Template Update
I have updated my blog’s template, finally. It’s not a custom made template, but it looks really cool in my opinion! It’s better than the pre-loaded template that I had been using. So all is well. 
Please be advised that all blog posts are longer than what you see on the home screen. If you want to read the rest of the blog post, you have to click the “Read More” button.
I am also working on creating a gallery where I can directly upload all of my photos. The only thing is that it takes a long long time to upload all these photos since they are in their original high-definition format, so it might be a while before all of the photos are uploaded. But I will get to work on that. I love vacation periods! It gives me time to relax and get work done!
Read MoreLes vacances !
So far, the vacation period has been fun! The beginning of it was a bit rough since I had absolutely nothing to do. But for the past three nights, I’ve had a sleepover with my friend from Hawaii, Renée. Yes, she’s American even though she has a French name. ;) The first two nights, I spent the night at her house, and then she came to my house last night.
We went to see Paranormal Activity 3 last night. It was a bit creepy. It was better than the first one, but they’re not very scary. They’re suspenseful, but not scary. We also ate at a Chinese restaurant last night. I couldn’t understand the waitress because she had a Chinese accent in French, and it’s difficult enough for me to understand people who have a French accent in French. So I have no idea what I ordered, but it was good.
Tomorrow, I am supposed to go to Arcachon with my host family, if the weather is nice. If the weather isn’t nice, I’m not sure exactly what the alternative plan is. But I’ll find something to do. I’m reading a novel (in English) called Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. It’s an excellent story, and very easy to follow. It’s a fairly big novel, which usually discourages me from giving books of that sort a second look, but I had heard many good things about it before I bought it and I read the first chapter at the bookstore before I bought it (something I always try to do before I buy a book to make sure that I won’t lose interest right away). Whether I go to Arcachon or stay here in Bordeaux, I will pay my novel a due visit.
Read MoreLong Overdue Hello!
Hey everyone! Sorry that I haven’t been updating this blog AT ALL. Life is crazy here. I have taken a ton of pictures during my time here. I will try to upload some here and I’ll try to find some way to open up a gallery and post all of the photos. I’m sure it’ll be quite simple.
Speaking of the photos, I left the United States with two amazing cameras and their chargers. I forgot one highly important thing though: a transformer. There’s no way of charging the batteries of my cameras if I can’t plug the chargers into the wall! And I didn’t just need something that allow an American plug to be put into a European outlet, I needed something to convert the voltage too, otherwise my chargers would be fried. I knew right away as I arrived in France that I needed a transforme, so I made it a point to find and buy one here. Slowly, this task moved to the back of my mind and stayed there. A whole month passed and the task came back to mind, and then it slowly went back to the back of my mind. Finally one day when I was Skyping with my parents, my dad asked me if I had bought the transformer, and it made me really mad that I hadn’t!
A whole month had passed without me taking any pictures, and this is the beginning of my time in France! The most memorable time of it. So the next day, I went out and found one! It was exceptionally expensive, but it was well worth it. Now I can take as many photos as I want without having to worry about wasting my cameras’ battery life.
Last weekend, I went to a small town in Southwest France called Nérac. There was an event there for all of the exchange students in this region of France. Saturday evening, there was a “talent show” for all exchange students who played an instrument or did something that could entertain the audience. Some people played the guitar while others sang, some displayed different rhythmic and synchronized claps, and I, of course, sang! I sang a song in French called Les yeux ouverts. It’s the French version of the song Dream a Little Dream of Me. The song, in my opinion, sounds VERY romantic and classy in French. While I was singing it, my voice cracked since I hadn’t cleared my throat before I started singing, so that was a bit embarrassing, but I kept singing! I was really nervous, of course, but it was so awesome to finally have an audience to perform in front of.
Read MoreSchool Starts Tomorrow!
So, tomorrow is the big day! My first day of high school, again. This time, French high school. For those who don’t know, lycée is high school in French. I will be in the class of première. French high schools only have 3 years, so I am in the 2nd year. Since tomorrow is the first day and no learning will be done, students do not have to arrive to school until 2:00pm. That’s a good thing, because as the French say, “I’m allergic to the morning.” Waking up is one of the things that I hate to do. Going to sleep is another. haha.
I just returned from a vacation with my host family. They own a beach house in a small city called Arcachon. We were there from Thursday until this afternoon. I took lots of pictures, which will be on my Facebook profile soon. I’ll try to upload them to this site for people who do not have Facebook or are not friends with me on Facebook.
As for me speaking French, I’m getting better and better everyday! I do not translate in my head. I just say what I need to say and it comes out in French. I’ve made the mistake of mixing up the two languages already. I spoke English to someone who only speaks French.
Read MoreMy First Few Days
Hello everyone! I have arrived! The day finally came! 
Sorry that I disappeared off of the face of the internet world. My host family cannot remember the password for their WiFi, so I’m waiting for that and then I’ll be only a little more. I’ll eventually get around to posting photos.
My first few days here have been busy. First day here, I arrived at noon in France (5:00am in Texas) and then we went to the house to drop off my bags and have lunch. After that, my host mother, my host brother Hugo and I went shopping. We live in the city center, so we could go anywhere with the tram and it’s all close together. My host mom bought me some “Stabilo” pens that I had wanted, but I left them accidentally at American Express when I was having my money converted. :/ So today, I went back to the “papeterie” (stationary store) and I bought them, but this time with my money.
The second and third day, I went to a French course put on by a host mother for all the Rotary students in my area. My Rotary district covers a large part of France, so this was just for the students who live in and near Bordeaux. There are 7 of us, me, another American from Hawaii, 2 Brazilians, 1 Finnish girl, 1 German girl, and a guy from Taiwan. The guy from Taiwan cannot speak French at all, so I’ve been helping him and explaining the rules of grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary to him.
This day that has just passed, Saturday, was an awesome day! There was no French course since it’s Saturday, so I went shopping of course! My host dad took me to see my “lycée” (French high school) and then we went to “rue Sainte-Catherine,” which is a VERY long street FULL of stores. I bought a charger for my Blackberry, which thankfully works with my French SIM card. I also went to Subway and ordered my first meal in French. I also bought a business card holder. All Rotary Youth Exchange students have their own business cards. I have 500!!
After going down rue Sainte-Catherine, I went home and rested for a little. I then went to mass at a church very close to my house. A lady there gave me grapes from her garden. After I returned, I got on Skype. I talked to my cousin, Cassie. And then a past exchange student from France who went to Houston last year, Arthur, started talking to me on Skype. He eventually came and picked me up on his electric scooter and we went to the city center for a drink. We talked for about two hours and then I returned home. After that, I got back on my computer and I’ve been on it up until I am writing this!
I’m going to log off now. It’s a bit late here and I have a Rotary picnic to go to tomorrow. I’m excited to meet all of the other exchange students! It’s weird being around them in the sense that I am now one of them. I hang out a lot with exchange students in America, but to me they’re different from me because they come from a different country and are in America. For me now, the other students are just like me!
As for my French skills, I’m getting better and better everyday! I’ve dream a little in French. I know it wasn’t English. But for the most part, I still think and dream in English. With time, it’ll change. When I arrived, it was so overwhelming to hear French everywhere and to be spoken to only in French. But within 2 hours, I got the hang of it. I am able to express myself, communicate, and converse in French! I’m getting better with time. I can now understand people better, even when they speak fast (or at a normal speed for them). My host parents both speak English, so they’re able to translate vocabulary for me if I have need.
I’ll try to write more in the future! Sorry for such a late start.
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