AFS Weekend

Right when I was starting to feel like this was getting really hard, right when the frustration and homesickness started to kick in, this weekend came along and lifted me back up. This weekend was the first AFS reunion for my chapter in Normandy, so the first time I've seen the other Normandy kids since we drove off in different directions to start our new lives. We are 10 in Normandy, two swiss, one german, one russian, one chinese, one brazilian, two american, one danish and one norwegian.  We met up around 2ish on Saturday, and it was immediately comfortable. There was no awkward silence to start off. As soon as everyone was together, we set off for the "party room" where we ate our meals and swapped stories and slept incredibly uncomfortably.

At about 3:30 we went to a carnival together. It was jam-packed because it is here for just the weekend.. I know some people hate crowds and rides and all things carnival-y, but I am definitely an amusent park kind of person. There were tons of stands with crepes and churros and other frenchy snacks and also stands with baguettes and sausages and turkish kebabs and even cotton candy. There were lots of stands selling clothes or other knick-knacks, like the flea markets back home. But there were also rides, which made it about 10000000 times better than a flea market. It was overall just fun, being with friends and being in the middle of something so energetic.

It was the first time in a month that I really really felt like I had friends again. I love the french and they are really very nice to me. But it's different. With them, I am so shy and can't show who I am and what I'm really thinking. Small talk only gets you so far. With the AFS kids, even though we are all from different countries and cultures and backgrounds, it is so easy to talk and laugh and be myself. I feel like I have known them all ages. I think it is because we are all sharing such a huge experience and know how everyone else is feeling, so it is easy to let go. It is also, of course, easier to be myself in English, but I think that even if we had all been speaking in french I would have felt comfortable. I had completely forgotten what it felt like that first weekend here, how easy it was to make friends, and it was nice to be reminded. We shared good and bad stories about our host-families, complained about tests and taking notes in school, laughed ourselves silly over the volunteers who had had a few too many drinks, and remarked on all the crazy cultural differences. We are not all from the same culture so some of our observations were different (like the Brazilian thinks the coffee is way too weak while the other American finds it very strong), but a lot of our observations were actually the same. We all noticed how much the French like deserts and we all think that the teachers expect you to do more on your own. I loved hearing all the different stories and interpretations, probably could have kept talking for days.

Dinner was good and french. For beverages, we had the option of orange juice, water, coca cola, or wine. Yes, AFS served us alcohol. After dinner we had interviews with the volunteers where we talked about our integration at home and school. Then, around midnight, we had a rousing game of musical chairs, which I apparently suck at. After that it was just more talking and hanging out, finally falling to sleep somewhere around 3 or 4 in the morning. This morning we had breakfast and then walked around the little square near us. The sun was out and beautiful and the grass was green and soft. Eventually our families arrived and it was time to leave. I didn't really want to say goodbye, but I am determined to see those people again soon. The weekend was such a pick-me-up. A reminder of why I'm here. It motivated me to keep trying to talk and make friends at school and reassured me that others are going through the same thing.

School is still school. I had a history test friday. It was hard. I'm starting to get used to the schedule; I even remembered all my classes on monday without looking at my timetable. This week was a bit harder because I felt less motivated. It was harder to stay focused. But I think I can regain that focus, so no worries. It is late so I've gotta go. Miss you all!!