Is this real life?

     As I sit down to write this post I have officially spent one day in my homestay, and let me say it is absolutely wonderful! Yesterday, August 31st, was our moving day where the students moved into their respective living areas. Surprisingly, myself and one other student, Mark, were the only ones who chose to live with a french family. The other six students chose a dorm style apartment. So when our taxi arrived at the hotel to take Mark and I to our new homes, the other students made their way down the street to their new living arrangements.

    I was the first to be dropped off! After a short taxi ride from Vanves, we arrived in the 16th arrondissement where I would be staying for the next four months. Jenn, our on-site coordinator, walked me to the building and called up to say that I was here. I was on my own from there so when I got on the elevator and rode it up, my heart was pounding pretty fast. Even better, they told Jenn over the intercom that their apartment was on the left so I thought okay easy! Well no, classic Steph moment occurred when I got off the elevator and thought "wait...left when coming out of the elevator or left when coming up the stairs?!" Thankfully, my host family could probably hear me fumbling around with my enormous suitcase in the tiny hall as my host-dad flung open the door and greeted me so warmly! For those wondering, it was left of the elevator not the stairs. As I made my way into my new home, my host parents started speaking french immediately. I think they could tell by the look on my face that I wasn't the one who actually spoke french into the intercom but instead someone else. Fortunately, my host-parents speak english well so, so far we have conversed in English and some French. (Don't worry mom & dad, I plan on speaking more french while living here!!!) They showed me around the apartment which is absolutely beautiful. I can tell I'm my parents daughter because the moment I walked in I noticed the beautiful crown molding that is found on the ceiling and the wainscot on the wall. In all honesty, I was and still am overwhelmed with how lucky I was to be living in a french apartment especially one of this beauty and character. But anyways, they showed me around and brought me to my room which I must say brought my smile wider (if it was even possible!). When you walk into my room, you are immediately drawn to the windows that are almost floor to ceiling. As some of my friends know, I am in love with natural light. Sounds weird, I know, but in my opinion it is one of the best things about a room. So clearly I LOVE my room. Its spacious and even has a whole wall unit dedicated to storage. But anyways, the apartment is great and the family is lovely!

   My host family consists of a mom & dad and my five year old little brother!! My little brother is adorable! He doesn't speak any english and my french is not the best so our conversations are similar to the games of charades. Nonetheless, he is so full of energy, personality and seems like a total goof! My host-mom and host-dad are great too. We have spoken more in english than in french, but that is because its easier to explain things...don't worry though I will be speaking french with them in no time. Overall, I couldn't be happier with my study abroad situation! For those of you who are reading this blog and deciding a) whether to go abroad and b) whether you should do a home stay... my answer to both questions is YES!! Granted I have only been in my home stay for two days now, but I am sure that by the end of this amazing opportunity my answer will still be yes! Classes start tomorrow so I'm sure there will be another post about classes sometime soon. Hope all is well in the States!

Xoxo,

Steph