Ma Famille

At the end of orientation week I moved in with my first homestay family. At first I was super nervous about pretty much everything, but I have never received such a warm welcome. I had barely walked into the house before my littlest sister (6) had me on the bed to play with my hair. She is the smallest kid ever but knows how to braid with the force of twelve grown women! I also have a little brother (3) who had already jumped all over me and kissed me several times before I realized the plastic bag he is carrying around is a pharmacy bag full of medicine for the cough/cold thing he has going on; if this is anything like my family at home I’ll be sick by week’s end. C’est la vie.

The house where I am living. The window to the right of the porch is my room.

Also in the house are two more sisters (15, 19), a brother (15), mama and papa. The kids were all really excited to see my iPod and my middle sister watched an episode of Friends with me. (Friends works really well because even if I don’t understand the French, I’ve seen the show enough times that I can predict when to laugh.) My parents both seem very excited to be hosting me and my host dad even complimented my French which was a great confidence booster given the half conjugated, rambling sentences I have been using.

My brother, Franc, who borrowed my camera to practice his self-portrait skills. There are probably 20 more like this one. (Also, every time I say his name I think of Father of the Bride and laugh a little bit inside my head.)

Perhaps the most interesting occurrence was watching an entertainment show on TV that featured a clip of an American couple during their first dance as husband and wife. As you might expect, part way through the slow dance they broke into a choreographed routine. My host family was very curious about this American tradition: Do people really dance like that in a church? It took some explaining, but I think they sort of understand.

As things start to settle into a routine with my family, school work is picking up. It’s been awhile since I’ve had to do lots of reading and paper writing and trying to break away from my family to focus has proved challenging. If only I could change "study abroad" to "vacation abroad" or "take a nap abroad."

Me, learning how to grind spices into a sauce.