Life in France

I've become so accustomed to life here that I often have to stop and remind myself that I am in France. Sometimes I literally stop in my tracks and look around for something very French (a row of 18th Century Houses, funny little cars) just to be sure.

The reality of life here is -- in some ways -- not all that different than it is at home. I go about my daily routine, eating, sleeping, studying and hanging out with friends. But there are two major differences that remind me I'm not in Kansas anymore. First of all, everything I do (except sleep) is split between two languages. I think in both English and French and sometimes the wrong language comes out at the wrong time (such as saying "sorry" to a stranger or "et you?" instead of "et toi?" when a friend has asked me how I am doing). It's hard for me to switch back and forth -- once I am in French mode I like to stay there, but obviously my limited vocabulary can't handle that for long.

Another thing I've noticed when speaking to the French students in my residence is that, in French, I sound like a really boring person. It took me years to become a decent conversationalist in English, but now I am back at square one with French -- again, largely a vocabulary problem.

The other thing about living here that keeps me out of my comfort zone is the mélange of cultures represented among all the international students. This is probably my favorite thing about being here so far. On Friday night I went out with two Canadians, an Australian, a Polish guy, a French girl, two Romanians and another guy who is French and German ... and me, the lone American. Four different languages were flying around and the Eastern Europeans yelled at me when I didn't look them in the eye during a toast (Santé!). But for the most part, when we are all going out for a beer and a good time, we seem the same.