Culture Shock

Before I left the United States for France, I made sure I read the entire IUHPFL manual. In said manual, there was a section all about culture shock, which it defined as "the disorientation that every student experiences to some degree when spending extended time abroad". Symptoms include feeling homesick, trouble sleeping, irritability, and general fatigue. I read that and thought to myself, pshh, I'll be fineee; France isn't that different from the US! 
Well, it turns out I was a tad bit wrong!
I mean, it's certainly great to be studying in France, and I'm tremendously grateful for this opportunity! Nothing is seriously wrong, but I can tell that after a week living in this new country, I'm just a little overwhelmed. After looking at the manual again a couple nights ago, I realized that the listed stages of culture shock were present in my experiences.
The first stage is Initial Euphoria; or ohmygoshFRANCEeverythingissocoolaghhhh! It's pretty clear from my post "First Few Days in France" that I experienced this stage haha! The first few days felt like a vacation; everything seemed new and spectacular, and I felt like I was a guest in this beautiful and foreign place.

I mean, there are french cats here! How could I not be euphoric?!

The second stage is Irritation and Hostility. The manual says "the focus changes from the similarities between cultures to the differences, and the differences become irritating and frustrating". I think that I'm in between stage one and stage two. I still see beauty in the people and places here everyday, but I'm also beginning to feel a little out of place. If I'm with only french people, I feel like I'm the dumbest person in the room; even if I do understand what someone is asking me, I might not be able to find the french words to respond, so I come across completely clueless. I often resign myself to nodding and saying "Ah, je comprends maintenant, merci" (Ah, I understand now, thanks) because it can be too embarrassing to have to ask for someone to repeat a sentence time after time.
A lot of times, my family and I will get in the car and I'll have no idea where we're going, but I just have to go with it. For instance, this past weekend, my host mom took me to see un spectaculaire, and to my surprise, it was a large metal, um, thing. I really can't describe it; all I know about the experience is that I spent three hours in the sun with about two hundred europeans watching this huge vehicle move at 5 miles an hour. I gotta say, it was impressive, but I was thoroughly confused.

????

?? Anybody know what this is haha?

Even though I'm frequently confused and wishing I could be back with all the familiar faces and places of the United States, I do think I'm beginning to adjust to French culture. It doesn't feel too weird to faire la bise when I meet new people, my french skills have already improved vastly (I think and dream in french a lot and that makes me really happy!!), and it isn't hard at all to make myself eat the delicious new french food! 

I also think I'm beginning to feel a bit more apart of my host family; Emeline and I have fun jumping on the trampoline and playing with Asanga, Rozenn helps me with my homework, and Alexandre and Emmanuel show me french music and help me when I can't find the words to explain something. Jean-Pierre spends most of the week at his work in Rennes, but on the weekends he is most helpful and kind!

Like I said in my pre departure post, I just need to take a deep breath. This is a journey that will just keep improving! My french skills and my relationships will continue to get better, I have fun and educational excursions to look forward to (tomorrow we're going to Dinan, Dinard, and St-Malo!!), and as the manual says, I have the third and fourth stages of culture shock to look forward to: Gradual Adjustment and Adaptation and Biculturalism.

I miss you all in the United States so very much, but know that I'm learning and experiencing so many great things with so many great people! 

Avec amour,

Grace

St-Malo!

I don't get much time on the internet, so for now, I thought I would post a few photos from the family trip to St-Malo this past weekend! It was absolutely incredible.

These next photos aren't from St-Malo, but they are still fun!

Me and le chien, Asanga!

And a birthday card for my sister in the USA, Caroline!

That's all for now, folks! :)

First Few Days in France!

Yay alliteration!
And yay France! I am so incredibly happy here. I may have been nervous before, but now, I'm simply in awe of what a wonderful experience this is.
The plane rides from Chicago to London and London to Paris weren't bad! I was afraid that it would be awkward to sit on a plane with students I barely knew, but all les stagiaires are very friendly! I spent the trip getting to know my new friends (those of us who sat together for both plane rides call ourselves Brigade, or squad in french!) and sleeping of course!

Simon, a member of the Brigade, on the plane!

As soon as we touched down in Paris, we had to start speaking only in french. All of us were really intimidated at first, and there was a lot of awkward silence. Slowly but surely, we all began to (attempt) to converse in french! I think it was helpful that we had a six hour bus ride to St-Brieuc to practice amongst the group.
Right when we arrived in St-Brieuc, our host families started showing up to take each stagiaire to their home. My host mom (Rozen), one of my host brothers (Alexandre), and my host sister (Emeline) arrived and gave me a very warm welcome (even though it was a bit chilly outside! Get it? Warm welcome? Chilly weather? Sorry folks; there's no such thing as a Grace Gore without bad jokes) with the customary greeting in France, la bise, or two quick kisses on the cheek. Then, we were off to the countryside for the small town of St-Carreuc where my family lives!

Chez Hellard!

St-Carreuc est très belle.

My family is so very kind. They are very patient with my french skills, and much to my surprise, we understand each other pretty well already! Alexandre, Emmanuel, and Emeline know a little english, so they can help me out here and there. And le maman, Rozen, is truly wonderful! She goes out of her way to make sure that I'm comfortable and happy; for example, I mentioned the first night that my favorite type of juice was apple juice. The next morning, the family let me sleep in while they left for work or school, and when I woke up, the kitchen table had lots of delicious breakfast foods, and next to my bowl, a glass of apple juice! 

These first couple days have been absolutely fantastic. I've spent lots of time hanging out with my family and learning about french culture and their way of life. (Fun fact: young french people love american rap music, and american music in general!) Also, I've enjoyed my first few days at l'Igloo, the building where we have classes!

The view next to l'Igloo!

I'm becoming good friends with the other students; everyone is so kind, and there is lots of laughter as we all experience the struggle together! For example, yesterday, we went on a scavenger hunt in downtown St-Brieuc, and my group had quite the adventure trying to find all the places on our list!

The cathedral of St-Brieuc

The post office! I wish the post offices in Indianapolis were this beautiful!

We also went bowling today, and had some fun with the rope hanging in the gymnasium of l'Igloo.

I even braved the rope!

I'm having so much fun! And this weekend, my family and I will be taking a day trip to St-Malo for my siblings' swimming competition. Isn't that exciting? I can just casually go to St-Malo!! 

I miss all my friends and family Aux Etàts-Unis very much, but if I keep having as much fun as I've been having so far, these six weeks will fly by!

Thanks for reading! Please comment below if you can; I'd love to hear from you!

Avec amour, 

Grace

Pre-Departure Jitters

Tomorrow, I'm leaving Indiana for France.
France!!
I still can't fully wrap my head around that. I've never left the country before, and I'm not just going on some short vacation abroad where I get to go home after a week. No; I'm staying in Bretagne for six weeks! Not only that, but I'm going to be completely immersed in the culture and the language by living with a host family and only speaking in French.
That immersion is kind of... scary. I mean, don't get me wrong; I'm incredibly excited for this opportunity! It's just a bit daunting. 
My whole life, I've spoken English and been surrounded by American culture. Now, for six weeks, I have to put all that aside. Everything I'm used to will be left at home as I embark on this completely new adventure.
I've been getting kind of nervous thinking about that. I'm going to be stepping completely out of my comfort zone. New language, new family, new location; with so many new aspects to this trip, I feel overwhelmed! 
I just need to stop and take a deep breath, though.
Yes, it'll be new to have to speak French 24/7, but I also have to trust that three years of French class has prepared me enough to get by. I also have to remember that the application process for this program was rigorous, so I wouldn't be going if my instructors didn't think I was ready.
Yes, I'll have to adjust to the way of life of a new family, but I have to trust that the IUHPFL put in a lot of effort into matching up students with the right host families. Plus, from the email I received from them, they seem really nice! 
Yes, I'll be in places that are completely new to me, but I have to trust that my instructors will keep me safe and that I will have an amazing time exploring these culturally rich sites. 
You might have noticed the repetition (shout out @Mrs.Bach for teaching me about that in AP Lang) of the words "yes" and "trust" throughout those last few paragraphs. I think this is indicative of what I need to keep in mind during this trip:
I need to have a positive attitude, and remember to say "yes" to the new adventures and opportunities that will come my way. Being worried and negative won't enhance my experience one bit. 
Trust is equally as important. I'm very, very, very nervous about all the unknown aspects of this trip. I'm worried about flying over the ocean, getting lost in Paris, not knowing how to communicate with my host family - but like I said before, being worried won't enhance my experience. I have wonderful and capable instructors who will keep me safe, and I have fantastic friends and family members praying for me. I have to trust that God has a lot of good in store for me on this trip. 

I promise not all of my blog posts are going to be this long! I just had a lot on my mind as I prepare for my departure tomorrow. My future blog posts will be less about my worries and more about the spectacular experiences I'll be having in France!
...France!!! :)

Avec amour,
Grace

Bienvenue!

Bienvenue, or welcome to my blog! 

Here, I will be posting about my time on the IU Honors Program study abroad trip in St Brieuc, France. I will try to post about once a week, detailing what I've seen, learned, and experienced. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures as well!
I'm leaving for France on June 8th, and I will be departing for the USA on July 24th. 
I'm excited to be able to share this journey with all of you! Please feel free to comment on posts so I can keep up with all of you as well :) 

Avec amour,
Grace