After arriving in Nice around 9:30 on Tuesday morning and spending our first long day in orientation and getting to know our homestay families and fellow students, I finally feel settled in to my new home. This may also have to do with the fact that I just got my suitcase which was left behind for a day in JFK! My host family, the Dugenets, and my roommate, Birte, are all great. M. Dugenet is a fireman, Mme. Dugenet is the director of the local dance studio, and their three year old daughter Alma is an adorable ball of energy. They are very hospitable and they make sure to tell Birte and I every day that if there's anything we need, we should just ask. Their house in le vieux village (the old village)--which Mme. Dugenet told us is generally around the church in all French towns--and it is your typical little cobblestone neighborhood with tiny streets and flowers and stray cats everywhere. Luckily, our meeting place (la mairie) with the rest of the students and our fabulous leaders Vanessa, Hélène, Sirine, Mary, and Fabien is only a 4-5 minute walk from our house.
Our first day mostly consisted of going over ground rules, doing icebreakers with the group, and getting to know our families. Yesterday (our second day), we had our language evaluations and were placed in either the beginner, intermediate, or advanced group for our morning French classes. Our host families packed us all lunch; the Dugenets made Birte and me some very French baguette sandwiches with jambon and packed us fruit cups and homemade cookies! After lunch we had our electives, and the photography (which I'm in) and studio art classes headed to the train station to go to Nice, which I happily found out we will be doing every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Once we met up with the students from the Nice program, our photography teacher Maxime took us to a quick exhibition and then we got to walk around the market (and buy ice cream!) and walk along La Promenade des Anglais right by the beach. The view of the sea and the city was absolutely stunning! After walking around for quite a bit, we returned to the train station in Nice and went back to St. Laurent. We met up with the rest of the St. Laurent kids at the beach and had a nice dinner as a group at a restaurant on the boardwalk. I got a traditional French steak tartare and a crêpe with bananas and nutella for dessert. This goes without saying, but it was delicious. We had a bit of free time afterwards to walk around, but it was late soon and we were driven home.
Although it's only been 2 or 3 days, I feel like we've been in France for a long time. French is already coming more naturally to me and I've already made great friends, so it's making the trip that much better! Our month is jam-packed with activities, and I know we'll get tired but it'll be worth it. This weekend we're visiting Cannes and of course learning about French cinema to prepare. Tonight we're going to a concert at la mairie of Johnny Vegas, a singer who impersonates the legend Johnny Halliday. It will be a very cultural night!
Here are some photos of our street, the old village, my homestay family, and Nice!
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