Today I feel accomplished! It wasn't easy, but I am finally situated at my house for the semester and couldn't be happier with the family and the location!
The day began with another wonderful breakfast at the hotel. We then had to put all of our belongings into two different rooms since we weren't moving out of the hotel until later in the afternoon. It made complete sense to designate two very very small rooms for over 40 something students and all their bags. Somehow, it worked out....
We then went to class and had a few more lectures about the courses that would be offered and how to live in Paris cheaply. The schedule didn't mention that we would be taking a walking tour of Strasbourg St-Denis, so of course, I was wearing my new heel boots. Such a mistake. Because I was falling behind our tour guide and being that I am deaf, I missed a lot of the information. I did notice however that there are many Sephora stores in Paris...Hope the other information wasn't too important! Oops. By the time we were headed back to the hotel (after getting lost for a good 30 minutes), I could barely walk. My bed is going to be my best friend tonight!
I anxiously awaited the slip of paper that had my address and a little information about my new family. Ma mere s'appelle Anne De Chef de Bien and her family lives on rue Artiste Briand, Levallois (which is in the banlieu or suburbs of Paris, exactly what I wanted!) Her and Monsieur de Chef de Bien have four children, two boys and two girls. One of the girls is studying in London. I couldn't have been happier to find out that I was finally going to have "siblings"!
The next step was making the phone call. We had a quick class on what to say to the host on the phone and then were off to find out what time they wanted us to arrive. At first, I didn't get in contact with my host mom, but she quickly called back. She said I could come anytime after 6pm and her son would be there to greet me. She gave me a code and told me after I had to ring the doorbell....seemed a bit complicated, especially with suitcases! And yet it was, especially when I had to go up three flights of stairs to my bedroom!
We went back to the hotel, got our bags and called a cab. The ride here took about 40 minutes, but it was rush hour as well. Luckily, I shared a cab with another girl in the program that lives close by. It still cost me 16 euro! The good news is that my my school is on the metro line right by my house. I don't even have to transfer. C'est parfait.
My host brother greeted me at the door and seemed nice, but quiet. I would be to if I had a stranger coming to live in my house. Awkward. He helped me carry my bags up three sets of stairs to my room. The house was much bigger than I expected. He showed me where my bathroom was and told me his mother would be home soon. A little bit after, the father came home from work, came up to my room and introduced himself. I gave him le petit cadeau (a book of NJ, a sticker from Fairfield, and salt water taffy) for the family and he seemed to really appreciate it. We chatted for a while, and he actually told me I am very good at French. I didn't think that was true, but I'll take it! Then once the mother came home, she took me on a tour of the house and was so so friendly and funny. She mentioned that they have a lady who comes 3 times a week to clean and do their laundry. SCORE! No laundry for me the entire semester! Princess status.
I had dinner with the parents and the two boys. It was difficult to understand the conversation between the boys because they were talking so fast, but the parents kept me included. I am not exactly sure what I ate for dinner, but it wasn't bad at all! Maybe I will come back and eat EVERYTHING. One can dream. The daughter stopped in for a bit when we were eating dinner, but she was going out with her friends. She is 18 and studying for her driving test. She told me after the test is over, she'll be around a lot more. We then had some dessert, which included cheese, mini chocolate cakes, and fruit. After dinner and dessert, I sat down in the living area with the parents for infusion (very similar to tea). I am so happy I have such a friendly family!
The rest of the night was filled with unpacking and showering. The bathroom is huge! Everything is turning out better than I expected. Not much of a cultural shock, encore...
Tomorrow, mon pere d'accueillie is taking me to an open air market in the morning. I believe in the afternoon I am going to walk around the neighborhood with some members of my family to explore. At six, we are going to a special church mass for the boy scouts. It should be a very interesting experience and I am so excited!
Bons baisers!
No comments:
Post a Comment