My Arrival in Privas

Well, it's been a long few days, but I'm finally in Privas! My first flight from Binghamton to D.C. was kind of sketchy (small, loud, shaky), but we (the other exchange students from my district and I) were all running on pure excitement and anticipation. Everything was just peachy keen until about 15 min. into the flight when I realized I left my computer charger at home, which was of course the one thing I told myself I wouldn't forget in the morning. When we arrived in D.C. I bought one for $120 (yikes!) but it's the price one must pay for their own stupidity. C'est la vie.

I was glad to meet the other exchange students flying to France in D.C. Everyone was in the same boat, with the same feelings, and we got along pretty well. After a few hours of exchanging pins, eating food, talking, and playing cards, we all started to freak out when the whole building started shaking. A few things fell from the ceiling, and the cards we were playing scattered around. Let me just say, an airport is not a good place for an earthquake. We all thought a plane had crashed into our terminal, and we were relieved to find out a few minutes later that it actually was a 5.8 earthquake.

The flight to Paris was uneventful, as was the 5 hour layover in Charles de Gaulle. I was tired and anxious, and the waiting definitely didn't help. Definitely out of the 3 flights I took, the one to Lyon was the best. I sat next to a young teen from Grenoble, and a Brazilian who was spending the year in Grenoble at a university there. We all spoke different main languages, but bonded pretty well over bad French and good English. By the time I arrived at St. Exupery, I was exhausted and definitely in need of a shower. I went to the baggage claim and waited forever for my bag. Eventually, everyone had pretty much left, except for a few who couldn't find their bags. No surprise, with my luck, I was one of them, and we went to the lost baggage center to complain. After waiting maybe 30 minutes, (I was the last in line) I finally got to the counter where a woman told me my suitcase would arrive at my house in Privas when they found it. To make me feel better, they gave me an XL plain white t-shirt. How generous. Everyone was cleared out by the time I walked out of the terminal. The only people I saw were my French host family, and they all seemed relieved and excited to meet me, as I was to them. Antoine, Charlotte, and my host mother, Anne, all greeted me warmly, and we left the airport a few minutes later.

The drive to Privas took about an hour and a half. We had a nice conversation, I'm not sure what about, but I fell asleep not long into the trip. I woke up close to home, and stared out my window at the beautiful scenery. It's gorgeous here, with mountains, rivers, and old villages everywhere. It's a quaint city, and I feel so lucky to be placed with such a good region and a wonderful, friendly, patient family. My home in Privas overlooks the city and is on top of a big hill in the country. I got a tour of the house, unpacked my white t-shirt, and took a shower before dinner.

All of my meals in France so far have been delicious. We seem to eat outside on their patio a lot. Anne made a delicious dinner that seemed very French to me. There were 3 courses; the first had les cornichons (small pickles), salty pork that had the flavor of bacon, cold sausage (saucisson), bread, beans with vinegar sauce, fresh melon, and grapefruit. Our second course was eggs with delicious Provençal tomatoes. For dessert, we had citron and strawberry ice cream with a fruity sauce. I fell asleep soon after dinner at 10, and woke up a full 12 hours later!

I helped Charlotte and Anne make curried chicken with rice for lunch, and watched some American t.v. in French with Charlotte and Antoine. I know this entry is kind of long, but there's so much to say, and so little time to say it. To avoid going on even farther, let me just say: So far: life is good in Privas, and I'm excited for more!