35 days later...

One month. 4 weeks. 35 days. 696 hours. Even though there's a million ways to put it, it's still hard to comphrehend that I have been in france for a month now ( actually a month and a day, if you want to get technical). So much has happened since I began this adventure. So much has changed sicne I said goodybye to my life In the states. This month has definatley not been easy all the time but I have also experiance so many amazing things already in the short time I've been here. On saturday my host parents and I went to Monacco for a boatshow. The ride there was spectaclar- it was right along the coast of the medditeranien. Before we drove down to the port we ate lunch at a little cafe right by the sea. As I was eating my delicous salmon fillet, looking out at the sailboat spotted sea, I had another oh-my-gosh-i-am-so-lucky-to-be-here moment. I realized that a year ago I was sitting in my nice little room in Wisconsin, completing Rotary applications and talkign about the latest homecoming gossip. I had no idea that in a year I would living in the french riviera. My life has changed so much in a year and I know that this year will only add those changes. After we ate our lunch, we headed down to the port for the show. There were hundereds of mega-yachts filing the port. The yachts were unbelivable. One had a helicopter pad on the top and then an infiniti swimming pool on the middle deck. It was fun to see all the different boats. The majority of the people there were From England and Australia, but walking around I heard french(obviously), german, italien, and even some russian being spoken. The whether was good the whole day excpet for 10 minutes of rain- which actually felt good after a whole day of blazing sun. When the boat show wraped up my h.parents drive me through the city of Monaco. We stopped by the Monte Carlo Casino...it was amazing to stand in the place that i have seen so many times in pictures and movies. Monaco is a great city- with a nice city life but still has a feeling a nature becasue of the beautiful mountains and sea.

Monday I started swimming. I love it and am so glad I decided to join the club. I reconized some kids from school so I hungout with them. But I also met a girl from CA and a boy from England that have been living in Antibes for 3 and 9 years becasue of their parents' jobs. So, i can speak French but when I don't understand something they help me out. The pool is outside- and we swim outside the whole year, which is a HUGE change from Wisconsin where I go to swim team int he winter with 3 feet of snow on the ground. Since we swim at night when the sun is gone- the air is colder than the water but once you get warmed up its fine. I actually enjoy being outside better than in a stuffy,chlorine infested building.

After swimming on Monday I went to a dinner with all the wives of the Rotarians and I Tuesday I went to bowling with all the Rotarians. Since my host is the club president- I go to a lot of rotary functions which is good, but I am also always the youngest person by at least 20 years.

My french is getting better but I the language barrier is still the hardest part. When you can't communicate to the people around you start to feel lonley. Add some tiredness and confusion to that and you have the perfect recipe for homesickness. But, thats all part of this program- leaving your life you 10 months isn't easy but you start to adapt and begin a new life- with new adventure and new challenges. I've learned that making mistakes helps you learn more so you can't beat yourself up when they occur. I make mistakes everyday- whether it's messing up my tenses in french or getting on the wrong bus, they are going to happen no matter what, the hard part is learning how to embrace them.

Let's get rich and buy our parents' homes in the South of France

Wow, So I've officially been in France for 3 weeks and 2 days. it honestly does not feel like its been that long, time goes by so fast here. A lot has happened since my last post. I started school on the 4th. The first day was really scary and intimidating- I was very confused and had to go down to the main office throughout the day so they could tell me where to go. But all of the kids in my class have been so welcoming and always make sure to help me out- the stereotype that French people are cold has proven to be very incorrect. I cant understand most of my classes- except english, and French is by far the hardest because they are learning about symbolism and analogies in poetry which is just WAY above my comprehension level at this point. The school system is so different here than in the US- when you don't have a class you are allowed to leave the building and when a teacher is absent class is canceled. My history teacher is gone alot- in the 2 weeks that I've been in school i've only had 3 hours of her class. On Wednesdays and fridays I get out at noon but on Thursdays I get out at 5 which sucks. In general I like school better here becasue you have more breaks: for example on Tuesdays I have a French then a 3 hours break and then spansih. But, sometimes you'll have 2-3 hours of the same class in a row- which is way too long in my opinion and is especially difficult when you dont understand anything. I try to take notes but even when I comprehend something the teacher says I have no idea how to spell it, so mostly i just listen or write in my journal then copy notes from my friends later. The language is still proving to be a challenge but I am noticing improvements everyday and had my first dream in french- even though i couldn't understand it, i think my brain is starting to catch on to the new language. The weather is starting to change here in Southern France aswell- its been raining more often and the days are starting to get a bit cooler, but its still warm enough to swim in the Mediterranean so I guess it's not that different. I am also starting to understand the bus system here as well, which is really nice because it gives me a little independence so I don't always have to rely on my host parents for rides. Life here is starting to feel like a normal life and not just a vacation like it felt like the first week. I am starting to make French friends, I am doing French homework, I listen to French music and am overall am diving into this new and beautiful culture. Although, i truly love it here, I do miss my family and friends at home on the States a lot. I miss having independence like I had in the States. At home I could walk almost everywhere so hanging out with my friends was not a big deal- but here it takes days of planning ahead of time for something to pull through. I guess that's really not a bad thing, I should probally learn how to plan things better anyways. Yesterday I went on a hike at the Cap d'Antibes which is a STUNNING walk right on the Mediterranean sea. i was listening to music as I looked out at the beautiful mountains and sea and realized how lucky I am to be here. The contrast between my life in Wisconsin and my life here is so strong, but that doesn't mean I love either of them less. Actually, being here has made me appreciate my home and my loved ones even more. Next weekend I'm going to Monacco with my host dad for a boat show and next monday I start swimming! Oh, and about the title of this post those are song lyrics from the Song "You and I" by ingrid Mcihelason. Me and the other exchange student here, heard that song and were like "ahhhh we're in Southern France right now and we SHOULD buy our parents homes here!" Its a really good song so I'll post it here. And finally some pics from he last few weeks...

premiere post from France

Je suis en France.. I am in France. Today was my fourth day in beautiful Antibes. I left Milwaukee on August 25th at 12:00 after saying goodbye to my family and friends. At that point I was such had soo many emotions-nerves and excitement took over my body for the majority of my first flight. It did not seem real to me that I was actually leaving my family and life behhind in WI. Once I landed in Philidelphia and immediatley reconized some kids in the lovely Rotary Blazer so we took a bus to our terminal together were we met up with over 50 other exchange students to France. The flight was good I watched 3 movies and unsucessfuly attempted to sleep. Once we landed in Paris excitement once again took over my body as I took my first stepe in Paris. It was pretty hectic getting to my gate but me and the ither 2 kids flying to Nice eventual setttled in and took off. When I landed in Nice I startign freaking out, I was soo nervous but really excited to meet my host family. Once I walked pass baggage claim I saw eager faces waving towards me and snapping pictures. I was soo brain dead I could not form any fluent sentances. But, I met my lovely host family who too me off to my new home. And so my adventure in France officially begain...

My host families house is SOO gorgeous, there is a pool wit
h a hamock and is surround by Palm trees, lemon trees, and a forest. It honeslty felt like a dream. Antibes is the most beautiful city I have ever been to in my entire life- with the aqua blue medditerian sea surround my huge mountains. The family is very nice and welcoming in their home. But, i do find the language barrier very difficult. I took French in the US so I thought i had a basic knowledge, but after comign here I realize I really have nothing. Everybody speaks so fast and their accent is very hard to understand- even basic sentences like "are you hungry?" leave me confused. Today I went to "aqualand" which is a waterpark in Antibes, I went with my host brother ( who is in university) and his girlfriend and then we met up with her friend and her boyfriend. It was fun and the veiw from the top of the slides was amazing. But, I could barley undertsand a word they were saying and none of them spoke any english. It's very frusturating no being able to communicate my thoguhts. I hope I am able to catch on fast.

On Friday i attended my first french Dinner Party. It was at one of the Rotarians house- which was incrediably stunning with a veiw of the whole city of Antibes and the sea. The food here is very good but i dont always know what im eating. Yesterday at dinner I was eating meat and my host dad says that it was sheep. That was interesting, personally I prefer steak. i was eating an appetizer and my host mom informs me Im eating Fois Grois. Also, in France the DO NOT belive in leftovers. my host parents kepp on filling my plate untill the food is gone.

Tomorrow I am giving a presentation at the Rotary club (ahhhh in FRENCHH) and then i might visit the lycee I am staring on friday. So, hope everythig is goin well in the States, I miss you all very much!

p.s the spell checker is in French so excuse the spelling errors!

a bientot
hannah

Last Week in the States

So everyone, its official. In 7 short days I leave for France. if you look at some of my earlier posts I'm counting down from 180 days. Before I knew it 100 day transformed into 40 days which melted into 10 and and now here I am, with 7 days. There are really no words to describe this feeling. This feeling of insane excitement mixed with sharp nerves and doubt. I've attended the orientations, read the books, studied the language, said goodbye the inbounds, welcomed home the rebounds, and watched in awe as my fellow outbound departed for their countries. It blows my mind that a year ago I was reading these blogs and now it's me who's leaving. To any Exchange Student hopefuls, my biggest advice is to enjoy the whole process. I know waiting sucks, and at some points you'll find yourself just wishing you could hop on a plane and leave. But, in the months before your exchange you'll meet some really amazing people and have some great times. Remember to embrace your home, wherever it is, and the short time you have there because although you may not believe me now, the time flies by. Before you know it, you'll be in enjoying YOUR last week in the states and telling the incoming class of outbounds the same thing. Now, getting back to the title of my post I am currently in Door County, with my mother and sister. We're staying on a house right on the coast of Lake Michigan and have been enjoying our last days together before she heads off to college and I leave. It's been nice having a break and recharging before I go. We head back home on Thursday, my going away party is on Monday and I leave on Wednesday. I know these days will fly by. All I can do is enjoy every moment and all I can say is the it's been an amazing adventure and it hasn't even begun yet.

Juillet/July

It's hard to believe July is already halfway through. Summer is flying by as always. I kicked off July celebrating the 4th with my friends, taking lots of pictures at our town parade to show my host family, watching fireworks by the lake, and of course enjoying late night barbeque's. To celebrate my 16 birthday my mom and I took the train down to Chicago on the 6th. We stayed at a great hotel, did some quality shopping and relaxed at our favorite restaurants. It was a great way to spend b-day and I realized these are the little things I'm going to miss next year . Then, On July 7th, we made our way to the French consulate for my Visa appointment. I was super nervous because I expected the interview to be really in depth and there was the nagging thought in my head that I might get rejected but overall It went my smoothly and didn't last more than 10 minutes. I received my actual visaed passport in the mail a few days ago so now my trip to France official and I'm one step closer to getting on a plane. We left Chicago the night of the 7th, I got home at about 10pm and immediately started packing for the Central States RYE conference in Grand Rapids, MI. On July 8 I hopped on a coach bus with all the other outbounds, inbounds, and rebounds from our district to begin the 8 hour trek to Michigan. Once we got to Calvin College we registered and began meeting the other 1,300 exchange students that were there. Each day we had general sessions that helped prepare us for next year. The biggest thing I took out of the weekend was that next year is going to be hard, your going to go through rough times, but its going to be worth it in the end you just have to keep on going. I met sooo many new people and had an amazing time. As always it was really hard to say goodbye to these people. But, saying goodbye is part of being an exchange student. I got home on July 11 and basically slept for the next 2 days to make up for the lack of sleep I got at the conference. I have exactly 5 weeks until I leave and unlike a lot of other outbounds I'm actually really happy that I have that much time here. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to leave, but I feel like I need those last few weeks to spend with my family and friends and to prepare myself. Here are some pics from the month so far... My Pins

District 6270 2010-2011 Outbounds...

Grand Rapids Conference 2010
CHICAGO!!

Me after my visa appointment
French Consulate!

WAS Happenin'

Hello all-
Sorry I haven't updated in a while, shame on me. But, In my defense I have been pretty busy. Yesterday I got back From the World Affairs Seminar(WAS). The theme was safe cleaning water so we talked a lot about scarcity of water and how we can help conserve and actually make a difference. Although the 2 hour lectures weren't all that thrilling and I got approximately 10 hours of sleep the whole week, I did come back with my eyes opened to a very serious problem in the world and made SOOO many great memories. I also met some really amazing people and overall it was an awesome week that I wont forget anytime soon. Rotary sponsors the program so 98% of the people there got scholarships to come. There was people from around the world and all parts of the US, my roommate was from California and one of my good friends was from Honduras. By the end we were all saying that although we had only met each other 6 days ago it felt like we had been friends for years. Also a lot of the D62760 outbounds were there so it was fun to spend more time with them. If anyone is interested in going next year, you should talk to your Rotary club because chances are they'll sponsor you. Here's the link to their blog and website: http://www.worldaffairsseminar.org/index.php and http://washappenin2010.blogspot.com/

Now for updates about France. I got an e-mail from my travel agent saying that my Visa application is complete and is ready to send of to the French Consulate, which is a huge relief. My host mom sent me an e-mail talking about my classes ans schedule which was exciting. It was weird though because earlier that same day my school in the US sent me my schedule for next year too( they forced me to sign up for classes "just in case I don't go") and turns out my French school and American school both start on September 1. The contrast was strange because in France I'll be taking classes like Italian, Old Greek, and Latin unlike here where all I take in french4. I am excited now but I think school is going to be very difficult not speaking French. I looked at my calender today and was shocked when I realized I only have 5 more Saturdays when I'll be at my house- all the other weekends I'll be gone. That's crazy, out of the next 57 weeks of my life only 5 will be spent with my family and friends here in Wisconsin. This upcoming week is going to be busy as swell- tomorrow is July fourth, the 6th is my b-day, on the 7th I have to go to Chicago for an interview at the French consulate for my visa, and finally on the 8th I leave for my final outbound orientation in Michigan! This summer is flying by...it's July already??

Oh and I would like to say thank you to all my Friends and family for making this whole thing possible for me.. I love you guys!!

Here's some pics from WAS: Pizza at midnight..:)
Playing Ultimate Frisbee on Campus

a speaker at one of the lectures
Friends in the dorm rooms ( which were REALLY hott btw)

I promise I'll update after Grand Rapids!!

A très bientôt,
Hannah

Gaurentee Forms!

Today I decided to go home for lunch and as I was walking passed my the door I noticed a large white enveloped addressed to me, I saw the return address was from my outbound coordinator and quickly ripped it open with my hear pounding. Much to my pleasure it was my GUARANTEE FORMS telling me my first two families, my school, allowance, ect. I was and still am on cloud nine, I wanted to go scream to the world that I HAVE MY HOST FAMILIES... but unfortunately I had to control myself and walk back to Chemistry class, with a very distracted mind. So, where am I going you ask? Well, I'm going to be living in Vallarius and Antibes ( where I will go to school). About 15-20 minutes from Cannes:
a pic of Vallauris

According to the forms, I'll take a 20 minute bus drive to school from my first host family. They have a son that will be going to America so I will be the only child. My second host family lives in Antibes and has a 12 year old son.

I'm am so excited to leave but am also really very scared about leaving everything behind and hope that I can adapt to such a different routine. I am so gratefull for this oppurtunity!

8 more days of shcools and 71 days untill I leave!!

-Hannah