July - Thank you AFS

I have to say, July was probably the most difficult month for me.

In July I had to study for the Bac which I took as a "Premiere" (Junior)
This is a very important test for French teenagers across the country. This plays a crucial factor into whether or not they can move on to the next grade, graduate, or go to college.

But this is not the main reason why it was so difficult.

My host family moved to Gravelines, way up in the north of France near England. We moved a week before I had to leave France.

This is not quite the reason I had difficulty in July, although it is definitely part of it.

The main reason was because I had to say goodbye to my friends and (host) family. I had to say goodbye to France. I had to say goodbye to its food, it's culture, it's architecture, everything. And I did not know when I would be back. Maybe I won't be back for years, or maybe I'll be back in a few months. The uncertainty and the thought of saying goodbye was for me, one of the hardest things to experience during my study abroad.

I have to say that I will really miss France, and everyone I have met. I am so grateful that I was able to have such an incredible experience. I eagerly look forward to going back as soon as I possibly can.

And also, to end this blog, I have to say that words can not fully explain how much I appreciate everyone who helped me raise money for my study abroad, everyone who was so friendly to me while I was in France, and every single AFS volunteer who has helped make this possible, for not just me, but all AFSers.

Thank you all so much!

May and June

So let's see for May I got to:

see a wonderful play at Strasbourg, the last one of the year.
The music and the decor were very beautiful. I enjoyed it a lot more
than the previous play "Philoctete."
We also performed our last play performance of the year. I really enjoyed it.
All of my friends act really well. Although at the same time it's a little sad knowing
that it was the last time.
The family celebrated the 40th wedding anniversary of my host father's parents.


They have quite a big family. It's a good thing though, because then I have lots of people to talk to.

We also celebrated the baby cousin's 2nd birthday the next day. I attempted playing soccer with Clémence, Hugo, fred's dad, fred, and fred's brother.....

They are a lot better than me, but I don't mind because I had fun playing.

This month I got a chance to go to the pool with Julien and his little brother. That was really fun and I was so excited to finally go swimming! And I was very glad that I got another chance to do something with them again, because I don't usually have the time to do things on the side.

and for june....

well studying, studying, studying, and at the moment I am in the middle of taking my final exams.
I feel like things are going well, but I guess I won't really know until I get my results!

two notable things that have happened this month:

I got to listen to a speaker talk about scientific theory
and realized that I actually find that really interesting.
I talked with the speaker afterwards and he recommended a book to me.
I plan on reading it when I return to the U.S.

the second notable thing is that 2 french celebrities came to my high school for the day
and students got to ask them questions.

one was Dénis Brogniart, who is the host of Koh Lanta which is the French version of survivor.
the other person was Robert Pires a French football player.

I got to get an autograph from the two of them and was really excited because I even talked with them for a bit (in a mix of English and French!) haha

It made me think of my family in the U.S. and how we somtimes watch Survivor together.
It's seems pretty incredible that I'd actually get to talk with someone directly related with the show.

He even complimented me on my French! I was very flattered, although I know that I still have a bit of an accent. Although I am not bothered by the fact that I have an accent. I know that other people have stronger American accents and I think I have really improved a lot on my pronunciation.

I have less than a month left and I have already started saying goodbye to people which is really sad even if I know that I will someday see them again.

This is going to be probably the hardest part of my year here.

February, March, April

Right after February vacation I had the "BAC blanc"

which is a practice for the real "BAC" at the end of the year. It's a lot of work looking over notes and refreshing my memory over everything we've learned since September. It's especially difficult when I try reading my notes from September, October, November, because my French wasn't very good in the beginning. Luckily I have improved a lot and my notes taken later in the year are much easier to read.

March was not too eventful, going to school and doing homework, and otherwise not too much else. I have a couple friends who wore green for St. Patrick's Day, but otherwise the French don't celebrate it, or really know what it is.

April 1st - poisson d'avril!

April fool's day exists here, but it's a little different.
People go around putting paper cut-outs of fish on the backs of people. The point is for the other person not to realize and go around with a fish on their back the whole day.

Easter is more or less the same here. They seem to have the same traditions, like the easter bunny bringing chocolate, and searching for eggs in the yard. Although we didn't search for eggs because it was raining out.

April vacation!
I was very lucky and got to spend a week in Paris and the following week at the Ciotat, which is near Marseille in the south of France.

I was with another AFSer, Angelina, which was great because visiting a new place with someone else is a lot more interesting than by myself.
We visited:

> The George Pompidou Center (modern art museum)
> The Louvre
> The Notre Dame
> The Trocadera / Eiffel Tower
> Concorde Place
> The Place of the Bastille
> Verseille
> The Garden of Luxembourg
> The Défense
> The Moulin Rouge
> Montmartre
> The Catacombs
> The National Library of France
> The "Invalides"

and otherwise we walked around different places in Paris.

for the second week we were often at various little beaches. It is so beautiful in the south of France. The mediterranean sea is so beautiful. The water is a shade of aquamarine. It looked so inviting, but the water was quite cold. I went swimming one time, but didn't stay in for long.

Another amazing vacation.

February vacation

So for February vacation I got to stay for a week in a city near Nantes.



I was with a wonderful family. They were really friendly and I enjoyed seeing a new region of France. The West coast of France is really beautiful and makes me think of Maine, which I think isn't a coincidence, because the depatment is called "Maine et Loire."



I got to visit a couple castles, and an art museum. I got to see the castle at Pornic of the infamous "barbe bleu."



I discovered that my name originates from the region right next to where I was! Yvette is the saint of the poor.



I ate a gallette for the first time. (It was delicious).

It's something kind of like a crepe, except brown in color, and it's not something that's meant to be sweet. Inside you can put cheese, ham, eggs, etc.



I visited La Baule, one of the biggest beaches in Europe. We didn't go swimming of course, because it was too cold and windy. Although we did see a few windsurfers.



I really enjoyed my vacation and am very greatful to have come to France with AFS, because without AFS I am not sure I would've been able to visit so much of France.

Jan-Febr-uary, because I have been busy and now have to write about two months

Well the new year started off great!

I can speak French, I'm in France, and I have so many wonderful friends and a wonderful host family!!

I spent the new year with a group of friends. We had a good time playing some rather theatrical games.....it makes sense seeing how many take theater class (including me).

Also in January I learned how to make the "gallette" for the "gallette des rois." Inside of it is a little hidden figurine. Whoever ends up with it is the king (or queen) for the day and gets to wear a crown.

January 13th was the celebration of my name!! The day of Saint Yvette! I never even knew this existed before, but it was nice hearing my family, friends, and even history and theater teachers tell me "joyeuse fete!"

I visited a city in Germany for the day with some friends. It was a little difficult since I don't know any German really, except for a few words. Oh well. It was nice hanging out with my friends, anyway. It was also pretty funny when we tried to order milkshakes and ended up with a tiny scoop of ice cream.

Apparently they've had a lot of snow here in comparison to previous years. Although I come from Maine, and for me it doesn't seem like a lot. I was glad to see the snow, though. Without snow it just doesn't seem like winter.

The next post will be about february break, I'll try and write it soon!

Pictures of course

Passing through Switzerland on our way to St. Tropez

The view from our room in St.Tropez


The pool...which I swam in almost every day


Port Grimaud, I think it's absolutely beautiful there


La Gendarmerie Nationale!


Hiking...eating lunch on the steps of a chapel....hiking


Grimaud again, I love the flowers! I love how there are so many flowers growing in France in general, it's wonderful.


Bowling for my birthday! (the bowling ball never made it to the end, so we used another one)


The two most amazing cakes I have ever seen. They tasted good too! I still can't believe my (host) mom isn't a professional cake maker. I guess French people just know how to cook, which makes sense, seeing as they're known for their cuisine.

Ok now my measly pumkin pie is dwarfing in comparison.....If only there was a way for everyone to know what it smelled like fresh out of the oven!

November, the month des anniversaires!

Month of Birthdays a very fitting title, I think.

First up, me, of course.

November 7th.
I recieved so many wonderful gifts too! I was honestly very surprised at so many birthday wishes and presents.

I got presents from both families (in the U.S. and France), presents from friends in Premiére and Terminale at school, presents from the neighbors, and so many happy birthday wishes! I am glad to know so many people care about me. I'm also glad that it didn't make me homesick, because I realize something like that really has the potential to bring on thoughts of family and friends who are currently far away.

I think everyone for making my birthday such a special event here in France.

Following were the birthdays of Clémence, my host sister, now 7 years old. The brithday of Fred, my host father, and the birthday of the great grandmother.
The weekend after my birthday there was a party for Clémence, Fred, and I. Lots of family members showed up. Muriel, my host mom, made two absolutely gorgeous and absolutely delicious cakes!

November 19th
I made a pumpkin pie!!!!!!!!
In honor of Thanksgiving and for my English class with the assisstant I made a pumpkin pie. I've got to admit that it wasn't very easy. I had to convert mesurements and temperature, and make some other alterations to the two recipes I was using to male the pumpkin pie. After taking most Wednesday night to make it I finally finished. It smelled so good and I was very tempted to eat a slice right then! Luckily, I have good self-control.

I brought it to class that Friday and shared it with my class. I think they all enjoyed it. Personally I found it a little watery, the taste wasn't as strong as usual, but I think this is for the better. I've discovered that sometimes it's better when foreign food has a mild taste than a strong one, because it's something new and eating something new with a strong taste can be a bit shocking.

Overall I was very proud of myself.
Also I got to explain the history of Thanksgiving, including the fact that my ancestor, Constance Hopkins, was one of the very first pilgrims, one of the people who ate the very first Thanksgiving dinner with the Native Americans.

I know that there is more that I want to say, but I can't exactly remember what right now...

So for now the end of yet another post.

an addition of forgotten sidenotes

I've realized their are a couple things I meant to mention in the previous posts that I forgot about at the time of actually writing previous posts.

Just to prove the point of how uncelebrated Halloween is here, I forgot to write about it for the month of October.

It is not very celebrated, or really falltime in general....

There are barely any kids that go out trick-or-treating
No "haunted hayrides," over-decorated lawns full of fake spider webs, witches, coffins, etc.
No running through corn mazes, picking apples in orchards, or apple cider
The leaves do turn different colors and fall here, but there are a lot less trees. So it's not really possible to rake up a big pile to jump in.

It's not that I think it's bad they don't do any of this. It's just interesting discovering how things are so different. I am not sad to be missing it this year, because I know when I return I will be able to do all of those things again. Also once I return I'll be able to tell my host family more about it. All in all I enjoyed being in the South of France for Halloween.



The second thing I've been meaning to mention is about the French language. Even by the end of the first month my ideas and how I think about the French language has changed. I have an analogy but I'm not sure if it will make much sense to anyone else....

When you start speaking and hearing a foreign language everyday your mind starts to change it's ideas about the words.

Suddenly you find yourself almost giving an identity or certain emotion to a foreign word. It's not just "this is the word in French that means this in English"
It's more like "this is another way to say the same thing," just a synonym, just expanding my vocabulary.

For example when you change your level of vocabulary. When you're talking to a little kid you use different vocabulary than if you were writing a college essay. In this way it's almost like speaking a different language.... you change the words you use to be understood in different situations.

Also, in an attempt to better explain what I mean about the "emotions" or "feelings" that foreign words take on, I will try to give an anology.

Giving an identity to a word, is like relating a name to a person.
For example, I'll use the name "Bob."
You might love the name Bob or you might absolutely hate it.
But when you meet a person named Bob, you don't think "I hate this person because he's named Bob" or "I love this person, because his name is Bob"
Instead you think of the personality of that person. When you hear the name Bob, in reference to that person, the personality is what you think of, not your personal opinion about the name in general.

So maybe the concept is a little convuluted, but I hope I have at least conveyed it in a way that people can at least partially grasp this notion.

I will being writing another post when I can about the month of November and be adding some more pictures too.

Thank you to all who continue reading my blog.

Octobre - almost 2 months here

So my adventures for the month of October consisted of the following:



Learned lots of new words:

Most of them are related to violence. This is because I am reading Candide by Voltaire. One of the functions of the novel is to show the horrors of war in order to show people that there isn't any glory in killing people. Sometimes it gets a little more descriptive than I'd like. Although, I am proud of myself for reading up to chapter 16 so far.



Went to Metz:


The first AFS orientation after being here for a bit. It was wonderful. I really enjoyed meeting up with the friends I'd made at the Paris orientation. I also made some wonderful new friends. We had a lot of fun attempting to draw a map of France. Also we played some fun games, like pretending we were amoebas and playing "pierre, feuille, ciseaux" to move up to a higher status/life form. I was horrible the first time, but it was fun anyway.



Went to a "Bal Folk":

This was really interesting going to. I got to here the folk music typical in the different regions of not just France but Europe in general. Typical music for parts of Italy, Spain, Russia, Ireland and other countries were played. I tried my best to learn the dances of the different regions. Unfortunately I was quite tired, and lapsed in and out of being a good dancer. My mind just couldn't hold concentration after "un, deux, trois..." But it was quite late so that was probably why.




Made more friends:

Still making lots of new friends. Everyone is so nice here! (I believe I've said this before.) I love talking to my friends throughout the school day, whether it's before classes, during lunch, or after school waiting for the bus. It's funny still having some people come up to me and say "oh you cut your hair!" The school here is definitely bigger and I don't see some people as often.



Took some actual tests in almost all of my classes:

I didn't really recieve grades as much as "bien" or "bon travaille." My host mom was impressed, so I know I'm not doing too badly, because she's a teacher too... I'm just relieved the teachers are nice and understanding.



Met an American!

Their is a new teacher's assisstant for English class. She has lived in New York for 15 years but originally was from Peru. It was very funny when, after half the class introduced themselves, I said "My name is Yvette Alexandrou. I'm 16 years old and I am an American foreign exchange student." The whole class was laughing and especially the teacher's assisstant.



Went to a track meet:


My host siblings competed in a competition of "athletisme" for the day. It was interesting to watch all the different events. Seeing all the kids crowd around the scores after reminded me of being on the swim team, because all the kids do the same thing at swim meets.




Saw a french version of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream:

So, what can I say about this? Well, it was long, and a farce. Basically, four hours of rapid French to tell quick jokes was not processing so well. I did enjoy the scene pictures created though and all the costumes kept things more interesting. Every time a character came out they would be wearing something different. In French, though, the rhyming of the lines doesn't work anymore, so I did miss that.



St. Tropez!


For "Les Vacances De La Toussaint" my host family and I went to the South of France to St. Tropez. It is most known for the famous movies of the "gendarmes," policemen. The Gendarmerie Nationale is located there. We went to visit it and of course took pictures. The whole week the weather was wonderful and it was between 20°C-27°C or for my friends in the U.S.A. about 70°F-80°F and it was always sunny. We went for long walks throughout the week and of course spent time at the pool. I also got to go swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, which for me, was very exciting. St. Tropez and the bording towns remind me of what I'd expect California to look like. There are palm trees, the sea, mountains, vineyards, and of course some very wealthy people living there. Also on the car ride down we drove through Switzerland and I also got to see Mont Blanc (from the distance) but it was all very beautiful. I loved seeing all the castles on mountain tops throughout the journey to the south. To sum it all up, I really enjoyed vacation. Seeing new places and things and spending time with my (host) family was great.

Pictures!

Seeing the Eiffel Tower with the AFSers!

As soon as I arrived home for the first time =)

The scenery here is beautiful.

The sunrises and sunsets are always really pretty too.

Lots of fog in the morning, and it looks really cool ^_^

My new haircut!

One Month in France!

Bonjour From France!



During this first month here, I have:



> arrived in Paris and stayed there for a few days with other AFSers

I enjoyed meeting so many new people from so many places! I wanted to practice my French with my roomates, but discovered I was the only one that had been studying it for two years. The others knew almost nothing in French. We took a tour around Paris which I really enjoyed. Although, I would've like to have taken a longer tour of the city, but with such a large group of people I know this makes it more difficult. I believe there are something like 200+ foreign exchange students from all over the world staying in France for the year.



> took the train from Paris to Metz

I was so excited to meet my family on my train ride to Metz. I loved looking out at all the new landscapes. It's very beautiful here and I love seeing the small towns scattered everywhere and nestled in valleys. Also I talked to a person on the train in French and I was very proud of myself. It was my first real French conversation in France. I met my family at the train station, they were all there waiting with a "Welcome Yvette" sign. I was so happy to finally meet them!



> have been going to school in France

Almost everything about school here is different from my school in Maine. The classes are shorter (55 minutes long), but there are more of them. This is possible because you don't see the same teachers everday, and the schedule changes, so that it repeats every two weeks. (There is a week A and a week B). I think I have about 14 different subjects that I'm taking right now. These classes will last for the whole year. I am in Première, which is the equivalent of 11th grade in high school.
Almost everyday I meet new people at school, and everyone is so nice! They are all very excited to meet a real American. I have also had a few people tell me they love my accent, which is very cool. I know sometimes there are certain accents that don't sound very good speaking some languages. Although I also realize this can be subject to personal opinion. So who knows, maybe there are French people who don't like my accent.
The grading system is from 1-20, and 15 is considered pretty good. The teachers never give out 20's, I think. Although I wasn't surprised by this, because I knew the system was different before I came over.
Everyone is a lot more concentrated and willing to do their school work, and do it well. Even when they have free periods they study. I think this is great, but sometimes I wish I could talk to other people during my free time......well, I do talk to people when I have a free period, but sometimes I feel like I'm intruding or keeping them from studying. I don't want to annoy anyone, but at the same time I want to improve my French.
The school food is more elaborate here. It looks like it takes more time to prepare. All the same it's not always amazing, but maybe that's just because I'm a bit picky sometimes. I have been making sure to try everything at least once though. I discovered that there are some things I like now that I didn't before. At school we have French fries a lot, although it's funny because they call them "americains frites" (American fries). They usually have a dessert with their lunch too. Basically, they eat a lot more than I thought they would. I always get asked why I don't eat so much. I explain that I just have a small appetite. (but that happens to me in the U.S. too)
There is a lot of PDA (personal display of affection) in the school, of course. Bisous, hugging, holding hands, etc. Although hugging is more reserved for couples, which is unfortunate, because I miss hugging people. Although, I've discovered that giving bisous is not so bad, and I enjoy greeting people. The French kids at school always acknowledge other people they know when they pass by each other. They smile, or wave, or say "salut" to each other. It's nice. Being recognized in a foreign country is comforting and makes me feel like I fit in here. I think the French people would find it strange that "PDA" is an actual term for me, and that in my school in Maine it is not allowed. If they tried to prohibit that in France I think there would be war or at least numerous riots.

> figured out the bus system...I think

It took a little while, but I believe I can figure it out now. My French is improving, so now it's easier to ask for help or what bus to take (just in case I'd need to ask, that is). I take the bus in the morning to go to school and in the afternoon I take it to go back home. It sounds simple enough, but I only figured it out fter making a few mistakes. But most of the French people are quite sympathetic to my case and try to help me out.

> learned how to set the dinner table

So maybe it's just a small thing, but it's different from what I know. The fork on one side of the plate, knife on the other, small spoon and fork above the plate, and one (or two different sized) glass(es) above that. There are two plates, one on top of the other, and a napkin on top of both of them. That's how it's set up when guests are coming over. I like it and how everything has a certain pace to go. It's all nice and orderly.

> discovered French fashion

I learned that French people don't wear as much color as people from where I live. They like sticking to blacks and grays. Their fashion is simple and very stylish. They pay a lot more attention to what they wear. They always look well-dressed.

> got a haircut....in France!

Yes, I did get my haircut in France. Yes my family did help explain what I wanted to the hair dresser. And yes, I was very thankful. So I will add another post soon with some pictures of my family, the area I live in, and my new haircut.

I haven't forgotten!

This is just to let everyone know that I will make a post soon about France, but at the moment I am quite busy (as you can see my school schedule is very full).

A Tout A L'Heure!

Well, I am finally leaving to go to France! I would like to take this time to thank absolutely everyone who donated money and/or helped me fundraise. You are all so wonderful, and I appreciate it so much! Without all the support from you this would not be possible. I sincerely thank you.

I had a Bon Voyage party the other day. Family and friends all came to wish me good luck and happy travels. The cake was made by Tom (thank you Tom!) and it was beautiful and delicious. Also thank you to everyone who came to the party, it was a lot of fun.

Fun Facts About France

The departure day it swiftly approaching. So to prepare myself I've been learning about many things about France.



Here's a list of a few things I've discovered:



*there are more pets in France than there are children



*women were not allowed to vote in France until 1944



*cave paintings in Lascaux are estimated to be over 15,000 years old



*cotton candy is called barbe a papa "dad's beard"



* it's rude to put your hands in your lap during a meal, French (and it seems Europeans in general) find this really strange



* there are over 500 varieties of cheese made in France



[information found at culturegrams.com]

Success!

Well the dinner was nice. I had a lot of fun putting on the whole thing. I have to thank my mom for all her help and all the time and hard work she put in to make this work out so well. (Thanks mom!) We served dinner and dessert, had a cake auction, and drew a winner for the floorcloth. (Cindy Rines drew the winning ticket.) I would like to thank her for all her help in the kitchen. I decorated the cake(s) on the left by putting the Eiffel Tower on it. My friends helped out and we all had a good time.

Fundraiser Dinner

Friday May 29th

5:30pm-7:00pm

I will be having a spaghetti supper at the Wiscasset High School in the cafeteria.

It will be $7.00 per person 

or

$25.00 per family

Spaghetti, bread, salad, and dessert will be served. There will be a cake auction and the floorcloth is going to be raffled off. The winner will be announced at the dinner.

Host Family!

I am very excited to announce that I finally have a host family!!!!!!!!!

They live in France right near the border of Germany. The couple is in their 30's. They seem really friendly and fun. They have a six-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son.

I will definitely give more information about this later!

Also, the fundraiser dinner and floorcloth raffle will be May 29.

Floorcloth Raffle

My mother and I painted this floorcloth by hand and we are raffling it off at several different locations as a fundraiser for France. It's dimensions are 8' 5" x 5' 6.5" Listed below are the places and dates of where the floorcloth will be displayed for anyone interested in buying a raffle ticket.

Avalon Antiques       Rte 1                        Wiscasset          3/14 – 3/22

Wiscasset High School                             Wiscasset          3/23 – 3/26

On Board Fabrics                                      Edgecomb          3/27 – 4/4

Wiscasset Middle School                         Wiscasset          4/6 – 4/10

Kindred     Main St. Center Building      Damariscotta    4/10 – 4/18

Floor Magic and Tile    Biscay Rd.          Damariscotta    4/18 – 4/25

More businesses will be posted for the month of May. The drawing will be on June 6th.

Tickets are 2.00 each, 6 for 10.00 or 15 for 20.00

Hello! Welcome to my blog. My name is Yvette, I am sixteen years old and a sophomore in high school. I am excited to say that I am going to be a foreign exchange student for my junior year. I am going to France for the year through the AFS program.

Reasons to go to France

I want to go abroad to become fluent in another language and become more independent as an individual. This is such a wonderful opportunity. I think I will gain a better understanding of the world and different cultures. I hope I can share my own knowledge with those in France about the American culture.

The cost

I need help financing my AFS experience, because money is hard to come by right now, as I am sure many families know. I have several ideas for fundraising already and will post about them once they are started. I would like to personally thank AFS for rewarding me with a $1,500 Global Leaders Scholarship. This money combined with my own contributions and contributions from my parents have helped defray the cost. The amount left for us to raise is about $6,000.

How you can help

Any donations are greatly appreciated, I have a fundraising goal to get 2,000 people to donate $2.50 each through this site by clicking the ChipIn button. If you would be so kind as to forward this blog to your friends, families, and anyone else that you know of who might be interested in sponsoring my AFS experience that would be very helpful.

Contact

Also if anyone needs to contact me, you can leave a comment below or e-mail me at yalexandrou@wiscasset.k12.me.us Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy reading about my fundraising and adventures in France!

Sincerely,

Yvette