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“Exploring France & Lyon!” -Grace, OC California

Exploring the City

Wednesday July 26, 2017

I think I’m finally over the jetlag. I woke up at 9 today, rather than waking up at 5 then falling back asleep and sleeping until 1-2pm.  Monday we went to this cute little village. Today and yesterday we went to Lyon. The French is getting just a little bit easier, I think. One of Alix’s friends was telling a story and I understood part of it. They also asked me some questions about California and I think I explained it well enough. I got some candy for my brothers. Tomorrow we’re going to a chocolate museum. I’m definitely going to but some chocolate for my family while we’re there. As for individual presents I’m not sure what I’ll get them. My brothers said they wanted a soccer T-shirt, but we’ll see about that. I don’t know what I’m going to get for my parents. We also got to ride the train, which was exciting. We’re leaving for Corsica tomorrow and we won’t get back until the day before I leave (Friday).

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"We Made it to Paris!” -Grace, OC California

I'm Finally Here!!!

Sunday July 23, 2017

We made it to Paris!  Right now we’re waiting for the TGV to take us to Lyon. Yesterday I woke up with a stuffy nose so my mom had to run  to Rite-Aid to get me some decongestants and cough drops before we left for LAX. Alix and I didn’t end up getting to sit next to each other on the plane, even though we got there three hours early, but we’ll get to sit next to each other on the train. I think I got about three hours of sleep on the plane. I might try to sleep a little more on the train, I’m not sure. Getting through customs was super easy. I handed the guy my passport, he looked at it, looked at me, handed it back, and I walked away. He didn’t ask me any questions. The only thing I said was merci after he handed my passport back. I also didn’t have to declare anything that was in my bags. Finding the train was easy, we had no problems with that either. I the one thing that surprised me was that there were armed soldiers walking around inside the airport, I've never seen that at a US airport. Other than that it was a normal airport.

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“Preparing for My French Adventure!” -Grace, OC California

I'm Leaving Tomorrow!

Thursday July 20, 2017

Alix and I leave on Saturday! I packed my suitcase today. Partly because I was bored but also because I don’t know what we’re going to do tomorrow and I didn’t want to be worried about getting my suitcase while we were out doing something. Now I’m just worried that I’ll forget something that needs to be in my carry-on, specifically my passport.                                                                                                   

Having Alix stay with us first helped me be less nervous, but also more nervous too. The main thing that helps is I already know her. I don’t have to worry about whether we’ll get along or not because I know we do. I also don’t have to worry that I packed the wrong thing. Another thing that helped was that I was see how many words we had to explain to her or words she had to explain to us because she didn’t know the word, or times she had to ask us to slow down ( I’m not saying she didn’t speak good English, it was good, but it wasn’t at the same level as a native speaker). However, it also made me realise how much you talk in a day and I’m not sure that my French is good enough that I can have full conversation in French. I keep seeing all these memes about when you know a language well enough to read and understand things when somebody says something to you, but not to respond to the prompt, and I think that describes my level of French pretty well.

Posted by Grace at 12:30 

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Just Some Thoughts During this Experience

Just Some Thoughts

Wednesday July 12, 2017

I just wrote yesterday but I was thinking about something and I wanted to write it down before I forgot. This is at no fault to our German Students, but I feel so much closer to Alix than I did to our German Students. I think it’s because Alix is with us 24/7 and our German Students would have class every day in the morning, then excursions afterwards. We really only got about a week total to spend with them. With Alix my family spends time with her for the whole three weeks, then I get a whole three weeks that I can spend with my host family. We took Alix grocery shopping today. We always say if they see something interesting to tell us and we’ll get it. Alix is the first person that I remember that actually took us up on the offer. We walked over to the cereal aisle and Alix looks at in awe of how many different types there are. We ended up getting six different types of cereal, and a couple of them Alix picked out because they looked interesting.

Posted by Grace July 12, 2017

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“Road Trip To North Cali!” -Grace, OC California

Tuesday July 11, 2017

Our Trip to NorCal

On the way home from NorCal. The first day at the campsite Alix sits down, looks at me and says "I thought you says it's would be really cold here." A few days later a asked her if she was glad that I told her to bring warm clothes, she said yes. We will discovered this is the first time she's ever slept in a tent. There was a small river near our campsite. We went there a few times while we were there. Alix was really good at skipping rocks. We (Alix and I) saw a small river snake. I thought it was pretty cool but it freaked Alix out. Though I have to says the rest of the day whenever something brushed up against my ankle I had to look and see what it was. We saw a deer on the way up, and lots of cows both ways.

 Luckily we didn't see any bears, but if we saw one in the car from far away it might have been cool. I definitely like the drive back more than the drive there. On the way there it was mostly desert and the desert gets really old really fast. On the way back we took PCH. Even though PCH is all ocean I personally prefer to stare at the ocean for 10 than the desert. We also stopped in San Francisco. It was so pretty there, I hope we get a chance to go back. We found an antique arcade on Fisherman's Wharf that had all working games. I couldn't decide what to do because everything looked cool. Alix got a souvenir penny of the Golden Gate Bridge there.

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“Alix Is Here!!!” -Grace, OC California

Alix is Here!

Wednesday July 5, 2017

 Lots of exciting things happened last week. Last Tuesday I went and got a debit card. I hadn't been able to get one because you need an ID and I didn't have one, not even a school ID. It hasn't come yet but it should hopefully come later this week. Then on Saturday Alix finally got here. I actually got to see her plane land, which was pretty cool. Corbin, my youngest brother, wanted to go with us to LAX but I wouldn't let him. Our car only had five seats, and my dad was coming with us. It was a good thing Corbin didn't come because it took almost 2 hours to get home, and we would have been squished in the back seat for the whole time. At first Alix was really quiet and she didn't eat a whole lot. I think she just wasn't used to speaking English, tired, and jet lagged. Yesterday and today she ate and talked more. It was a lot of fun to have her here for the 4th. Some friends came over, which I think helped her open up a bit too. We went to the pool on Monday with one of my friends. I thought it was funny because up until now I've only been up to the pool to volunteer as a JR.Guard, but to swim for fun. Alix kept looking at me like I was crazy because I kept whispering "Walk, walk, walk." whenever I saw somebody running. Today we left for NorCal. I think we freaked out Alix because we told her it was a 10 hour drive, and that we weren't going to leave until 1 pm, but not that we were stopping on the way up and not driving it straight through.

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“Gifts for Host Family!” -Grace, OC California

FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017

I completely forgot to mention last time that I went shopping with my friend for host family gifts. I got my host father and brother baseball caps. I got an Angels cap and a Dodgers cap for them. Man those things are expensive! Then I got my host mom, host sister, and Alix some things from Bath and Body Works. I got them some different perfumes and I also got my host mom a candle. Then I got some candies, both Mexican and American. I still want to go and get some other candies. I also got some fold-able water bottles from a Special Olympics swim meet that say Fontana Sports on them. And of course I'm bringing them some maple syrup! 

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“It’s Almost Here!” -Grace, OC California

SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2017

It's Almost Here!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but I've been really busy. Not much has really happened with Alix these past few weeks. We emailed a few times, but other than that not much. I have been counting down the days till Alix gets here and right now it 6 days! I'm really excited to finally meet her in person. I sent her an email explaining that we were going to NorCal and what the weather was like, but I didn't really go into many details, the 4th of July in our city, and that we are going to Six Flags Magic Mountain while she's here. She replied back and asked me for more details about what we would do on  our trip to NorCal, and what she should pack since there is a such a large range of temperatures. She also asked how much the Magic Mountain ticket was so she could budget it, but I told her were buying one for her and that she doesn't need to worry about it. It's actually a little funny because we keep going back and forth saying that we're fine with paying for it, and not to worry about it. I also sent her a list of some things she should pack, and what she doesn't need pack. I can't wait for next weekend, but I'm busy this week so I know the time will fly! "It's a big world out there, it would be shame not to experience it." - Jo Andrews

Posted by Grace at 18:27 

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“40 Day Countdown! Everything is Coming Together!” -Grace, OC California

MONDAY, MAY 22, 2017

Everything's Coming Together!

40 days until Alix gets here, and after that 62 days until I leave for France! Our flights have officially been booked, and we've decided what to do while Alix is here. We're going to go camping up in Northern California. We plan to drive up there, camp for 4 days, then on the drive back take the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) and stop at places along the way. My mom keeps wondering what Alix's reaction will be to the fact that it's a 10 hour drive and 1) we aren;t even leaving California and 2) there's still roughly 2 more hours of driving on each side. We ended up having to re-book our campsite twice. The first place we book looked really nice at first, there weren't many sites in the place and it was really far north and looked super pretty. However, after doing some research we discovered that the campsite didn't have and showers, and the only toilets were pit toilets. The next one we booked had normal toilets and showers, it just was really small and completely shaded, which we didn't realise when we booked it. We finally settled on a site in the same place as the second one, just it's larger and has some sunny areas. We also found a deal on Six Flags season passes, so we're planning on going there also. I'm really excited for this summer, but I'm also kind of nervous. I'm not so much nervous that I'll hate it in France. Even if I do hate it it's only three weeks, and in the grand scheme of things that isn't very long. I'm more nervous that I'll go to France and absolutely love it there, and when I come back I'll have changed so much that I'll hate living here. I doubt that will happen because as I said before, it's only three weeks. How much can I change in three weeks? Even though I really doubt that this will happen it's just a little lingering worry in the back of my mind. "You will never be completely at home again because a part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place." - Miriam Adeney

Posted by Grace at 11:47 

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“The Flights are Booked!” -Grace, OC California

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

The Flight has Been Arranged

I got my suitcase! We went to Costco on Monday last week and found a Samsonite suitcase that I really liked, but they only had a display and no suitcases for sale. We went back on Wednesday night to get cookies and decided to go look if they had the suitcase for sale and they did. I faux packed it on Friday and it's HUGE! I almost feel like I have too much space!

We also got my flight options. We haven't booked the flight yet but we should be flying on Air Tahiti Nui. Once we land in Paris we'll take the TGV to Lyon. The other option was to take another plane from Paris to Lyon, but it was a lot more expensive and only an hour quicker. I also would prefer to take the train because I've only been on a few trains rides, and I would get to see more of France than I would on another plane. We were also told there was a chance that Alix and I wouldn't get to sit next to each other on the second option. My mom rented a minivan while Alix is here because our car only seats five people and we're a family of five.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." - Helen Keller

Posted by Grace at 14:59

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“Language Stress” -Grace, OC California

SUNDAY, MAY 7, 2017

Language Stress

Our passports came! My brothers and I kept comparing them to our parents old passports (from the 90s) because there were so many differences. Now we can book my flight because they didn't want to book it before my passport came just to be safe. When I first applied we were told I may not be able to fly to France with Alix, so I thought they were booking our tickets at a separate time. I ended up texting her to see if her ticket had been booked yet and she told me she didn't believe it had, hopefully this means we'll get to sit together.

I had a little freakout moment on Friday. My mom was working with me on the different definite and indefinite articles (du, le, de la, les, etc.). The first time I learned them they were explained to me in a super confusing way that made me think I just had no chance of ever understanding how to use them. When my mom reexplained them to me I was fine, it was when I went to do the problems that I freaked out. My mom eventually made me stop and calm down before I worked on them again. After I calmed down everything was fine and I ended up getting everything right. It probably doesn't help that 1) I'm a perfectionist and when I mess up on something or don't understand it I freak out, and 2) I've always been advanced in English and have never really had to deal with not understanding something having to do with language. Alix and I haven't Skyped again, yet, but we've emailed and texted a few times, and every time I've been trying to write in French. For the most part the hasn't been to hard, though occasionally I'll have to look up a word or ask my mom if my grammar was correct on something.                                  

"Travel is still the most intense mode of learning." - Kevin Kelly    

Posted by Grace at 21:02 

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“Vacation while on Vacation” -Grace, OC California

SUNDAY, APRIL 30, 2017

Taking a Vacation While on Vacation

Alix and I Skyped on Sunday. I feel bad because I was a little nervous and didn't talk nearly as much as I normally do. There ended up being a bunch of long pauses where neither of us said anything. She kept trying to get me to talk in French, which was good because I would start talking French then not know the word I was trying to say so I would start speaking in English again. It was slightly awkward to say the least. I also got a chance to talk a little my host sister, Candice, and my host father. Candice just asked me a few things like how old I was and how long I'd been learning French, though she did ask if I lived with my grandparents because in my application I included a picture of my family with my great-grandma. When I talked with my host father he told me a little bit about what activities they have planned while I'm in France. He said that we were going to be in Lyon for the first part, then go to Annecy, then to Corsica and stay with family friends for a few days. He also said that while we're on Corsica we are going to go on a 4-day hike, which sounds super fun. When I told  my mom everything they have planned she started to worry because we don't really have anything planned, just going to the beach, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and a few hikes. My mom did tell me that she and my dad are talking about renting an RV and going to Northern California. I would actually really enjoy that because I've wanted to go to Northern California but we've never been. "Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures." - Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)

Posted by Grace at 16:50

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“’Meeting Alix’ for the First Time” -Grace, OC California

SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 2017

"Meeting" Alix for the First Time

One of our family friend's from Austria recommended I get my host father and brother a baseball cap. I think this will work great for me because I was born near Chicago, and they have two baseball teams (Cubs and White Sox), and I grew up near Los Angeles which also has two baseball teams (Angels and Dodgers). I'm thinking that if I get one of each I can give each person a baseball cap from Los Angeles and Chicago, but they'll both have different caps. I also just made an instagram account so I can text Alix, and I also made a Skype so we can video chat. We're planning to chat tomorrow, and I'm super excited because this is the first time we'll get to chat in person, before we've just been sending emails. My mom and I also went shopping today for some summer clothes, and we also had a chance to look at suitcases. We didn't buy a suitcase today, but it helped me figure out what size our German summer exchange students had. I don't know if I'll end up buying a suitcase online or in store, but know I know what size I want. " Travel will make you appreciate the familiarity of home. It will restore your sense of childlike wonder for what was already there. And when you return, you will remember wha it is to truly be alive again." - Jessica Yurasek 

Posted by Grace April 22, 2017

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“A Culture Shock Before I’ve Even Left!” -Grace, OC California- Direct Exchange

SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 2017

A Culture Shock Before I've Even Left 

Just a little background info about this post. I've been homeschooled almost my whole life, except for the first semester of 7th grade when I chose to go to a school. I didn't like the school I was going to so I decided to be homeschooled again, and I've been homeschooled ever since. Alix and I have been e-mailing back and forth all week! On my application I didn't mention that I'm homeschooled, so when she asked me when I got out of school I told her that I was homeschooled and didn't have a specific start/end date. When she emailed me back she didn't understand what I meant with the term "homeschooled". That was a lot different than here in the U.S. because when I tell someone that I'm homeschooled they usually know what the term homeschooled means, even if they don't understand what I do in homeschooling. We also talked a little bit about what we want to do this summer, and she told me that the first two weeks I'm in France we'll be staying at her family's house in Lyon, but the last week we're going to go to Corsica and stay with some family friends there! I'm also thinking about what I want to bring as gifts for my host family. So far I've come up with some of my favorite Mexican and American candies, maple syrup, peanut butter, and Bath and Body Works stuff for my host mom, host older sister, and Alix. I'm still trying to figure out something for my host father and brother, so any suggestions would be helpful. (I wasn't paid by Bath and Body Works for this post I just thought you might like to look at their products) "If you don' know where you want to go, then it doesn't matter which path you take." - Walt Disney

Posted by Grace at 19:06 

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Direct Exchange Participant Grace, OC California Summer 2017

SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 2017

Intro to My Exchange

I've wanted to be an exchange student since I was six, and my dream is finally coming true! My family has hosted German summer exchange students since I was five, and I always said that when I was older I was going to be an exchange student also. So, last summer when we learned about a local program to do a summer direct exchange in France it was a dream come true. The best part about the program was it is direct exchange, so we host a french student (Alix) for three weeks (July 1-July 22), then Alix and I fly back to France together and I stay in France for three weeks (July 23-August 12). Not a whole lot has happened yet because I just applied last month,but I do have an exchange partner. I emailed her on Tuesday and I heard back from her today. I keeping thinking off all these cool things to do around here, but we'll never be able to everything in three weeks. I'm so excited for this that I've already made a packing list, and it's only April! I'll probably refine it a bit then post it here. "Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Posted by Grace April 8, 2017

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Review from Liz. V.  9/10 : “ Our two girls from France and Spain were awesome and very prepared!  Week one the kids are quiet (its a language confidence issue) It was enjoyable, worthwhile and a great learnin experience for us :)”

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You are not wealthy until you have something money can't buy

Garth Brooks