(I'm sorry, I love this gif. I lulz every time. I can't help it.)
But really, I have a fantastic set up here. And to think, I was worried it was going to be awful. I am living with a woman we'll call Madame to keep things simple (Mme for short). Or we could just call her Sarah because there's a very good chance I'll end up something like her. And I think I would be ok with that.
She is a grandmother who clearly prefers the company of animals to people. She's very proper and a bit gruff when first encountered, but is quite a softie and wonderful person. She lives in this adorable house with a huge yard. She's had it forever and doesn't want to move because the yard is perfect for her 5 rescue dogs. And 2 rescue cats. And 5 birds. And the multiple students she hosts throughout the year. She has the biggest heart; all of her animals have this tragic story about either abuse or neglect and now they live with Mme who will cook them a mixture of rice and meat and veggies for meals because she doesn't think that the dry food is nutritious enough. Needless to say, they worship her.
Her dogs are great. They're super friendly and already like me. Although Mme was explaining that since they're from all over they understand commands in a multitude of language. One of her dogs could understand German, French, English, and Spanish commands. Great. Even the dogs speak more languages than I do.
Vanille really likes to sleep like this. Don't ask me why.
Mme is Scottish by birth, so she speaks English (thank God) and absolutely flawless French. As in, the home stay coordinator didn't even know it wasn't her first language because she has no accent. Plus she used to be a school teacher. So, not only is she patient with my mediocre French, she often says complicated things in French and then repeats them in English. It's great.
Mme took me on a walking tour of Nyon today. It was rather hilly and she was powering right through as I was gasping along behind her taking pictures as an excuse to stop. Sheesh. But it was beautiful out today and I fell in love with Nyon. It's right on the lake and you can walk to just about anywhere. You can see the famous Geneva fountain from the shoreline, and on clear days Mont Blanc. The downtown is quaint with the old, European apartments smushed together on tiny winding roads. The shops are small and specialized, a bit expensive but that's to be expected. (Here's to the Swiss franc declining!) She took me to this petit tea room where we had un café, un eclair, et une baguette (Très français! Which, incidentally, is on the other side of the Lake).
I'm finding that speaking is easier the second day. Some things are becoming more natural, which is nice. As with most new experiences, there's a learning curve. Hopefully this means I'll basically be fluent by the time May rolls around. (Psh, yeah. Sure.) The nine hours of French class every week will probably help as well. When I return I'll probably speak English with a French accent and mix up idioms because I'll be so good. Yeah, that sounds reasonable.
Anywho, I'm having a lot of fun so far. While I'm sure there will be culture shock at some point, so far so good. We have our first day of classes tomorrow, which means our first commute to Geneva all by ourselves! You will find this requires me to be out of the house by 8:30 for the commute. Hmmm. Not my usual schedule. Can't complain though, we're doing some very interesting things here. Ok, time to do my reading. I am here for studying after all.
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