What it's like to be an exchange student

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At first, when I applied to the WIA exchange program I honestly was not thinking about the long term effects this year would bore on me. I thought, "Oh hey, it's just a year, and I don't know French but I don't think that this is really a big problem."

Not knowing French was a HUGE problem at the beginning! I was just downplaying everything, and I am almost glad that I left myself as a blank canvas not knowing the language. I have proved to myself that I can learn anything fast; it just takes dedication and large amounts of time. My first day at Julie Daubie Lycee (my school in Rombas) I was completely terrified. I could not say hello to anyone, let alone say my name! I had no friends for a good four months, until one girl actually learned to speak some english to me. Now, it has been 6 months that I have been living in France, and I positively LOVE this country! I think I could easily live here later on in my life after all my studies. Maybe I will even return here to go to college, but who knows.

The first month I came to Rombas, I did not understand anything that anyone said to me. Thank god my first host family could speak English, or else I would have been completely lost. It took me two months to start separating words from each other and understanding sentences that people said. I got the basic gist of the conversations, and spoke very little to anyone. Now that it has been 6 months, I understand everything and am able to have a serious conversation in French! Although, I leave all the swear words and vulgarity at school because if not I'll be looked down upon in my host families.

It is super important to not make my host families confused when I say something, or else they might think differently of me. It is a lot of work to explain certain situations in French! Thank god I am in the Galvez family right now because I absolutely love them. 😊 They take such good care of me, and Antoine Galvez is always correcting the way I use words and how I say them. Rosa, his wife, is like my 3rd mother and constantly looks out for me. There is also Etienne, their youngest son, who went through the same program as me, but to my town, is like my French brother and treats me like we've known each other forever. Then there is Jeremy, their adopted son, that keeps me on my toes because he has so much energy.

I have to say now that half of my journey is over, I feel like it is just beginning. I feel like I have almost fully integrated into the country (save my accent) with all my new habits I have picked up (most of them eating habits!), and the way I now present myself to others.

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