Week 4

To start, I can’t believe I only have three weeks left here. I feel like I got off the plane yesterday, but looking back on how I was on the day I arrived in comparison to how I am now, I can definitely feel the difference the first month here has made. My spoken French has not improved as much as I expected it to, which is a little disappointing. However, I feel like my listening comprehension and ability to understand spoken conversation have improved the most. I want to meet some non-Americans who don’t speak English, so I’m forced to communicate with them only in French. I try to speak French with the Americans in my group, but most of the time we switch back to English so we can have more in-depth conversations. I would like to eventually be able to have those kinds of conversations in French, so I’m going to try my best to use French more often when I talk to people. 

This week and last weekend have been great. I’m really starting to get the hang of living here and have been trying to explore the region more. Since I last wrote, my boyfriend and I have made two trips to Lyon. Lyon is overwhelming to me, since I’ve spent most of my life living in towns the size of Flagstaff or smaller. It’s a beautiful city, especially because of its old architecture set against the backdrop of the river that separates old town from the rest of the city. I noticed that there was a lot more English in Lyon. I heard multiple English speakers, and to my surprise, many of them were Americans. In Chambery, I hardly ever hear English, much less American English. Many of the shops and restaurants in Lyon had French/English signs and menus, which I assumed was because Lyon is the second largest city in France and is probably a big tourist hub. Despite English being my native language, I found its use in Lyon to be a little off putting. I wondered why there was so much English and little to no Italian, even though Italy neighbors the region I’m in. Lyon was much more accommodating to English speakers than Chambery, but I still used French in order to practice and to not assume the stereotype of the “Ugly American” who expected everyone to speak English. In my opinion, I think that people who visit Francophone countries and don’t speak French should at least try to learn a few phrases instead of expecting everyone to speak English. I’ve heard of the stereotype that assumes French people don’t want to speak French with non-native speakers, but so far, I have found this to be completely untrue. Some people will switch to English if they can’t understand my French, but for the most part, many locals I talk to will speak French with me. I’m sure they know I’m foreign, but they still help me practice, which I am extremely grateful for. Some people, like the woman who works at a restaurant that I frequent for lunch, recognize that I am an English speaker and want to practice their English with me. This kind of cultural exchange makes me happy, because I get to practice French with them and they can practice English with me. 

Lyon

Anyway, aside from my experiences in Lyon, I also went parapenting this week. It was one of the scariest experiences of my life, but being able to see acres and acres of land beneath my feet was an unreal experience. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to do something like that. The pilot I flew with was very nice as well. He spoke only in French to me and sat down to have a conversation with me while I was waiting for the rest of the group (it had started raining and I was nervous because my boyfriend and my friend had not landed yet). Yet another positive experience with a local, which are some of my favorite things about my time here.

 

View from paragliding

 A bientôt !