I started school the first week I was here. And it's going pretty good! It's fun! The people are nice, and the staff and teachers are all very welcoming. One staff member gave me a jar of jam the first day I was there! The whole school system is EXTREMELY different from Bend though. The days here are much longer, and when a teacher is absent, class is simply canceled. Substitutes do not exist. Teachers have no connection with the students what so ever, and they write a lot on the board while the students just copy. The students also seem to be more advanced. They are learning some things I still have never even heard about! And they're mostly younger than me! It's interesting to experience the schooling system in another country. I don't believe it's better or worse, it's just different. But for me, of course, it's quite harder. Especially since it's all in french. And I've realized people in the South of France tend to speak much faster (maybe it's just me, but in Paris they spoke much slower) making it hard to understand anything the teacher is saying. But of course, I am trying my best! I copy everything on the board, I do all my homework, I ask the teachers questions, I ask the students questions, and I try to read and comprehend the passages given in the books. So as time goes on, I think I'll get the hang of it :)
The first week or so that I was here I was so excited that I never stopped to think about home and my friends or family. I was so excited about my new life that I didn't have time to "miss." Now as I am entering my third week in France, I am more settled down and I am beginning a good daily routine. As nice as it is, I now have the time to "miss." I don't miss anyone SO much that I am super sad or wanting to go home or anything like that (sorry everyone). I do LOVE it here and it will be hard having to return back to the USA. I haven't even had a bad day here yet! But, I am missing my daily routine back in Bend a bit more than before. I also miss my family and friends more than I did. I think it is because I see many things around me that remind me of people back home, even small things like seeing a little girl running down the street or hearing a cat meow. It is a natural feeling though -- missing home. And I understand that. So I just keep looking up and remembering how great of an experience this is. And it's only for six months, so I better enjoy every second of it, because like I said, it's flying by. The good thing is I am very busy here. With dance (which I love), school, activities, and a whole city to explore I tend to stay quite entertained and happy.
Today was a GREAT day! We took a hike around a small peninsula named Saint Jean Cap Ferrat (which was BEAUTIFUL because it was right on the edge of the ocean) and had a lovely lunch at a little town called Ville Franche sur Mer, which is also right on the ocean (hence the "sur mer"). It was a sunny day today which made the ocean look spectacular! I adore the ocean, so being able to live by it is extraordinary.
(A picture I took on our hike today. Beautiful!)
Tomorrow I have school! So we'll see how that goes. I am here to learn and experience France, and school helps me with that, even if I am not friends with everyone in the class. I am loving it here, and my host family is awesome. I am so fortunate to be able to stay with them for the next five months! They are truly wonderful people. They are very kind, funny, we all get along, and they take great care of me! I am excited to keep exploring this city, and learn more each day. Everyday I can feel myself understanding more and more french, and being able to say a few more things. I can't wait until the day where I can say I am fluent!
Au Revoir!
Hannah <3
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