My things arrived, finally. They came on Friday, and I've been trying to unpack and put things away every since. It's always interesting when you have to go through all of your possessions one at a time. With some things I'm wondering "why in the world did I keep this?" Since I've had to go almost 7 weeks with nothing more than what I could fit into a few suitcases it's given me a slightly different perspective on some of my things. It also always brings back alot of memories. As I went through my box of pictures I, of course, had to stop and go through most of them. With the box of old girlfriend's letters I didn't stop to put myself through that torture. Unpacking should keep me busy this week.
Yes, I went to the dinner at my new friend's house. It was great. Most of the things I was taught at my cultural training class weren't true in this case. We talked about music, and shared some of the same favorite artists. They apologized for not having better food to offer. So, all they did was fix three rounds of fresh crepes. Kill me! If that's the worst their gonna do I'm gonna have to invite myself over next time. They were great!
There have been a number of times that people assumed I was British, but int he last 3 days it's been 5 times. I asked one of the people why they thought that, and th ey told me it was cause they could understand me (speaking french) and that they normally can't understand Americans because of the accent. They said I sounded more like I was English. Someone else (who I was speaking English with) told me that they thought I spoke English English more than American English. I'm not sure if I should be happy or insulted :-) but I certainly don't think I sound Brittish.
I spoke to my father tonight. It's interesting to me that even though we haven't been apart longer than we normally would, the fact that I'm farther away makes us both much happier when we get the chance to talk. It's the same with with my mom. I guess it's simply the idea that we won't see each other for a while, and that it's much harder to get together. If nothing else, this whole experience will sure teach me alot. I feel like I've learned so much already. I can't believe I've only been here 7 weeks.
I had my longest conversation yet in French tonight. It was with the pizza guy downstairs. We spoke for 10 minutes in French. I've seen him every Sunday (since nothing else is open then). It makes me feel like I'm in college, ordering pizza every week. We talked about where I was working, how long I've been here, how long his pizza place has been there, the weather, and other such small talk. It's nice chatting with someone, and being able to communicate, and them intersted in continuing to make the effort after they realize I don't speak french that well. We drnk beer together while we chatted, it sure is nice getting offered free things at places you regularly attend. The customer service is better in general in the US, but I'll never get tired of being treated like I'm a friend simply because I'm a regular.
They tell me that it gets very hot here in the summer. I'm not looking forward to that, especially without AC. But, I must say that the weather right no is simply unbelievable. The high most days is about 75, maybe up to 80. The lows at night are in the low 50s, clear skies, simply wonderful. I had dinner last night out on a patio, two words: simply amazing. I'm talking about the weather, but the Spanish girls dancing some of their traditional dances were pretty nice too!
Posted by Brian at May 18, 2003 03:40 PM