France, here I come!
Summer has just begun, and my trip to France is just around the corner. The reality of it is slowly starting to creep up on me; I’m going to be spending three and a half months in France away from my family. I won’t be able to communicate like I do at home; it’s going to by a whole different experience than life in Vancouver, no English, less rain… it’s an ocean away. I only have two months left at home and then I’ll be headed to Paris. Thoughts are starting to run through my head; what do I bring? Who will I meet? Will my friends forget about me? Will I go through culture shock? How much is my French going to improve? Will I be able to communicate with my host family? It’s all coming so fast which means the trip will go by fast too.
I can’t wait to enjoy different experiences; try new foods, learn French traditions, go to the night markets and explore a different culture. I’m also looking forward to building friendships with people in France…I wonder if my host family has ever traveled to Canada. This is going to be my third trip to France but I’ve never stayed longer than two weeks. I’ve traveled to the beaches of Normandy, explored Paris in one day, and lived in South west of France for two weeks. This time I’m going to be staying in Pont St. Esprit in Provence, which is one of the few regions I haven’t visited yet; I hear they’re famous for their beautiful lavender fields and bountiful vineyards. And it’s not too far from the Mediterranean, which I’ve always wanted to visit.
I’ve begun communicating with my host family over email and facebook, they seem to be very excited to meet me. The family I’ll be staying with has two daughters: Claire, the eldest who is my age and Sophie who is two years younger than I am. It’s not too different from my family except I’m the eldest out of the three of us! I have started talking to Claire and she seems very energetic, I think she’ll make my experience in France exciting and fun. Luckily she also understands most of the English I wrote therefore it’ll be helpful in the beginning stages of my trip, especially when I’m just starting to pick up on the French. I’ve done some research on the school system in France and it’s is a bit different than mine. The days are longer but they get more breaks, luckily they’ll be a ten day school break while I’m there, so I’ll hopefully get to travel around Provence!
Although I’m expecting to have lots of fun times on my trip, I know it’s going require some hard work too. After studying French for five years, in the French immersion program my goal is to improve my accent and speech during my trip. Over the years I’ve developed good understanding and writing skills but the speaking leaves me tongue tied. It’s hard to come up with the right tense, do you use imparfait? conditionelle? or passé compose? There are so many different options depending on what you’re trying to say, so I usually stick to the basic because the right tense doesn’t come to me quickly. But I’m sure being surrounded in the language will help me pick up better pronunciation and fluidity.
French is just one of my many goals for my trip, it’s going to be my first trip away from my family and I want to learn from the experience. I think it’s going to be tough not being able to communicate with my family frequently since my sisters and I have spent so much time together over the years. But I know that my trip will be something I’ll look back on for years. While I’m away one of my goals is to get some painting in of the Provence landscape; oil painting is one of my hobbies and landscapes are my favourite subject therefore I’m hoping to comeback with a few canvases of work…and I’ll probably paint one for my host family as well! Secondly I want to travel and explore the history and art of France, its centuries older than Canada. France has historic architecture and art that is recognized around the world, and I’m hoping to learn a lot about it. I’d love to visit the stone castles, the beaches, and the agriculture. I’d also like to try escargot, although it’s unlikely that I’ll like it, it’s something I’ve always wanted to try!
As the days till my trip are passing by, I’m starting to feel like I have so much to do and so little time. I have a trip to LA in three weeks for a swimming competition, and then after that I’m headed to PanPac trials in Victoria. And in between these meets I have to start preparing for my trip, catch up with friends, and hopefully make some extra money. Before I even visit my host family I’ll be spending a few days in Paris; I’ll visit the tour de Eifel, the Louvre, and explore the Latin Quarter. I have a feeling my trip is going to be full of excitement and opportunities to explore. Only ninety two days till I’m on a flight to Paris and the beginning of my first study abroad begins!!!
