Ma Famille d'Accueil - Home Away from Home

The view from my balcony

All TIP students are required to have homestays, i.e., live with a family in their home instead of in a student dorm or apartment. Although I'm sure it can be awkward and uncomfortable for some, I think it's a great requirement and really lets us see some French culture up-close, speak a lot more French with our families, and potentially make some friends through host brothers and/or sisters.

My family is Lucile, who is retired, and Gilles, an engineering consultant who works from home. They have five sons, one of whom (Etienne) is currently living at home while he does an internship with an accounting firm in Paris. They're all very friendly and welcoming, definitely trying to make me feel at home but still giving me plenty of space. I've especially liked having Etienne around since he's just a couple years older and has invited me along a few times to go to play rugby or go to a bar with his friends.

On my first day here, they threw a big party for Lucile's side of the family. That meant that I, fresh off my overnight flight from New York, walked into an apartment of 30+ French people having not spoken the language for several months and... did pretty well! They were very eager to offer me whatever food and drink I wanted and several of the relatives talked to me for a while, so it was a nice introduction, albeit a quick/busy one. Then, two weeks later, they did it all again, but this time for Gilles' side. I'll just say it was pretty similar, but a little less overwhelming.

I have dinner with the family Monday-Friday, and there hasn't been a meal I didn't like (yet). It's amazing how consistent they are here with the meals too, since I probably had a total of 10 dinners with my family at home over winter break. Each night here we have soup, some sort of meat with vegetables and a starch, then sometimes bread and cheese, and always dessert or fruit. It's nice to come home and know a meal like that is waiting for you.

My only complaint about the homestay is my bedroom. The room itself is fine --

-- and has everything I need (bed*, dresser, desk, closet). *The bed, however, is not quite long enough. If I stretch out fully, my feet have to tuck under the footboard, which is fine if I'm just testing out the length, but when I'm actually trying to sleep through the night, it doesn't really work. Also, the curtains don't do much to keep the light out, so come morning I usually wake up a few times.

So while there are a few things left to be desired in my living situation, it's really been great overall. Now if only I were a couple inches shorter...