I don’t want to exaggerate the times
that have been rough, but there’s no denying that there have been
plenty of times where I’ve thought, “What am I doing here again?”
Like, for example, the time early in the semester when I thought my
host parents asked me to pick up my host sister from school, but
apparently they didn’t, and consequently thought she might have
been kidnapped and were about to call the police. Yeah. Or smaller
things, like eating at restaurants from time to time trying to order
food without “parler petit-nègre,” speaking using incorrect and
oversimplified language and gestures to get my point across. The
fact that people can tell you’re American without even hearing you
speak. And then getting stared at.
So where is the good in all this?
Well, for one thing, they make great stories that I can laugh at now.
But honestly, there’s this feeling that comes from suddenly
realizing that I no longer need a pre-food-ordering pep talk, or
knowing that if there’s a miscommunication, I can just explain
myself… even if it takes a little more work to get the point
across. Mistakes? Who cares? We’re in France! We’re learning!
We’re living! And that’s what it’s about.
This picture corresponds to how I feel
my experience in France has been. After three hours of hiking (half
of which was extremely steep and felt never-ending), sweating a ton,
falling/sliding on my butt, there we were at the top! And what a view
it was.
--Natalie
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