Friday was a ridiculously long day at the DEFLE. We had class from 8:30am until 6:30pm and it was SO hot. It wasn’t sweltering heat where you just feel uncomfortable, it was humid heat that lowers your body temp to the perfect temperature to sleep. It felt like you were wrapped in a duvet that just came out of the dryer... minus the comfort of it. Luckily in one of the classes we watched a French film to practice comprehension. We watched L’Auberge Espangnole which is the movie that really motivated me to do an immersion program abroad. It's basically about a French guy, Xavier (so french, right?), who goes to study economics in Barcelona because he needs to learn spanish for his future job. Eventually he finds a room in an apartment with a large group of eclectic people from multiple european countries and they all communicate in different languages. There are some underlying themes of identity and romance and such but that is besides my point. The idea of living with people from all over the world seemed like an adventure as well as a challenge to me and it sounded exactly like what I needed. So, when considering where I would live in Bordeaux when I was accepted to the program I instantly knew that I wanted to live in an apartment with other foreign students. I guess that movie gave me false hope because when I was looking at available rooms none of them had foreign students living in them! They were all single room apartments or in really inconvenient locations. Eventually I decided that a homestay would be a better option for me so I could get a feel for the culture and the French way of living.
So, as of today, I have been living with the Michaud family for 5 days and it has been pretty nice. I will do a post about them later, maybe when I get to know them better. But this family actually has 5 private rooms, each with their own shower room that they reserve for students to rent. We all get to eat dinner with the family each night and have breakfast in the mornings so its a bit like living at a bed&breakfast...&dinner! Right now there are only 4 of us: Gemma from Wales, Thomas from Austria, and Jill and I from California. In a way, I feel like I lucked out and am living the way I envisioned after watching L'Auberge Espangnole. Soon Gemma and Thomas are leaving and two Spaniards and a french girl are coming so we will get to meet more foreigners. I'm excited!
Anyways, languages... my housemate Thomas can speak 5 of them. And I'm reeeeeeally jealous. That night Jill and I took a walk around town with Thomas. This was actually a big deal because he's always studying and never going out according to everyone else. So the three of us strolled along the beautiful streets and talked about our lives. We basically know Thomas's entire life now and it makes me wonder how I will possibly ever have the globe trotter life I desire when I miss my family so much. Thomas has been studying all over the world for years and only goes home for a short amount of time between each university stay. I would miss my family and friends too much to spend that much time away.... maybe i'll just bring everyone with me :)
So, as of today, I have been living with the Michaud family for 5 days and it has been pretty nice. I will do a post about them later, maybe when I get to know them better. But this family actually has 5 private rooms, each with their own shower room that they reserve for students to rent. We all get to eat dinner with the family each night and have breakfast in the mornings so its a bit like living at a bed&breakfast...&dinner! Right now there are only 4 of us: Gemma from Wales, Thomas from Austria, and Jill and I from California. In a way, I feel like I lucked out and am living the way I envisioned after watching L'Auberge Espangnole. Soon Gemma and Thomas are leaving and two Spaniards and a french girl are coming so we will get to meet more foreigners. I'm excited!
Anyways, languages... my housemate Thomas can speak 5 of them. And I'm reeeeeeally jealous. That night Jill and I took a walk around town with Thomas. This was actually a big deal because he's always studying and never going out according to everyone else. So the three of us strolled along the beautiful streets and talked about our lives. We basically know Thomas's entire life now and it makes me wonder how I will possibly ever have the globe trotter life I desire when I miss my family so much. Thomas has been studying all over the world for years and only goes home for a short amount of time between each university stay. I would miss my family and friends too much to spend that much time away.... maybe i'll just bring everyone with me :)
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