This week, I am tired of France. Of this impossibly gendered, over-tensed, non-accented language. Of the millions of vocabulary words I have yet to learn.
Of the lack of grass. Or rather, the lack of grass not covered in cigarette butts and dog poop.
Of my host mom's various rules that she can break but I can't. Of not being able to slam doors and play loud music and eat whenever I please. Of having to listen to the perpetual health problems that afflict the people around me.
Of being stupid. Of giving up mid-sentence. Of being constantly corrected.
I miss generosity, even side-walks, and having a car.
I miss wearing pajama pants and t-shirts and flip flops to the store.
I miss having a dryer. With nature scented dryer sheets and not the air itself. Where jeans are never stiff.
I miss understanding background conversation on the bus. A list of ingredients on a food package. A mumbled comment from a television character.
Yes, this week I am tired of France. Vraiment trop fatiguée.
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Hey your entitled to have a bad week in france. Being there even though it is new and exciting makes you realize how much you love where you are from!!! How nice living in the good ol USA is!! At least most of the people are nice, for the most part they pick of the dog poo, and there is plenty of grass everywhere. Plus as you mention who cares when you eat and as long as your covered who cares what you wear!! Just hang in there, you will be home before you know it and then you will wish you were back there. heheh Its a silly little circle!!! Lp
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ReplyDeleteserves you right.
now... say luh temps poor switcher. mwah on france et two ohs etats-yunis.
matt, tu es vraiment stupide.
ReplyDeletejuh tuh daytest
ReplyDeleteserendipity - my last orientation mtg with the Paris crew was mostly about culture shock and I had found a handful of sites that talked -justement- about the up and down trend in one's moods and how some days you really just want to not be jarred all day even when the day before you felt like you must really be French down inside and someone had just switched you at birth or something. Courage ma chère - you'll be back on an upswing again soon (that's the good thing about culture shock - that it comes in waves, so you'll always have another upcurrent in a bit...)
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