2 MONTHS!

2 months ago today I left New Zealand to create a new life in France immersed into their culture. I guess I should delve into my feelings about my whole experience and share them with you since today is a pretty significant day for me!

The first word that comes into mind is 'wow'. Looking back now at the person that I was 2 months ago, what I was expecting for my life to be like, and how limited my French was, I can see that I've already grown and learnt so many new things already.
I don't mean I've grown as in height, I'm still short, also I haven't put on any weight! Haha, But my mind has definitely grown. Coming to France has opened my eyes to what the world is like beyond the little isolated and safe Islands of New Zealand. France is such a significant country in the world, even just thinking that I'm in the same country that PARIS is in, almost everyone's dream place to visit one day, makes me realise that I'm now living in a country that people at least know exists and where it's located! (unlike New Zealand). That reminds me, so many people I've met thought that New Zealand was a part of Asia, just below China or one of the tiny islands above Australia haha what..

Over the past 2 months I've become habituated to French culture. Now kissing people on the cheek when greeting them (la bise), baguettes with everything,  a cheese course and yoghurt after every meal and many other things are normal. I've even become used to all of the smoking here, I no longer look at them astonished like before because it's just so normal here. Although, I'd never ever do it myself. It's funny to think back to New Zealand and how smoking is a rare thing these days, when I tell people that at my school they can't believe it.

I remember how the French language sounded to me when I first arrived, I could pick out key words but a lot of things like the tense I would totally miss. It sounded like all the words had been fused together into one very long mumbled word. Class was a nightmare, I would try to hide my face so the teachers wouldn't see me falling asleep because I couldn't understand anything. Economics and Philosophy would have had to be the worst classes as I'd never taken them before and the teachers mostly talk the whole time. But just today I had Economics and for one whole hour I listened to the teacher and actually understood what she was saying! That was like a milestone for me, I think the next one will be understanding movies and television series properly, and then after that understanding my host dad when he talks to me! He talks very fast haha. I have Philosophy tomorrow morning for 2 hours, I'm hoping it will be similar to my experience in Economics today..

During the holidays I spoke a lot of English with Loany and Holly. It made me feel a little guilty like I was cheating myself, and I even thought I'd forgotten some French. So once the holidays finished and the month of November had begun I made a plan to avoid speaking English for this whole month in order to improve a lot more (writing English doesn't count haha). It's already been a few days and I'm surprised at how easy it's been.. I'm still able to have big conversations with people. Most of the time it's pretty easy but when I get a little stuck they are always willing to help me despite how annoying it must be :p. Something I've loved the most about being here in France is all of the people I've been able to meet. I've never experienced so much hospitality, everyone that I've talked to is so welcoming and they think New Zealand is just the coolest. That's helped me realise how awesome my country is, when I return home I wont take it for granted any more. There's going to be a rugby match between New Zealand and France soon, it's funny because when I was home I would support France (mainly just to annoy my brother), but this time I'll be country proud and support New Zealand who I'm pretty sure will win anyway ;).

à bientot! <3