Change

When I was a little kid, I wanted to be older. I desperately wanted to drive, to own a debit card, to watch grown-up movies, to go to high school, to have a job, to go places without the undermining supervision of my parental units. I wanted the hour hand to turn faster. I wanted the days to pass by like the seconds did. I wanted to grow up. To BE a grown-up.
Of course, here I am now, and I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that I am seventeen. I am eleven and a half months away from being that "grown-up", and in some ways, I already am.
The ironic part is, now that I'm grown up, I wish that time would slow down. I wish I had time to breathe, time to sleep, or just time to sit back and watch the world. I spent my whole life wondering why time seems to fly by. François says that it's not the time that goes by, it's the changes we make that make time have the illusion of flying by. When we grow old, we have more stuff to occupy our time. Because we have more stuff to do, the time, of course, flies. Alors... it's not the time that changes. Time is, indeed, a constant. It's us humans that change.
I am changing families in 16 days. A part of me is really excited! It'll be a new and completely different experience- filled with new adventures, new challenges, new loop-de-loops. I get to view France from another set of eyes! I get to meet more people and try new things! Plus, I'm incredibly excited to live with another INCREDIBLY AWESOME family! I seriously couldn't have asked for a sweeter set of families! That is why, as much as I am excited, I'm also a little sad! I've gotten so used to being around this host family. They were such wonderful teachers. I seriously wouldn't be nearly as amazing in French without them teaching me things. They introduced me to so many good french foods, cheeses, and traditions, and François and Véronique always had the right thing to say when I was sad or confused. As different as my host family is from my family at home, I still feel like I have a "family" here! I felt like I had a place there, and I really hope they felt that way too!
We cannot stop the world from turning. Things change whether we want them to or not! People change. We get older, bigger, wiser... Part of me still wants to be that little kid on her swing set, laughing and screaming out of sheer joy and happiness, with all the time the world had to offer. But, at the same time, I couldn't ask for a better place to be right now. I mean, what is life without change, really?

So on Wednesday, Kate and I went to the most amazing pizzeria, and then afterwards, we ate the most AMAZING ice cream/tiramisu EVER. It's crazy, I can't believe it's been over 2 months since the day I met her, and we've already changed so much! We used to be those awkward Americans. Now, as crazy as it is, we are becoming more and more like "one of the French". As "American" as we still are, things are changing! A part of me wants things to stay the same. But then, a bigger part of me just wants to let go and see where the world takes me! Exchange really is like a roller coaster... and here I am, holding on for the ride of a lifetime!

So, world... turn! I'm ready.

"Enfin! Audrey A Écrit Quelque Chose!"

Hey guys! Long time no see!

Anyway, I cannot even begin to describe how amazing these past few months have been. It's incredible how fast I'm learning French here! Just two months ago, I would honestly be able to say I didn't understand a word of French class. Or SVT. Or History. Or lunch. Or GYM for heaven's sake! I could only participate in "small talk", and I felt like hardly anything more than an awkward foreigner, completely out of place with everyone else, sticking out like a third leg or a sore thumb or a broken pinkie toe.

I hit it off pretty well the first week! It's so great how nice everyone in my class is! I couldn't have asked for a better one. Things started getting EVEN BETTER when I met Kate. She's one of the closest friends I've made this whole exchange, and it isn't just because she's American. She's just one of the most amazing people ever! Whenever I'm lonely or sad, or just need to say SOMETHING and I have no clue how to say it to anyone else, she's always there for me. We get each other through the ups and downs of exchange. Without her around, exchange would have been so different. I'm never going to forget our Wednesday afternoons. Our coffee breaks. Our baguette light saber duel. Staying up late filling each other in on our lives before exchange. Eating peanut butter and nutella sandwiches. Being obnoxious. Being American. Being Exchange Students. I hope you know how much I adore you and your incredible awesomeness. You always have a way of making my day even when it seems completely messed up. You listen when no one else does. I can't thank you enough! Je t'aime- je ne t'oublierai jamais!

These past few weeks have been a little rough. It's not even because last week was my birthday or the week before was Thanksgiving or Christmas is coming up. In fact, I don't feel really homesick at the moment. I just feel a little down. The celebration the night before my birthday was really something special though! All my host families and my host club counselor came over for a big "Birthday/Thanksgiving Feast". I prepared the turkey and the stuffing (the turkey turned out really good, but the stuffing was a little too dry! Darn... better luck next time!). My host family bought all my favorite cheeses, and I got to try some new ones, too! That wasn't the best part, though. For my birthday, I got these drawings called "Les Images d'Epinal" from Véronique and François, and they are just gorgeous! One of them is of the Eiffel Tower, and the other one is a collage of a bunch of significant yet incredibly poignant events in currant American History, with the Statue of Liberty at the center. They are just beautiful, and the way that people can draw things like that just blows my mind. I also got a really cute turquoise scarf from my second host family, and these really awesome mugs from my third family! Even the presents, though, weren't the best part. The best part was having a family. Having people around a table, talking, laughing, and eating like we had known each other for ages. I would say this encounter was a lot like the little get-together we had in the fall, but it was so many times better than that. I could actually understand (almost) everything people said to me. It was awesome being able to mess around with my host brothers! It felt like coming home. 

Winter time is really beginning here in France!! The first real snow fall, the escargots... even my host parents have started up the wood stove! I'm absolutely loving being here, especially in the winter time!

Although... I always hated how short days got during winter. At the beginning, I hated it even more here because I ended up leaving the house to go to school when it was still pitch black. Normally, that wouldn't bother me too much. However, when you return home in the same conditions, it can get kind of old. It takes me a whole hour to return home from school, and sometimes, it takes longer because the buses after six are just stupid and unpredictable. I couldn't stand waiting at a bus stop in the freezing rain for thirty minutes, just because my bus is a little less popular than the one that goes to the mall...

About a week ago, that miserable feeling completely lifted away. The Christmas season has officially taken off here in the city, and the lights are already spectacular. Pretty strings of white lights and glowing snowflakes hang off street signs and in between buildings. The giant Christmas tree in centre ville is glowing in the most magical way, and the shops are adorned with all their own decorations, too! The Christmas markets are going to be starting soon, and there are already some stands set up! I can't walk down the streets anymore without seeing the Roasted Chestnut Man with his chestnut roaster thing, smelling the nutella crepes in the air, or hearing Christmas music, in all kinds of languages (mostly English), blaring from the nearby shops. Tis The Season, and I am SO EXCITED.

Okay, and now for some little things:

~In gym, we are doing an acrobatics unit. Crazy, huh? XD

Serhat and Barbara in gym class! :D

~Escargots are actually REALLY good!
~I joined theater class here! One of the best decisions I've ever made.
~With school work: everyone is SO NEAT, organizing everything by using different colors, rulers, cutting, pasting... Given the fact that I haven't used a glue stick for normal class activities since the fourth grade, I was a little surprised! It's fun though! In a way, it makes me strive to be more organized!
~I don't need to be in school until 10 on Wednesdays. I come like 30 minutes early to hang out with some of the other kids in my class :D It's GREAT having one class on Wednesday!!
~I can't leave for lunch :c but I bet you anything the food I eat is still better than yours ;)
~(I totally stole this observation from Kate's blog, but it's something that TOTALLY needs to be shared) People in France DO take showers, shave, and smell good.

Friends Forever <3
From L2R: Lucie, Me, Kate, Manon, Marie, Amélie

 Le Bonheur n'est pas une destination...

                          

                   mais une façon de voyager