18Fashion
- Not everyone and their mother wears berets. Mostly just older men wear them… and tourists. But there are those bold few who are trying to bring them back into style.
- Stripes are seen everywhere. I mean horizontal stripes are in, thanks to a French artist, whose name escapes me.
- Heels… I mean just what the normal girl wears as she walks across a cobblestone street.
- Khaki suit pants, rolled up at the ankle, with belts… This is pretty much one of the most popular fashion trends I’ve seen.
Over the next few weeks or possibly forever
I will just be posting differences/similarities of France to United States. This will hopefully teach people of things they never knew, and also erase some very strong stereotypes.
Long over due
I know, I have not talked about my processing back to the American way of life, but that is because it honestly has taken awhile. Like a lot of AFSers I had an amazing time in my host country. By the time I left I felt like I belonged, which made leaving that much harder to do. I was so excited to go back to Arizona but leaving France was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I cried nonstop on my flight from New York to Phoenix. It was horrible. Every thought brought warm tears running down my face. Looking out the window made the tears even thicker. The guy next to me was kind enough to pretend I was not silent sobbing.
Thankfully I have some of the best friends here in Arizona who made my transition so amazingly well. Senior year (as easy as it is) is keeping me preoccupied. Family is giving me things to do so I don’t go insane with thinking about all the things I’m missing back in France. So I guess you could say I’m back into my American lifestyle, the only difference is that I’m living with a different view, a different way of thinking, and a happier thought process. Me becoming a new person sort of made things a tad awkward at first, but everyone seems pretty understanding for the most part. I miss my friends in France, but it is sure good to see my friends here again.
Mon coeur va rester en France, mais mon corps est en Arizona. C’est pas trop mauvais, mais quand même je veux voir tous mes amis chez-moi à Angoulême. Vous me manquez beaucoup!
Paris Today, New York, and Arizona Tomorrow
I think the title explains it all. Looks like I’m coming back to the USA.
lanaing asked: bonjour!
I just read your last post and I'm so happy that it is possible to become fluent with only a semester in France. I will be going in a year from now for my last semester of high school.
I was just wondering how long you studied french before you left... ?
Merci d'avance :)
Oui c’est possible! Well I started in 7TH Grade and I’m a senior now so that makes 5 years, but my last two years were not so serious. If I were you I would study the verbs. Once you know verbs you can get by with anything. Vocabulary will come with time. :)
Hope that helps :)
A la fin
It is coming to an end. I’ve been here five months in counting and loved every single day of it. All those worries I had about not learning the language in time are gone. All those worries of not making strong relationships have flown away. Today I went out with a good friend we spoke non-stop French, not once did I stumble or have her not understand, and we ranted on and on, laughing and creating memories. I then proceeded on with my day, stopping by the post office, going to the grocery store, the flower shop, the tabac, the pharmacy, all in french, all in perfect grammer, with a perfect accent. No more do people ask me if I’m foreign, no more do people ask me to repeat myself. I have officially become a French girl. As sad as it is to think I have now just become this person and then suddenly have to leave kind of hurts, but I’m so happy it happened at all.
Now let’s all just hope this makes sense in English, shall we?
Merci Beaucoup
You know what hurts more than anything? Getting really close to people, weeks before you have to tell them goodbye. This week especially I have gotten so very close with so many people, and when they find out I only have a week left we are practically reduced to tears. I never thouhgt in a millon years I could become so attached to people so fast. France has given me so much. I want to say a big thank you for everyone here who has changed my life. Changed my life for the better. I love you so dearly.
Packing my Bags
Tomorrow I am buying a second suitcase (Fact: I had to rewrite that phrase because I kept writing the French equivalent). Thus my packing commences for returning to the United States… How that makes any sense, I do not know. Time went by like the hit of a button, the blink of an eye, the shot of a gun… You get the point.
C’est la vie. Et alors, la vie est belle.
About ten minutes ago I had a ten minute conversation with a concierge of a hotel in Paris. Not only did we speak French (rapidly by the way) but the topic had to do with a reservation, that fact that the person who made the reservation would not be coming, issues with how to pay for this reservation, and then finding solutions to a few problems.
Not only did I manage to say a whole lot, understand everything that was said to me, and actually come up with a solution, made me realize… Yeah I think I am fluent in French now. Not once did the man ask if I was foreign, not once did he ask me to repeat myself, not once was I confused… Oh yeah, I’m a happy camper.
Cheesey
Just had a long conversation about cheese. Which ones were the best, which ones were the least strong, better smelling… So am I French now? Yeah I like to think so.
Oh yeah It’s a New Year
So I guess I should update my blog in the New Year. My Winter vacation was great. Christmas was spent with lots of company, and we ate lots of good food. New Year was spent with tons of friends, and I celebrated with dancing, and of course chilling with nine different nationalities. Twas a good ending of 2010, and an amazing start to 2011.
