Days 1 and 2

Let me recap what I was too tired to tell you earlier, and I won't mince words: I had an INCREDIBLY overwhelming time my first night. Going from being the youngest in a small family of 3 or 4 people to being the oldest (and a guest) in a family of 7 (8 including me), where all seven mouths speak a language I've never spoken beyond the classroom is quite honestly, very overwhelming and completely exhausting. It's not terrifying, really, because I can smile and nod or wrinkle my eyebrows and get my point across, but I was mostly worried about offending them and saying the wrong thing (and having the wrong table manners!!) because they were telling me so many things about the weather, my orientation destination, their house, my room, the city, my program, etc. that I worried enough about my responses (because you can only interchange "Oui", "Bon", "D'accord", and "Ok" so much before you really start to annoy yourself) and still desperately tried to translate all the important information they were telling me!

At dinner, my host dad Damien told me all about the currents, regattas, and boat festivals of the Gulf du Morbihan (our orientation destination) and it was incredibly interesting, so I could actually know a thing or two once we arrived! Upon arrival at my host family's house, they gave me a driving tour of the city, which was both confusing (because everything looks fairly similar, but I was awe-struck by it all) and incredibly helpful. And in fact, in the photo I found on the internet of Nantes before I even arrived has lots of landmarks that I am proud to say I now know about!! That tall building on the left is the only skyscraper of Nantes, and while my host mom told me that it is very nice because you can see it from every part of the city so you know exactly where you are (which is what I need!), my host dad commented that "No one knows why they decided to build it because it doesn't match anything and sticks out." He's very old-school French, and un intello (an intellectual), my dad: into culture and "la vraie vie française", which is the most perfect fit for me. He also gives me at least one culture/history lesson per meal, which is wonderful because 1) I don't have to talk, and 2) I learn a lot. On the far right of the photo, with the two peak-towers, is la cathédrale, which is pretty close to our house. I live in the "arts and culture" district, which is close to a lot of museums as well.

So I had the intention to post again Thursday morning because we left for orientation in Vannes Thursday afternoon, but after I woke up and had petit- déjeuner with my family: tartines (thin slices of baguette with butter) with three jams: figue (fig), mûre (blackberry), and abricot (apricot) and drank green tea... they drink out of cereal bowls, and their tea is DELICIOUS.

-----And here was a small shining moment after a largely confusing whirlwind of the evening before: after Valérie, my mère d'acceuil (host mom), walked the kids to school, my host dad and I were still eating breakfast, and he asked me for how long I'd been speaking French. I said that I spoke it when I was little because my nanny was from Martinique and taught me French, but then we moved and I lost it shortly thereafter until I picked it back up in high school... so about six years in total. And his response was, "Ah bon, tu sembles vraiment à l'aise quand tu parles." (Ah, well, you seem to be very comfortable when you speak.) Now, he didn't say I spoke well (which I don't), but for being as freaked out and nervous as I was the night before, that was exactly what I needed to hear! Of course, this was followed shortly after by something to the effect of: "Et c'est bon que tu étais si jeune quand t'as appris le français; l'accent de Martinique est vraiment bizarre!" (It's good that you learned French when you were younger; the accent from Martinique is very bizarre/affected!)--------

Later that morning, after a cold shower where I discovered the bathroom door opens by itself, I packed my bags and then Valérie asked me if I wanted to walk to pick les petits up from school for lunch. Of course I said yes. In France, all kids have about an hour and a half for lunch, and they all go home. Even my host dad returns for lunch, and lunch is a lot like dinner in the US: multiple courses (including dessert), formal place settings, and multiple plates. So Valérie and I first walked to the boulangerie to pick up some baguettes for lunch (seriously, could it get any more typical French??) and she explained to me the two kinds: one was the typical kind (that we have in US grocery stores) with white flour, and one had a kind of whole wheat flour and wasn't as long or cylindrical. Because Valérie goes there every day, she knows the boulangère well, so the boulangère welcomed me and told me her daughter has visited the US and loved it. We waited for the kids outside their small catholic elementary school (it was the first day of school for them, and la rentrée is a HUGE deal for the French-- so much so, that "Bonne rentrée!" is up on electronic signs at the train station and everything) and when the school opened, we went into the courtyard, where Eulalie, my 7-year-old soeur d'accueil (host sister) held my hand as we waited on the playground for her sister and brothers, then walked back home for an amazing lunch (Mediterranean salad), and then my host dad took me to the IES Center right after lunch, where I immediately left for orientation!