3- Un Voyage Magnifique

Wow. What an amazing experience this is! Now that I’m settled in my new home in the south of France (it sounds so cool to say that), I can start blogging more regularly. I’ll start by talking about my host family, who is the best one I could ever ask for! The mother, Sophie, is a professional storyteller. She is very outgoing and fun, and it’s also very clear she’s passionate about helping us learn French. She’s a fantastic cook, which is always a bonus. I’ve never been disappointed with a meal she’s served! Jose, the father, I have only seen a few times since he works in Nice. But he is really funny and nice. He greeted and picked me up from the airport when I first got here. My host brothers are fantastic as well. Luis, who is 15, loves to sing. We’ve had some jam sessions to popular American music. We’re planning on singing a song together and recording it before him and his younger brother leave for Corsica. Luis is hilarious, and very patient with me and Shannon (my roommate) when it comes to speaking French with us. Giani is 10 years old and loves karate! Yesterday, Giani and I went for a morning run around Saint Laurent which was very fun, although for some reason it’s harder to speak French in the morning and man does Giani speak fast! Mario is about 22 years old and is home from time to time. He loves practicing his English as well as speaking French with us. It’s so great to have a family that is patient and fun to be around! And, of course, there’s Bella, their dog! Bella is a mix of a Dalmatian and some kind of spaniel. She is so sweet; I guess this makes up for all those years of never having a dog! I’ve had fun getting her to “Assis!” (Sit). So far, I’ve been to St Laurent, Monaco, and Cannes. All three towns were so different but they were all beautiful. It’s so cool to have a mixture of everything on this trip: French class, living with a home stay family, and going on unforgettable excursions. My favorite excursion so far has been Cannes. I went shopping in a small group in the morning, and then after we were all worn-out from walking around, we went to the beach and swam/tanned/talked for a few hours. It was so relaxing. After that, the whole Saint Laurent group as well as the Nice group ate pizza on the beach. The food in France deserves its own paragraph. I have not yet been disappointed with a meal I ordered or something my host family has served me. I’ve tried a lot of new things and learned a lot about French culture when it comes to food (Luis gave me a strange look when I told him Americans sometimes eat butter with their waffles). We’ve only eaten out once (A cute restaurant on the Saint Laurent beach. I got pasta, yum) but I have enjoyed having dinner (sometimes helping cook!) with my host family who are great conversationalists. My favorite part of the food culture here is the dessert, by far! A bientot!