Making French Friends

I’ve been spending a considerable amount of time at my friend Morgan’s host family’s apartment (they are the family who owns the Chateau in Boran). It has been interesting because I’ve gotten to spend time with her host brother and his friends, and just being in their precense gives me a little extra insight on the younger French culture. We all listen to French music, play French card games, watch French TV…and teach each other slang in French and English! It’s been good practice, and it’s really useful to mix speaking French with Madame and with people my own age.

Some of the things that are lost in translation are so funny. There are several moments when we’ll all be talking to each other and literally be talking about two completely different things; or, one person will use a figure of speech which the other will take literally. But all in all, it’s been really fun to hang out with these kids.

The other night, after a couple weeks of craving Mexican food, a few of the girls made fajitas at Morgan’s apartment, and then watched a movie after. We decided to put on “Vanilla Sky,” with Tom Cruise, and only after the movie had started did we realize that it was dubbed in French…we watched it anyways! Even though it was strange to see American actors with different voices, it was also highly entertaining, and further practice in French.

I’m so glad that I’ve had these tiny experiences, as well as the big opportunities here. Interacting at lower levels with all different sorts of French people by simply hanging out, as well as being able to travel (for example, this weekend to Provence), has been invaluable in increasing my comprehension of French language and culture. Even just five weeks in, I can speak so much more fluidly than before, and understand so much more.