J'espère....
2:15 PMLe mot pour le moment: j'espère. I found out quickly that if you don't have a master on a language, you can latch onto a word or phrase and use it for many purposes (some may remember "yaahhhh....GOOOOT!" being exclaimed every minute or so at my house last Christmas...). Similar to a catchphrase, I have found myself using the phrase "J'espère" frequently as it's literal translation, as a joke, sarcastically, or just when I feel like I need to insert something "French-y". Either way, at the moment it has many a meaning for me, and that's where I'll leave it....
Has it really only been 6 days? It feels like winter break and my life in the states were forever ago. I love love LOVE Grenoble. It is everything I wished for and more. There is a HUGE student and international student population (30 percent of the residents here are under 25…zooh la la) and the views are absolutely beautiful. Yesterday we spent the day scouting “les soldes” (the sales, a time in France when literally EVERYTHING goes on sale for a month from mid January to mid February) and got myself a cute new pair of beige flats with silver toes from Zara for my 15 minute walk to campus chaque matin (not too shabby for Europe..). Eventually I will master la mode française and will buy some great statement dress or skirt to look fabulous in whenever I get the courage/money….someday soon j'espère..... This morning, I climbed “La Bastille” with my friend and the pictures were breathtaking (some are below). Makes me value my experience here, and reminds me of how much I really love my life.
Alas, the greatest news in my life maintenant: I have finally moved in with my host family! As many of my friends/family at home are well aware, the program I am on does not decide which family they will place us in until our director gets to know us a bit in order to make a more informed decision. So this meant that I did not know anything (not even a name!) until about 4 minutes before I met my “mère d'accueil”. It turned out well though! I ended up in an actual house (a rarity around these parts) with a mother, her two daughters (12 and 15), her boyfriend, and another student from Detroit (we have been given “les regles de la maison”, one of which detailing how we are allowed to communicate “seulement en français”, which we have actually stuck with, surprisingly). At first, I was concerned about having another English-speaker around, but thus far it has been a blessing. The family seems very nice and close-knit. My faux mère is patient with me, and makes a point to correct my grammar (de nombreuses corrections de tous les temps...) My faux sœurs seem fun and lively but I can’t understand them because they speak quickly and without annunciating, however they seem comfortable with having strangers in the house. My faux beau-père is also very friendly, and likes to poke fun at the girls and tease them (c’est comme mon vrai père, qui je manqué beaucoup!). He is also the epitome of a classic French gentilman…he is charming and considerate, and wore a scarf to dinner this evening. Je les aime.
On another note, ma mère d’accueil fed me tongue this evening and made me try it before she told me what it was and I almost vomited all over her because of the texture and all the veins and whatnot in it. C’est la vie, non?
Loving every moment,
ming.
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