Ashley and France : September 23, 2014

I am so happy; I finally had a conversation, a really nice conversation with my host sister, Cécile. I understand she is more reserved and there is definitely an age difference between us: 6 year difference. But it was just us at the dinner table, my host mom planning on taking dinner later. So I talked to her about her sisters, Astrid and Quitterie and about the funny things that happened during the day like Clare, a fellow IES student acting out a hilarious American French accent in theater class, or the American accent of M. Broissand, the prof I work with for my internship. When I was helping the middle school students pronounce animal words in English, he had a strong Southern accent for the words, like "camel," whereas mine sounded slightly more British. I tried to explain to him that his pronunciation wasn't incorrect; our accents varied due to region. I made Cécile laugh with my pronunciation of French r's and my imitation of a stereotypical French accent, quoting the legend Robin Williams' imitation of the French. She made me laugh with her imitation of an American accent. Overall I enjoyed our exchange very much.

So yes, I am grateful. I am grateful to be able to have these kind of adventures in France, meeting new people, engaging in conversation. I am grateful that I finally found kale at a supermarché; I'm pretty sure I did a double take at the sight of it. Goodness knows I've been eating too much bread. I am grateful for a space where I can laugh at all my mistakes, especially in my theater class where improvising in French is always hilarious. I am grateful for the friends I have here; I don't want to ever forget them; they have given me so much. I am grateful for quiet spaces in the city I can always visit and for the path along the river, L'Erdre, especially in the evening's setting sun; it's magic.