Les Premiers Jours

Yesterday, we were told the three things that we need to do well in a semester abroad:

1. A sense of humor

2.  Low goals

3. Ability to fail

Number 1 I’ve got down – laughing off my ridiculous French is the only way to get through dinner.

The director of our program, Laurent, says that number 2 is not an excuse to be a slacker (!), but instead that it means we should try to strive for little things. That I am okay with.

Number 3 is the trait I have the hardest time with. We were told to just be aware that you will fail at something here.

Now that I know these three rules, I can make a little list of my own:

Things I have succeeded at (low goals):

1. Learning how to shower in my host family’s house.

2. Figuring out how to take the metro to the two Tufts buildings.

3. Falling asleep on the couch my first day here while watching the news with my host parents without them noticing (I think).

4. Looking Parisian enough this morning for someone to ask me directions (I was way too excited that she asked to care that I had no idea what she was talking about).

Things I have failed at (possibly too high goals):

1. Successfully refusing a third helping of vegetables at dinner when my host mother adds them to my plate and says simply “C’est bonne pour la santé!” (It’s good for your health).

2. Mastering the Parisian look all the time.

3. Not gawking at the Eiffel Tower every time I pass it on the Metro.

So far, though, I am pleased with my progress. I can already tell I am thinking more in French, and as I am writing this it is difficult to keep French words out of my sentences.

My host family has been extraordinarily accommodating. Though I think they were slightly disappointed to see that I am not a fantastic athlete, I am assured the chance to go swimming with them, running in the Bois de Boulogne (which I will avoid at all costs), and I am plied with everything I could want from food, to extra blankets, to help with my new French phone.

In return, I hope I have given them a little different perspective on Americans, and a new, very excited, ear to listen to their stories. My host mother was immensely relieved that I eat vegetables, and don’t like jell-o. The whole family already knows a lot about the US, and most of their children have visited (and probably speak English better than I do French), but it is certainly interesting to hear their experiences and what they found to be typically American (such as a love of jell-o apparently).

My family here consists of my host mother (Florence), father, (Bruno) and 4 siblings (Tristan, François, Isaure and Claire). Only Isaure and Claire still live at home, but Tristan lives in Paris and stops by from time to time. All are extremely nice, and I can’t wait to get to know them better.

The last little tidbit of my experience here so far that I will leave you with is a picture (albeit not a very good one) of the Eiffel Tower at night. It is about at 10-minute walk from my house to get this view, and it is one of the most spectacular things (if cliché) I have seen yet.

This weekend we are off to visit the Loire Valley and then we start some of our classes here! We visited the original Sorbonne building today and I can’t wait to take classes there – it’s incredible!