It has been a little over a week since I arrived in Bondues, France. I flew into the Paris International Airport, and my host family met me there to drive me to their house. I struggled with jet lag the first night, yet after a couple of days, I was adjusted to the time shift. We had school during the week, yet since it was the end of the year, school days were shortened or cancelled. We had one full day of classes (8 AM to 5 PM), three partial days of classes, and one day with no school. We used the extra time to sleep in, visit the stable that my exchange student goes to, visit her friends, and relax at her house. This past weekend was filled with activities and day trips. On Saturday, we went into the nearby city, Lille, for the afternoon, and then we went to a housewarming party for her dad, where I met many of her relatives. On Sunday, we went to Bruges, Belgium. On Monday (national holiday), we went to the largest aquarium in Europe. This coming week, we will go to school, go to a well-known theme/amusement park (Astérix), and go back to Lille to explore and shop more.
My experience in Bondues has been fairly smooth so far. I have loved seeing what it is like to be a French teenager. Yet, I have had a few hiccups and struggles this past week. On the first day of school, I broke my toe. We went to the doctor, got an x-ray, and now I have a boot. It still hurts, but it is much better now. Meeting so many new people in a short amount of time was overwhelming, but everyone were very kind and welcoming. At first, I struggled with understanding their fast-paced conversations, but I have been able to understand them more as the days go on. I am not very confident in my French-speaking abilities, as I am scared to mess up and do not like my American French accent. I am dedicated to pushing past my doubts and speaking in French as much as I can, since that is the main reason I am here. I realize that people will be happy and proud that I am speaking their language.
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