The Alien :: L'Extra-Terrestre

I forgot to mention this, but my host sister made a little welcoming sign for me for my bedroom door with my name on it.  It's the sweetest thing ever, and I noticed that it was stuck on the door with a grey, play-doh like substance, called...well, I'm not sure what the American name for it would be, but it's called "patafix" here.  I think the name in English is "blu tack."

think sticky marshmallows

I wasn't too worried about my first day of high school.  I've done it before, going to a completely new school without knowing anyone at all, having moved in the States before.  I imagine any senior on their first day of college understands the feeling.

It's a bit different though, when the teacher introduces you before the entire class.  It makes you stick out more.  Standing in front of all my classmates might've been my only moment of "CRAP I'M OBVIOUSLY NOT FRENCH."  

It passed quickly.  Two girls immediately explained to me the introductory forms that we had to fill out for the school, and afterwards, gave me a tour of the buildings.

The high school here is completely different.  It's bigger, for one thing.  There's two buildings, each about four stories tall.  The cafeteria is on the side of one of the buildings, and the gymnasium is on the other side.  It's probably three times the size of my high school back in the States.  

Like this, but a bajillion times bigger

Each day I meet new people that are just as welcoming.  I stick out, you know, not speaking French and all.  I suppose though, that it's not too different from my first day at a new high school.  You meet new people, learn their names, walk through the school, eat the food.

The cafeteria's spectacular, certainly better than my cafeteria food in the States.  I was gloating to my friends about how I got chocolate covered cookies, but I neglected to mention the delicious coconut pie or the steak.  I actually eat all of my lunch here.

I mean, my host mother's cooking is > French cafeteria food which is (way way way)> American cafeteria food.  Eating my host mother's cooking is like eating at a five star restaurant everyday.  In comparison, my taste buds might deliberately kill themselves when I get back to my American cafeteria.

American cafeteria food = what the brown thing looks like

I was pretty lost my first day at the cafeteria, but thankfully, my friends introduced me to another American who explained everything way more clearly.  I felt like a dehydrated person being given water, I COULD SPEAK IN ENGLISH AGAIN!  It's kinda like writing with your left hand when you're right handed.  You're okay writing with your left hand, but after a while, it's such a relief to be able to write with your right hand again.

Speaking of, handwriting is so much more of a scrawl here.  My teachers make me want to run up to the board and plead that they write it in print.  Everyone writes in cursive here, except this American.

Just to help you understand the optical torture I go through every day, I've given (oh so helpfully) an example sentence here.  What I read: "Qetinse eL telluskution de lu lanque franc2aise."

I'm supposed to interpret that into: "Defense et illustration de la langue française."  My teachers in America also had messy handwriting, but at least it was in print and English!

I'm such a leech here.  Since I barely scrape the iceberg that is the (entire) lecture in French, I ask my friends for help.  Reading my friends' notes is also pretty difficult though.  It's not that they have messy handwriting or papers, far from it.  All their notes would look textbook, if it weren't on French paper (which is different, by the way) and in fancy, pretty curlicue writing.

ME:Cursive Rough Script FRIENDS:Calligraphic TEACHERS:Grunge Script

I bet it's because messy handwriting is cultivated during university when no one cares about organizing their notes meticulously.  Every adult I've met so far has terrible handwriting.  Well, my handwriting is utter chicken scratch already.  I dread reading my college notes 30 years from now!