france.

Samatha Smith:
Hey Everyone...or just mom and dad...

France is awesome. I plan on getting a credit card and putting a round trip ticket for Paris on it for the summer...Since we've been here I have lived in my host's apartment alone with some french keys :) and a french telephone also. At first this worried me but now I love it. Everyday I have been able to hang out with my hosts and a lot of other French friends I have met because of our stay...My host 's name is Ghita, pronounced Rita. She is from Moracco and her boyfriend Chai, pronounced Shy, is from Cambodia... We have been around to the bars; the creperies, and Troyes in general. Outside of Troyes we visited other parts of the Champagne region: An older medival town, a fromagerie, and a champagne factory. Cheese is not my thing, but visiting the champagne factory and tasting the different champagnes was AWESOME. I think that has been my favorite thing so far.
The French do not fit the American stereotype. The only thing that they do more of is smoking. Everyone I have spoke to, whether in a cafe or at the local university has been very nice and accomodating.

Tonight we will go to the discotheque. This is going to be interesting because the French do not dance in couples and and far as I know they dance nothing like american teenagers and young adults.

The stay here has been very enjoyable. I have leqrned a lot about culture qnd especially politics in France. Although I love visiting the country, I do not think I could live here. The socialism and racism in France is almost overwhelming for an American who loves her capitalism very much. However, the food is extremely good and inexpensive. The French make events out of meals, which tend to last for several hours. This is hard and different for those who like to keep busy: most of the time americans eat to move on with their lives to other things; this is not the case here. The last difference is that the cars are very different from those in the US. There are car companies here like Puegot qnd Renault that usually one doesnt see in the US. Almost all cars are small and inexpensive. Also, 90% of the cars here are manual. I would've liked to drive in a french 'rue' but I'm pretty sure I'll be saving that for next time.

I think that's about it! See you in the states...

P.S. The French allow their dogs to poop in the street. I happened to step into one of these stinky piles. So I learned Rule #1. Don't ever window shop in France. Faites l'attention à la rue!