Let the Festivities Begin!

This past week was Thanksgiving! In France, people don't usually celebrate this holiday. However, this year I brought Thanksgiving to France! My host family was really excited to celebrate this holiday with me that they started planning it a month in advance! I had my mom in Hawaii send me boxes of stuffing mix because stuffing doesn't exist here! Crazy, I know! When Thanksgiving day arrived, my host family was anxious all day to eat an "american meal"! My host mom even came home early from work and put the turkey in the oven. When I got home from school, I made the stuffing and helped with the rest. We prepared mashed potatoes, peas, stuffing, my families special apple sauce, the turkey, and american apple pie! Before eating, we all went around the table saying what were thankful for, and of course I said, "I'm thankful for having such an amazing host family!" I feel so lucky to get to spend my year with them. After giving thanks, it was time to dig in! It was surprisingly amazing! And, my cooking didn't poison anybody. I was so proud! Along with the exciting meal, it was the first day it snowed in France! I was so excited I had to go outside and throw snowballs with my sister.




This blog is in memory of my grandpa, Charles Weisman. He will be greatly missed in my life and in the lives of many others. I love you.

A Roller Coaster Ride

This month has been full of ups and downs! I'll start with October to November vacation! In France, at the end of every six weeks of school, we get two weeks of vacation. For October vacation, my host family took me to l'ile d'oleron. It's a small island off the west coast of France. My host family has a house there, and spend all their summers there. However, since I'm not going to be here for summer they decided to take me there in October. It reminded me of how I would picture Greece, with lots of boats docked and little stores and restaurants by the sea. During our stay, we went to see the chateau de l'ile d'oleron and went to the beach. However, it was way to cold to go swimming and it was very windy. We also saw a lot of light houses, very normal for an island!


After visiting l'ile d'oleron, we went to the cutest town ever, La Rochelle! It was surrounded by castle ruins and had the best but most expensive shopping! Also, there were these ducks that looked cute and innocent but were so loud and obnoxious and were very feisty! It was very funny.




Also, during vacation, we went to the Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley! It was the most amazing chateau I've ever seen from the outside! It was so intricately designed. However, inside the Chateau, there wasn't a lot of furniture and decoration. Chambord is known for the design of the staircases. It kind of reminded me of Harry Potter!




Okay, so the next thing that was exciting during vacation was Halloween! A lot of people don't celebrate Halloween here in France except for the little kids that dress up and go trick-or-treating. However, I only saw about 5 kids doing that. So, for halloween my friend from school invited me to stay at her house and go to a nightclub with her and her family. It was so much fun to get out and go dancing with my friends!


When we got back from our trips, I had a couple days left of vacation. So, I went to Paris a couple times with friends and also did homework. School here is hard, but I'm slowly adapting to it. My hardest class is French Literature, but my teacher helps me a lot! The English class here is bizarre! The teacher says some words I don't even think exist in the english dictionary!
This month overall has been a roller coaster, but I don't want to get off. It's been filled of happiness and sadness and all sorts of feelings you would never think you would have. I feel like i got so lucky to have been placed with such and amazing host family who is always wanting to help me succeed. This week is Thanksgiving, and my host family is so excited to try new things and help me prepare the meal! I promise I will post again soon with new information and experiences.
á bientot!
Natalia

The Adventures of Yaya..

I know I haven't written in a long time, and that's because I've been so busy! And believe it or not, it's really hard to write in English after just one month fully immersed in the French language and culture! So I will start off by talking about the first AFS weekend! I was held during the first weekend in October in a town outside of Paris called Poissy. We were staying at the prettiest house/ hotel which was right on the Seine River!

The weekend was pretty amazing! It was so great to see all of the AFSers in my region, Ile-de-France. We spent the two days talking about our first month, and also doing activities and "energizers". There was one activity that pushed all of us to trust each other and work together. We had to lay on the ground in a line and carry one person at a time above us to the end of the line. This really showed me that everyone may not be comfortable with everything, but to get through it you have to trust everyone around you.

So at the end of the weekend, all the host families came and we had lunch together then all went our separate ways back to our french lives. It was hard to leave all of my friends, because they've practically become my family and support system, but it was also nice to get back home. Here are some pictures from the weekend:




So within this past month, I have really started to realize the differences between France and Hawaii!
First, everything here is so fast paced. I will be walking down the street and 10 people will pass me!
Second, I've never kissed so many people on the cheeks before! Every morning, or every time you see someone you know you go up to them and say hello by giving them kisses on each cheek, "faire les bises".
Third, a lot of girls wear heels to school! I don't know how there feet don't fall off by the end of the days!
Forth, the French love to go on strike! I've had many days where I don't have class because the teacher doesn't show up! I love it!
Lastly, the kids in lycée go on strike too! They block the school so no one can enter, which means no classes. This has happened recently because of the huge strike going on right now.
So, this is my last week of school before October break! I can't wait! My host family is taking me to L'ile d'Oleron and the Loire Valley. It will be nice to get away and see another part of France.
Some other things I forgot, was that the weather is changing and it is starting to get really cold, and the leaves are falling and changing colors! It's beautiful!
But, that is all for now, because I have to get ready for my dance class! Here are some pictures of my recent adventures...
ps. Yaya is my nickname my parents in Hawaii call me if you were wondering why the name of this post is, "The Adventures of Yaya".

This is me, my host mom, and my host sister at the brocante, garage sale in english! It was a huge event where lots of people came to sell old unwanted stuff including my family! And believe it or not I helped with selling items!

We're coming back to Paris! The myth is that if you touch the star, you will come back to Paris!



This is me and some friends from AFS in front of the chateau de vincennes!

Okay I promise I will write more often! But for now, au revoir!

C'est difficile, mais c'est la France!

I've officially spent two amazing weeks here in France, and I have so much to write! I'll start with school.
Monday:
I start school at 8:30 with two hours of sports, which is easy right now. We are playing basketball! After sports, we have a 15 minute break, then I have an hour to do anything because I don't have class! After the one hour break, I have one hour of English, then I am done for the day! After I'm done with classes, I eat in the cantine at school, which is surprisingly really good compared to the United States. After lunch, I take the bus home, which is really easy. On Monday nights, my host mother signed me up for a dance class! It's a great way to work out, and to make new friends. I love mondays. They are a great way to start the week!
Tuesday:
Tuesday's are one of my hardest days. I start school at 9:30, so I get to sleep in a little! I start school with one hour of French, then hour of break, then one hour of history, then lunch. French is definitely my hardest class. It is very difficult to understand anything. And in both history and French class, you are expected to take notes while the teacher is talking. After lunch, I have one hour of English, then two more hours of French, followed by one more hour of English(on even weeks). After school on Tuesdays, I usually take the bus home and finish my homework, and go to sleep early.
Wednesday:
Wednesday's is definitely the easiest day, because I don't have any classes! I take this time to sleep in the finish some homework. Then, in the afternoon, I usually go out with my friends!

This is a picture of me and one of new friends last weekend at the train station getting ready to go shopping!
Thursday:
On Thursday's, I start at 8:30 with one hour of math, followed by one hour of history, then one hour of French. After I have two hours for lunch, followed by one more hour of history. Thursday is a pretty easy day. Math in France is very different. Their multiplication is our addition, and their addition is our multiplication. It threw me off at first, but I'm starting to get the hang of it.
Friday:
Friday is by far my hardest school day! I start at 9:30 with one hour of French. Then, we are split into groups, A and B. I am in the B group. So, I have two hours of science then one hour of lunch. After lunch, I have one hour of french followed by one hour of english, then math. By the end of Friday's, I am always dead tired.
Saturday:
yes, I have class on Saturdays! :( However, I only have two hours of history(on odd weeks) starting at 9:30. On even weeks, I only have one hour of history, starting at 10:30. It isn't that bad. Last week Saturday, after classes, I went into Paris with a couple of my friends! We went to Bastille, then the eiffel tower, and sat in a park for a while. There was also a parade for the handicapped going on so we watched that, then went to a cafe and I had my first crepe! It was so good!

This is me and my best friend here, Amanda!

This is a picture of me with my first crepe!

This is a picture of the beautiful park!

This is a picture of me and my friends in front of the Eiffel tower!

This is a picture of Bastille!


This is a video of the handicapped parade!

I am going to end this entry with a question one of my new friends asked me. It really made me think. My friend asked me, "Why do we have learn 3-4 languages in school, where people in the United States only really learn English and possibly one other language?" I really did not know how to answer that. I have to go eat lunch now!
bisous tout le monde,
Natalia

Je suis en France!

After many days of traveling and orientations, I am finally in France with my host family! We arrived in Paris, France on Friday, September 3. After arriving, we went straight to our hostel (hotel). The hostel was better then expected! The rest of the day, we took very long naps, and got to know all the kids from the other countries.

On Saturday, the orientation leaders split us into groups. One group group went into Paris first, and the other had orientations. Then we switched activities after lunch. My group went into Paris first! It was better then expected! We saw all the famous monuments from our bus, but we got to get out to see le tour eiffel.

After our tour we had about 2 hours of orientations. They were surprisingly fun!
That night was full of emotions! We were spilt into our region groups, and given our travel information. I got lucky, and was placed right in Paris, so I didn't have to travel anymore! However, some people had to wake up at 4 am! After our group meetings, I had to say goodbye to all of my new friends... it was very sad.
Onto Sunday! Sunday was the day we were all waiting for! We finally got to meet our host families! My host family arrived at our hostel around 11 to pick me up, and I was so excited I ran straight to them when i saw them. We greeted each other with the traditional french "bisous" or kisses. My family then took me to my new home! It is absolutely gorgeous! My host mom, Laurence, decorated my room in my favorite color, pink!

For lunch my host father, David, made sausage and chicken on the bbq. It was delicious!
Well, I have to go! I will continue the blog with my first day of school later!
a bientot!

Getting ready...

I am only 6 days away from leaving this rock that I call home, Hawaii. I was born and raised in Kailua, Hawaii on the island of Oah'u. I am an only child. Ever since I was a young girl, I was taught French in school. When I got to middle school, my passion for the language developed and never stopped growing. I have gone to French immersion camps and to France several times. However, I still want more. When the idea of studying abroad came up, my parents were hesitant but willing to consider the idea. With much persuasion, they agreed to help me follow my dream. When I told all my friends about my plan, they thought I was crazy at first, but have supported me all the way. Having family members, teachers, and close friends to talk to helped me realize that studying abroad is definitely the right option for me.

Everything has happened so fast. I have my visa, I have my host family, I'm almost done packing, and the goodbyes are soon to come. I never thought such an amazing experience would ever happen to me! When I first thought of studying abroad, it was just a dream, and it is now turning into a reality.

I am so thankful to have received my host family early. I have had the opportunity to talk to them over Skype, Facebook, and E-mail. I will be living right outside of Paris in a small suburb called Mandres-les-Roses. My school is in a neighboring suburb called Brunoy. My host family, the Lellouche's, have been great so far with communicating with me and helping me feel comfortable. They have everything set up so when I arrive, everything will hopefully go smoothly. The Lellouche's like to do many of the same things as me. They play tennis, they love to travel, like to ride bikes, and like to cook. They also have a daughter, Julie, and a son, Jeremy. However, Jeremy will be studying abroad in Missouri during my stay. Having a sibling is going to be a new and very exciting experience. I've always wanted a brother or sister, and I now have one.

As I am getting close to leaving, expectations start running through my mind but I keep telling myself expectations could be followed by disappointment. So, I'm going to go in this with an open mind and be ready for anything! Although I am very nervous and not sure what to fully expect, I cannot wait to experience the life of a French teenager. France, here I come!


This is a picture of the Paris region in France. The shaded region is Mandres-les-Roses, the place I will be staying for a year.


This is a top view of the school I will be attending, Lycée Talma. I am going into the 11th grade there. When you enter the 11th grade in France, you must choose a track to focus your studies on. There is the Scientific track, the Economic track, and the Literature track. I am going to be in the Literature track, which focuses more on studying French.