought I loved cheese before, but now…. Both of these things are present at a typical meal.

Basically, everything is delicious.

*The photos aren't mine, sadly. The first is a pain au chocolat (breakfast!), the second is a popular place for students to get lunch, and the third a typical size of a cup of coffee. The tomato mozzarella combination is sometimes part of dinner, and the bread's... wonderful.  

French: for those who aren't

Because I attend an international school, only about half the people in my class are native french speakers. The rest are British, Chinese, German, Australian, etc. Although I probably speak the least french in the school, not everyone is at the level of typical french student. These students have a separate french class that follows approximately the same curriculum but at a slower pace. The class is five hours a week, more than any other of my classes but theatre. 

The teacher usually writes notes for us on the board, dictates, or combines the two. I'm much, much better at listening than I was the first couple weeks of school, so I can usually separate the words even if I don't understand them. However, I still make a lot of mistakes, and my notes usually look something like this <--

When I have time (which doesn't seem to be often), I try to translate and organize the notes. Some sentences are beyond comprehension and I have to leave them out of the final draft. The next photo shows some that actually turned out well. Words I wasn't clear on at the time are written on the right, so I can quickly read through it again.

In addition to the book's we are given to read, the professor gives us quite a few texts to go along with the lesson. Below is the first I received and one of the few I've finished translating. Many have been started and then set aside to do something more urgent. Sometimes the passages were just used for discussion that day, and by the time I go home and translate everything it's too late.
About once a week there is homework for the class: prepare a verbal response, read part of a book, write an essay, etc. Sometimes I can do it, and other times I let it slide. It's not imposible to get out of school at 6pm, spend 3 hours translating text, an hour writing in english and an hour translating back to french, eat with my family and get up in time for school the next day, but....
Besides, sometimes I only have a vague idea what the homework is.

I'm not the only one who doesn't always do their homework. One day I shared my book with the Russian boy next to me and the teacher asked him (in French, of course), "Stanislav, have you bought the novel?"
"Ah no, Madame." he replied.
"Why not?"
"It is... not interesting."
However, this is the exception. Most students are very serious about their work.

In a few months this will probably be a very useful class for me. After reading a passage the class asks for clarification on any unknown words, and the professor explains phrases that might be confusing. I don't ask specific questions because it would take most of the lesson time, but hearing other people's is helpful.

The Lycée

The Lycée International des Pontonniers is made up of three buildings. It is most known for the first, which almost looks like a castle. The high ceilings, curving staircases, small statues, and tiles which create designs on the floor give the hallways the same feel as the exterior. However, the classrooms are more modern looking. I have most of my classes in this building, which also houses the school offices. 

The second building, where I have my théâtre classes, is also very old. We have a  classroom and a lovely acting space with stage lighting and benches for the spectators. Underneath is another set of rooms that are sometimes used for rehearsal when there's a class going on above. Open a door, you'll find a staircase and another door, which leads to another door and staircase, and another door….

The third building is the most modern. There, I have science and mythology. The foyer on the ground floor has microwaves, a sink, and dozes of tables for students to eat or do homework on when it's not pleasant outside. Occasionally someone will be singing or playing music, or a group will be selling crepes to fund their upcoming trip. A couple days ago when the foyer was closed for an hour my friends and I went to the library, which I had not known existed. I knew the formal library in the main building, but this one was equipped with chairs and study spaces. There's also a small computer lab and other rooms I haven't been in yet. 

The french high school system has three grades. I am in première, which is actually the middle grade. Class sizes range from 13 to 25, and classes can be 1 to 3 hours at a time. Students are divided into three basic tracks: science, economics, and literature. I am in the last category, but about half my classes are mixed with the others. 

My teachers are generally very nice. However, they're very strict about being on time. They may arrive 4 minutes late, but if you arrive 2 minutes after the music has signaled the beginning of class, you're sent down to the office for a ticket. Fortunately I only know this from observation, not personal experience.  

Every two hours we have 10 or 15 minute break. Smoking isn't allowed in the courtyard, so those who want to file out into the street. There's also a bakery down the street, and a lot of students run out to get an afternoon snack. If you don't smoke and aren't hungry, you probably have friends who are. The students form an impenetrable road block on the one-way road outside the school gates. 

For lunch most students visit one of the many little shops in the area which give discounts to those with a student identification.

Students arrive by tram, bus, bicycle, and foot. The school is located close to the center of the city, so it's quite convenient. The tram stop is at the other end of the block, and during an hour break I biked to the Place Kléber and picked up few books I needed for class. 

I'm very lucky to go this lycée, it's well known for being an excellent school. And I'd never thought I could look out my classroom window and see swans swimming by.

The first picture is the main building, and the in the second I have théâtre. This gate is actually only used by teachers, students go through the one on the other side. 

Sport: bright and early

In France, you don't need to worry about not having anything to do on the weekend. The odds are, you have Saturday morning class.
Some students have classes from 8am to 12, but luckily I don't begin until 10am. Two more hours of sleep makes a great difference.
My physical education class (sport) is divided into trimesters. The first is badminton, another is handball, and I'm not certain about the third. Students are graded and the scores are averaged with their other classes.

The lycée I attend is very old, and has a historically significant gymnasium. Therefore, they don't want to tear it down and build a new, bigger gym that could accommodate sports such as badminton. Instead, students take the tram or bike the additional 6-10 minutes to use another lycée's gym. This is another reason I'm lucky to have sport on Saturdays. I don't have to worry about getting back to school on time for my next class.
Badminton has never been my cup of tea. It's difficult for me to really be interested in weather or not the little plastic cone makes it over the net into the box. I certainly get just as much exercise biking to and from the class than being in it. That said, I do try to play well. I rarely succeed, but I try. My awesome skills have become a bit of a joke with my family.
Fortunately there are no pictures of me trying to play badminton. However, I do have a picture of me playing tug-of-war, which is close enough. The necktie is part of the scout's uniform.

The Weekend: Camping

My host father and brother are both leaders of the Scouts et Guides de France, so I joined the program as well. This past Saturday afternoon I boarded a bus full of people and went off to the scout's camp outside of the city. It was on a hill overlooking vineyards (pictured below) and a small town. The bus driver let us off at the bottom of the hill and it had to be climbed, which was not easy for small children with packs on their backs.

The camp consisted of a large building with covered pavilion, a shelter a short distance off, areas of cleared space, and an orchard of apple trees. The youngest group (orange) slept inside, but the blue and red (the oldest) set up tents in the orchard.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was sunny and warm during the day and cool at night. Even getting out of my sleeping bag in the morning wasn't difficult.

In France the girls and boys are integrated, and a half of the activities are not separated by age group. Neither of these things were problematic, in fact, they contributed to the spirit of the organization.

I found it amusing that scout is pronounced "scoot." I found it completely bizarre when they would erupt into loud songs or chants that I couldn't make out the words to.

Before dinner everyone gathered around for the moving-up ceremony. Yards of cloth corresponding to the color of the group were thrown over a long tarp filled with smoke from a fog machine. Starting with the youngest, children crawled through it and received their new status on the other side. Near the end it was my turn, and the striped necktie of the scouts was placed around my neck, initiating me into the red group.

I remember looking at a vocabulary list last month and thinking, "brouillard... that's not very useful. How often will I need to know the word for fog?" But in the morning beautiful fog had spread out over the town below, and I was able to mention it to one of the leaders.

The Language: 20 days

I haven't updated the blog in quite a while because I've started school, and  I had to catch up on over a week's worth of homework in addition to spending hours translating the passages I'm supposed to be analyzing.

When I can, I use a dictionary. Looking up the word helps me remember it better than using an online translator. However, when I'm rushed I use the computer, with some humorous results. For example, when I was filling out a school form it asked for my mother, father or guardian "rayer les mentions inutiles". The online translator tells me this means "to scratch the useless mentions."

Lately I've been combining simple words: something, someone, something else, one thing, another thing, etc. 

It bothers me that i seem to say the same things every day. "Tomorrow I have history and math in the morning." or "I ate lunch at school with my friends." Ever since I started school these things seem to be the basis of my conversations at dinner, and I wish I could be more interesting. Without logical sentences it's difficult to demonstrate that I have a personality, especially since I spent the first week saying little more than vague phrases of agreement. Even on other topics I have to keep using the same words. 

Often in conversation I leave out words that I don't know, hoping that the listener will still understand the concept of what I'm trying to say. Correct grammar is regretfully absent from my speech at the moment, but at least I have a slightly better grasp on words.

My vocabulary has improved this week. Often I'd hear mysterious words or phrases repeated throughout the day, write them down, and look them up when I was at home. 

It's particularly difficult in school when I have classes in French because teacher's write on the board in cursive, and since I wouldn't know what it was even if I could read it correctly, I often copy the wrong letters and can't decipher it with my dictionary when i get home. Listening in class is even more of a challenge. Once I tried to write down what the teacher was saying even though I didn't understand it. Ten minutes later she walked around the classroom and glanced at my notes. Clearly gibberish. "I don't think you understand." She said. I shook my head.

With my friends I speak Frenglish. I know I should be trying to speak completely in French, but it's tempting when I know they'll understand me better if I don't. 

I've noticed a decrease in my English spelling, which makes me even happier to have already taken the SAT.

My progress seems slow right now, but looking back to my first day I see definite improvement. 

The language: One week

Today marks one week with my family. When I arrived last Sunday even simple sentences that I knew confused me because of the accent. Instead of automatically listening I had to learn to concentrate when someone said something to me, and try to listen even when I wasn't being adressed. After listening for a while my brain begins to shut down, and I have to force myself to keep paying attention
My vocabulary has not multiplied, but I am much better than I was. I can take apart a sentence into individual words and pick out those I know. At this point if something is said clearly with simple words I can recognize half of them, and usually grasp the meaning. I've also become better at interpreting the meaning based on context and the person's body language.
I see learning the language as parallel to getting used to the 24 hour clock which is used in France. Right now if I see that it is 16:00, I have to absorb the number, quickly subtract 12, and equate that with 4:00pm. As the year goes on I will immediately know that 16 means 4, and then eventually not think about 4 at all.
At this point, I read or listen to a word, figure out what it means in english, and then absorb that meaning. By the end of the program I should be able to absorb the meaning as I hear or read, without any english involved.
I use my hands frequently when I talk, and automatically display more emotion on my face than normal. Also, I've picked up on the french habit of pushing air out from behind my lips to convey emotion. The simple sound doesn't require correct grammar.
In the first three days I was worried that I wasn't making any progress, but looking back, I see a definite shift. My grammatically correct sentences are still few and far between, but I'm sure I'll continue to progress as time goes by. 

Strasbourg

I did not take the pictures in this entry. At some point I will go around, be a tourist and photograph my favorite places, but for now I just look at them.
Although I'm not technically living in Strasbourg, it's only 10-15 minutes away by bike. After I arrived at the train station last Sunday my family showed me part of the city, and some famous landmarks. We arrived at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg in time to hear the bells of the ancient clock. Every quarter of an hour a different season of life appears. The church was the largest building from 1647-1874, and still rises well over everything else in the area.
Strasbourg gets a lot of tourists, especially from Germany, which is very close by. Tourists go by in boats in the river, go shopping in the numerous stores, and walk around the beautiful streets.

I am becoming familiar with the city more and more every day. By now I can easily find my way from my house into the center square. From there, I look for the cathédrale. I certainly don't know my way around well yet, but hopefully by the end of the year it will be simple for me.
Bikes are very common in this area. In many places there are paths designated for bikes with a lane for each direction. My family tries to avoid driving whenever possible, and I think that has helped me become more familiar with the area.

This is the center square, surrounded by shops, with the church rising in the background.

My House in Schiltigheim

There is so much to tell about my life here in Schiltigheim (even after just three days) that I will split the news into parts.
My house is one of the numerous colorful buildings in the area. It is yellow, the one next to it is pink, and so on. They look like the colorful macaroons which are so popular here.
I usually enter through the side gate, because that is where I park my bike. A few fruit trees shade the area and also provide the filling for delicious pies. A small garage houses the numerous bicycles which are the main form of transportation. The children's bedrooms are on the ground floor and I have been given the room that used to belong to Charlotte, the oldest. I sleep on a bunk bed over a couch, and in the morning I raise the blinds and open the french windows over the street.

This is the view from my window to the left.

The second floor, which would be considered the first in France, has the main living areas, and the next floor is mainly used by the parents. There is also a celler where some food is kept and my host brother Xavier practices his music.

This is the view from my window to the right.

As a note, it amazes me how quickly my English skills have deteriorated since I got here. It surprised me how difficult it was to use correct grammar when writing this. Thank goodness I took the SAT before I left. I only hope my French is improving in proportion with with my loss of English.

Catching up - Orientations and Travel

On Thursday after breakfast we divided into groups according to our country, and received more information about our exchange experience. However, we had to leave for the airport not long after lunch to ensure that everyone's luggage was checked and so on.
At 6:00pm, 50 AFS-USA students took off from JFK. Many hours and very little sleep later, we arrived at the Zurich airport. There, we looked around, talked sleepily, and tried to nap before we boarded our flight to Paris.
Once there, the first group of students  (last name A-Perez) caught a bus to the Résidence Internationale de Paris where everyone staying in France with AFS had orientation. The second group (Pisaniello-Z) waited for an hour at the airport for the Icelandic and Japanese(?) students to arrive. This wouldn't have been a problem except I had not slept since Wednesday night, and it was then mid-afternoon Friday. For this reason, I can't remember exactly what country we were waiting for after the Icelandic flight arrived.
Although I would've loved to talk to all the fascinating people from all over the world, I was nearly fainting when I got to my room. After a nap, dinner, and a shower, I finally fell asleep.
My roommates were very nice. Neither of them were from the western hemisphere but both spoke english well.
Saturday morning after breakfast we divided into our pre-assigned groups and went on a bus tour of Paris. French AFS volunteers gave us background information about the places we were seeing as we went by.
We got off the bus at the Eiffel Towel. In our neon tee shirts and name-tags, it was impossible to be taken for anything but tourists, so we completed the impression by gathering in a circle under the tower and doing a bizarre energizer. Unfortunately, the sun was behind us for most of the pictures, so our faces are very dark.
I've always heard that Paris is magical, so I lowered my expectations in case it couldn't meet them.

Paris blew me away.
I've never seen a city so beautiful.

We returned for lunch and then broke into even smaller groups, each led by an AFS volunteer. Mine was an American who had gone to France with AFS in 2006 and returned to study. These were the most informative hours of orientation, as we shared our goals and fears and he gave us honest answers. "You'll wake up with a headache and go to sleep with a headache. But it'll get easier and be worth it in the end. Leaving will be very hard."
After dinner we had one last meeting for which we were divided by language. I sat with the Canadiens, Australians, New Zelanders and Americans as the staff and volunteers told us what to expect the next day and gave us final tips about life in France. We practiced giving the bise, which was helpful because the first time I said "mwa!" as I did it. Then I hung out with friends and said goodbye to those I wouldn't see the next day.
I went to bed tired, but excited to meet my french family.

17 hours to go...

This past week was packed with things that had to be done before I left. Last Wednesday I got my hair cut short, and then the next day I passed the road test. However, I won't be able to take advantage of my license until next summer, because AFS does not allow students to drive during the program.
On Friday I had my friends over for a party so that I could spend time with them before I left, and goodbyes continued until the day I left the house.
Yesterday my father drove me down to our hotel outside New York City, which took longer than usual because hurricane Irene caused the closure of the road we usually take.
Despite more road closures and unusual train schedules, I still had the chance to meet my friend Jules for lunch. We got to know each other during the Cornell University Summer College 2010, but we never had the chance to see each other again until today.
After saying goodbye to her, Father and I drove to the JFK airport hotel, where the orientation is being held. All students going to Europe meet together there, before splitting up by country. The majority of the students are either going to France or Spain, but I talked to some that were headed for Austria or the Netherlands.
After icebreakers, the rule speech, and dinner, we split up by country and talked to a volunteer who had been a foreign exchange student in the nation to which we're headed.
Afterwards we were given free time until room check at 11:00pm. I hung out with a group of others who  are bound for france. Tomorrow we have orientation events all morning and into the afternoon. We have to get to the airport significantly earlier than our flight time because there are so many of us and everyone has to check their bags and go through security together.
Tonight (because it's past midnight now) I'll be flying away from the US. Au revoir, America.

10 Months, 2 Suitcases

I leave Lowville in one week, and there's much to do before I say goodbye. My large suitcase is almost full, and hopefully below the weight limit. Tomorrow morning I'm getting my hair cut short. I did this last year, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't turn out badly and I leave for France with unfortunate hair.
Thursday afternoon I take my road test. Hopefully a summer spent in driver's education will have prepared me, but parallel parking is much more difficult with a minivan.