The Life of an Exchange Student

                                               Les Arènes de Nîmes

5 months. I have no idea how these 5 months flew past so quickly; but they have and now half of my exchange is over. I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I'm looking forward to going home, hanging out with family and friends, cuddling with my kitties, getting back into a routine of playing the piano, and eating my parents' delicious food every night for dinner, but on the other hand, I've fallen in love with my life in France. I love my host families, I love Privas, I love the French language and culture, and I really love being an exchange student.

Let me clarify a little more on the last claim I made and you too will understand why life as an exchange student is so awesome. I've compiled a little list that explains:

1. You eat a lot of food. Both of my host families are composed of excellent cooks, and you get to eat so much new food you didn't even know existed. This afternoon, I went to the supermarket with Bibiane and I counted 11 different cream/yogurt desserts that were put in the cart and I probably even missed some. There was chocolate mousse, caramel pudding, coffee mousse pudding with cream on top, chestnut cream mousse, drinkable yogurt, natural yogurt, regular yogurt, regular coffee pudding, and more. I used to eat a yoplait and call it day. Not in France! Plus, you have the freedom to secretly run to the nearest supermarket and stock up on foreign chocolate and junk food with your Rotary allowance. At the beginning of the year, I told myself, "Alright, I'll start eating better tomorrow." Now that I'm 5 months in, my argument is more like, "No biggie, I'll totally eat better next year."

2. You sleep a lot. As an exchange student, you don't really have to do much of anything. Last year, I was flooded with homework, college applications, practicing piano, and my jobs. On average, I got about 6 hours of sleep per night, and you would often find me reading old English literature in the bathtub in the middle of night to keep from falling asleep. Here, none of that applies and I can actually go to bed when I'm tired. For example, last night I had a bad headache and wasn't feeling my peachy-keen self, so I went to bed early, slept a full 12 hours, and am back to feeling in good health today.

3. You get to watch a lot of movies. The following picture shows my extracurricular activities for the next week. In addition, the best thing about this is you can use this activity as an excuse for learning the language. (Also, if Cioci Heather is anywhere out there reading this, I've also started knitting in front of the television. So far, I've made a really ugly rectangley-square thing that has a bunch of snags and holes in the middle, but I'm sure it'll get better...)

4. You get to travel a lot. Being the foreign kid has a lot of advantages and this is one of the best. People want to take you all over to show off the best their country. So far, I have been taken to Lyon, Paris, Annecy, the Mediterranean, the Alps, and a bazillion other smaller cities. Host families will take you on day trips to castles and hikes in the mountains. My latest trip was to Nîmes last weekend with Mathilde (an absolutely gorgeous city with beautiful weather), and this weekend I'm going to St. Sorlin d'Arves (in the Alps) for a Rotary weekend. It's because I was an exchange student that I was asked to go on the exchange in Germany before Christmas, and it is partially why I get to go on another week-long exchange in April to Spain. In addition, I'm taking a big tour of Europe in June with the other exchange students (France, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, and Switzerland). You don't even have to look for travel because it always finds you first.

As you see, I will certainly miss my life in France when I return to America this summer. So far, this has been one incredible journey, and I still can't wait to see what's around the corner. And before you hate me for my wonderful life, I can assure you there are never-ending trials and obstacles that come along with the perks; a lack of social life, difficulties with foreign language, no friends in school, and a plethora of embarrassing moments have all been the unwelcome effects of my exchange. Luckily, I'm here to tell you that it's possible to throw all the worries and negativities aside, and when you accomplish that, la vie est belle!