1. The language. I'm sure everyone saw this coming, but I honestly think it's going to be the biggest source of discontentment. My French is getting better everyday as I'm more surrounded by it and remember definitions that I had forgotten, but I still have a long way to go. Today I was at the grocery store just trying to buy things that I've been needing for a couple of days and had to go through such a gauntlet just to get a cart to put our groceries in. I don't expect everyone to speak English, and I don't mind attempting to speak French, but when I'm in a hurry, it's frustrating for it to take exponentially longer to accomplish something that would be so easy back home. My plan of action (hereon to be abbreviated POA) is to just throw myself into the language, practice my pronunciation by myself, get my hands on every piece of French media I can (books, movies, newspapers,etc), spend time in the language lab, get a language partner, and most importantly, go by my own standards with my improvement without comparing myself to everyone else.
2. The culture. Yes, I've now named the second of the 2 most interesting reasons to study abroad, but these cultural differences that make other people so interesting can also be frustrating because they literally are foreign. For example, French people don't eat dinner until 8 or 9 at night. Even though that's what time I normally ate at back home, if we're hungry before then, it's nearly impossible to find somewhere to eat. Also, the city SHUTS DOWN on Sunday; it's even more drastic than the Blue Laws in SC. POA: just being patient until I get used to it. There are plenty of cultural things about the US that frustrate me even more, so there's no reason not to deal with it here.
3. The conversion rate. I know, I have no one to blame but myself for choosing a country that uses the Euro. But it doesn't mean I can't be annoyed that everything I buy actually costs 1 1/2 times what you would think. I got excited today that I only paid 7,10 for a meal. That's like $10. I should not be excited that it only cost me $10 for one meal. POA: save money however I can, not get uptight about it, and work all freaking summer to pay it back.
4. The people. The fact of the matter is you start getting annoyed when you spend tons of time with the same people, no matter who they are or how much you like them. We're all different people with different values and from different places so of course some of those differences are going to lead to friction. POA: spend time with different groups of people, and meet some new ones :)
5. The cold. I hate to be the stereotypical Southerner, but I am not well-adjusted to the cold. I swear my blood is thinner thanks to 19 1/2 years in the hottest, most humid place in the continental United States. I don't mind it now because it's novel and comes with the territory of living in a new place, but I already know that by March and especially April when I'm still wearing layers and everyone back home is in t-shirts, I'm going to get frustrated about it. POA: ??? I haven't figured this one out yet; I'm definitely a beach bum/flip-flop/summertime girl living in a mountainous/shoes required/freezing cold place, so it's basically opposite my inclination. Advice is definitely appreciated.
6. Myself. If I annoyed other people nearly as much as I annoyed myself, I would have no friends. I can tell you right now that it's going to be so easy to sit in my dorm room and be on Facebook (I love talking to you guys, don't get me wrong) instead of forcing myself to go out and have awkward conversation in French. Already I will respond in English when someone asks me something in French; obviously I understand, I'm just too self-conscious about my pronunciation to try. Which is soooo annoying. POA: force myself out of my comfort zone, butcher some French, and then get better at it. I know that's the only way to get what I want (fluent), but it's not as easy as just doing it. So please badger me into using my French because I'll thank you for it later (most likely in French).
I'm trying not to regret anything; everyone with a host family is practicing their French every night, which is making me wonder if I should have done that instead, but I have the opportunity to do the same if I get up the courage to meet some French students. I definitely enjoy my own room and the environment of the dorm, so I'm sure once I get into the swing of things I'll be happy with my decision again.
I'll just use this as a reminder of how lucky I am to be here, which I do realize every day:
You will definitely get used to the cold, so don't worry. Also, enjoy hikes up to the bastille on sunny days--you'll miss them SO much when they're gone. Have you gone to Le Couche Tard yet? Fun bar--get the tip 'n top if you want to try an interesting shot :) Hope you're having a great time! And don't worry about your vocab--it will get stronger and stronger, as will your skill of explaining things in French when you don't know/remember the vocabulary!
ReplyDeleteBiz,
Steph Smith
I'm here any time you want to speak in french with ZERO judgement (I was speaking with my mother the other day and I'm rusty as hell too). In fact I'd quite enjoy it because I'm so extremely jealous that you're surrounded by a language that I don't want to lose grip on haha. So when you said for someone to badger you into using your french.....badger badger badger badger badger....
ReplyDeleteBisous,
Melsky