Bonjour mes amis and ma famille!

Hi everyone! I have so much to update on and so much to comment on, so I'll start with the updates. 


Lorna, the AFS teacher from New Zealand is so nice! It's nice to have someone to escape to and speak English with when things get overwhelming. It's going to be really hard when she leaves! We've been to le Vieux Port (the Old Port) a couple times. There we shopped 'til we dropped! Then we got some (very good) French food, and shopped some more. It's great to have a companion in the house to go out with. 


On my first weekend in Marseille, Lorna, Nicole and I went to Saint Tropez! It's about 120 km from Marseille and it's absolutely gorgeous. Nicole grew up in there, and her family has a very long history there. One of her relatives was the mayor, and her family helped build most of the houses and resorts for the rich. Saint Tropez it the place to be and to be seen for the celebrities! It was so amazing to get to go there, and to see all of the sights. There was so much to do! The first day, we went to Nicole's aunt's house. The view from the house was breathtaking. It looked out over their vineyard and out to the coast of southern France. We spent a while picking (and eating) grapes from the vineyard. They were the best grapes I'd ever had. After that we spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool. It was divine. That evening, Lorna and I wandered around town and got some chocolate chaud. 


The next morning, Nicole took us to one of her favorite beaches. It was really amazing. The weather is ideal, and it was so relaxing. The main difference from the beaches in the US, though, was that most women sunbathe topless...I, however, did not conform. I had to be careful what I took pictures of though! After going to the beach, we went back to Nicole's Aunt's house and lounged by the pool for a while. Once we had had our fill of lounging, Nicole, Lorna and I picked figs from the many trees in the garden. Not only did we have "beaucoup de rasin, mais beaucoup de figues aussi!"


Following fig picking, Lorna and I did some shopping in town. It was mostly window shopping because most of the stores were way out of our price range (i.e. Dolce and Gabbana, Christian Dior, Gucci, etc.) but we did manage to find some reasonably priced clothes. :)


This past Wednesday, I started tennis lessons! It's great to be active again. They all called me "the American" and I think that they were entertained every time I tried to talk. On Monday, I started yoga. It's great for me to de-stress, especially since Monday is the hardest day of the week for me. 


For my second weekend, Nicole brought us to a party for a PACS. In France, a PACS is an alternative to mariage. It is open to both homosexual and heterosexual couples, is much less binding than a marriage, but it's legal and recognized by the government. It was interesting, but most of the time I couldn't understand anything that anyone said, so I just enjoyed the amazing cheese and desserts. 


The food here is amazing! I have never eaten so much bread, cheese and meat, and drank so much wine as I have here! Maybe it's just that I don't eat a lot of meat at home, but we have some type of meat every lunch and dinner! It's crazy! So far, I've had duck, lamb, chicken, tons of different types of fish, and steak! The bread in France is the best. No matter where it's from, no matter when you have it (which is every meal), it's amazing. I see people walking around with baguettes under their arms all of the time. It's classic French. 


Meals in France are not just for eating. They're a social event as well. We eat at 8 in the evening for dinner, and often we're not done until after 9! Meals are served in courses, so first, we'll have appetizers or some type of cold meat. Next we'll have either salad or the main course. After that you have cheese and then you have fruit/yogurt/desert. I have trouble remembering that theres more after the main couse, so I always fill myself up on that and I don't have room for the amazing cheese. 


Every night with dinner we have wine. It's not just any wine though, it's wine made with the grapes picked at Nicole's Aunt's vineyard in Saint Tropez! Drinking alcohol here is not a big deal. I think that because the drinking age is 16, teenagers don't feel the need to abuse alcohol like some do in the US. 


Classes are extremely hard here. Yes, I am taking most of them in a different language, but they're hard for the students who speak french fluently as well! There is always so much homework. Every night, for at least three hours, I work on school work. The point of school is not to provide opportunities for learning as well as extracurriculars such as sports, music, key club, student senate, etc. like in the US, but to teach the students enough for them to pass le Bac. Short for le Baccalauréat, le Bac is a little like the SAT's in the US. It's like a diploma that you need in order to go to university. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baccalauréat) So, at school there are no extracurricular activities, just learning. 


I am taking Premiere S 3. Premiere is the equivalent of being a junior in the US. S means I am in the science track, and I am in the third group of the science track. This track is the most difficult of the three tracks generally offered in french lycées. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_education_in_France for a further (and better) explanation of the secondary education in France.) 


Because I am in the most difficult class, I have a very full and heavy schedule. On Mondays, I am in school until 5. Tuesdays, until 6. Wednesdays I get out at noon, Thursdays I get out at four. On Fridays (for now) I get out at 2, but that's going to change in October, and I'll get out at four. Saturdays, for now, I get out at 10, but in October I'll start getting out at noon. I start school at 8 every morning except for Thursdays. In general, I have two hours off for lunch, but even with the break in the middle the days are incredibly long! I find myself getting excited over ending at 2, when that's when I would end school in the US every day! I think that I would prefer not having as long of a lunch break, and getting out earlier, but it's all part of the French experience!


The uniformity in school is ridiculous. Everyone takes notes, underlines, highlights, and writes, in the exact same way. It's crazy! Every time I go to write something, I'm afraid that I'm going to do it wrong.


There are good things about the school system here though! They give you so much freedom here. If you don't have a class, you don't have to be in school. Durring breaks, you're allowed to go outside of the school grounds. Many of the kids will go out for a smoke durring break. If your teacher isn't there for class, there is no substitute teacher, you just don't have class. I've had a couple times where the teacher wasn't there and I got to go home early. 


I've made so many friends! School is not only bearable, but fun with them. A lot of people speak English pretty well, so when I don't understand something or I can't make myself clear, there's always someone who can help me out. 


Beaucoup de Bisous! There are so many kisses! When I see someone I know, instead of waving to them and saying "Hi!", or giving them a hug, I have  to kiss them on each cheek! Before class in the morning it's just a long line of kisses! Everyone does it. girls with girls, girls with boy, and boys with boys. It's not awkward or weird, it's just the way things are here. 


It's really hard to remember that when I'm talking to elders, teachers or people that I don't know very well I have to address them formally and use the "Vous" form of the verb and not the "Tu" form. In English we don't have anything like it, so it's really hard to get used to.


I promise that more is on it's way! :)