Being away from your family and all the people who know you gives you an incredible freedom, not the freedom you automatically think of, like going out late and partying and all that, but the freedom to really do what you want to. You can get into a new kind of music, dance, or other activity without having people judge you or ask why. In the same sense it really becomes up to you to make things happen. If you want to go into the city its up to you to ask your family, find the bus schedule, know how much it costs ect., but that's just called being an adult, isn't it? Taking responsibility for yourself.
THANK GOD THE LANGUAGE IS COMING! Its coming so slowly but yes I am starting to feel more comfortable speaking French. A lovely French woman explained the progression best. (Did you see how I used “lovely”? That's because I spent a weekend with a British couple WHO WERE AWSOME, but I will talk about that later) The woman said that when you have the words they will just start to spill out. She was so right they just come out and mind you not always making sense. I'm also starting to be able to recognize some of the nuances of the language, but there is still so much that goes over my head. The other day I learned that the word souris means both mouse AND smile. As you can imagine this can be very confusing, for example when my French friend was telling me she loved my smile I kept trying to tell her that I didn't have a mouse. This can also be a problem vice versa when you think someone is talking about your smile when there may or may not be a mouse involved.
As mentioned above a few weeks ago I spent a weekend with a British couple who have been living in France for 10 years (sorry Richard and Sandra if I got that wrong). It was during Remembrance Day and we went to this memorial service where the whole town stood in front of this stone memorial with the names of the people who died from that town in World War I. The mayor (pictured below) then came up and read the names, and after each all the people said "mort pour la france" which translates to “Died for France”.
It really provoked an emotion I have never experienced before. Memorial day has always just been a holiday for me, and hearing the names of these people and having a whole community come to honor them was...inexplicable. Another thing I realized with this experience is how perception of history is so different around the world. It may have only been me but I always got the impression that the French weren't as helpful in the Second World War, and cooperated more easily with the Nazis than other countries. That of course is open to interpretation but what I didn't know was the extent to which the French were hurt by the First World War. They had the most casualties of the allies with the exception of Russia. Standing in front of the stone memorial with the names of 20 men who died in a town with a population of a maximum 150 people you see how hard that hit a country the size of France. This also makes their actions in World War II more understandable. Everything changes once it's put in context.
After the memorial service we had a HUGE meal in the town hall where we literally ate for five and a half hours. There must have been seven courses. We sat down at 11:30 and left at 5:30, and we left before coffee was served! I also got to plant a tree and watch dancing with the stars, British version. Its cool that I get to experience different cultures other than French.
As I was leaving the meal a friend of Richard and Sandra, from Australia, hugged me goodbye and told me I was a great ambassador, and had changed his view of Americans. For those who don't know, that is basically the sole goal of the Rotary Youth exchange, not only to learn about a new culture but to also represent your country and inspire others to think differently.
I am wearing the traditional red flower on Remembrance Day
The ”lovely” Sandra in her equally lovely bathroom
Richard and Sandra’s kitchen
My NEW host family!! More to come in future blogs.
No comments:
Post a Comment