Meeting my Host Family

So, today was the day! Well, actually, yesterday was the day... I'm just posting a tad later than I should have ;) Yesterday, at around 1:52 (13H52) Lucia and I took leave of Lille on a train headed for Rennes! Our host families both live quite close to the large city, and thus we were paired together on the train. I have to admit that I was inexpressably relieved to have company on the long train ride. Upon our 5:45 (17H45) arrival, Jean-Yves and Odile (My host father and mother) were there to greet me with a sign reading Welcome Bella!After Lucia and I said goodbye, Odile and Jean-Yves brought me home to Hédé-Bazouges, the enchanting little village in mid-Brittany where I will be living with them for the next 5 months.

Hédé (the short version of Hédé-Bazouges) is truly bewitching, as is the house where Odile, Jean-Yves, and Louise (my host sister! Yay!) live. All of the buildings are made of aged black granite and covered with ivy; the streets are a picturesque cobblestone; the main street consists of five petite stores with charming names like "Boulangerie", the general term for a bakery; we live less than a block away from an ancient church which rings on the hour! The most enchanting part of Hédé is the ruins of a medival castle which lie just outside the local theater. When I asked Jean-Yves about the ruins (in strained french of course!) he informed me that the Hédé château was constructed as a precaution against outside attacks on Rennes. Now nearly demolished, the Hédé château is now just a scenic compilation of circular stone walls and a towering stockade.

What is most exciting about Hédé is my family, I can't wait to get to know them better! Odile speaks so much english, which really helps me, as I am constantly struggling for French words. Jean-Yves speaks no english at all, which actually is super good because when we have conversations they are completely in French, and if I don't understand a word he will explain it to me in french! Louise is also very good at english, especially with slang words, like "gouter" which means "to snack" rather than "manger" which means "to eat". They are all so nice and welcoming, last night we even had bread and pasta with a side of meat because they heard that that was common in Wisconsin!

So far, the coolest thing I have experienced in France is the cheese. I know it sounds weird and stereotypical, but its true! After lunch and dinner Odile always brings out their platter of cheese (my favorite right now is a type of goat cheese called "chèvre") which we eat with slices of baguettes. Awesome enough for you? Well, there's more. Today, in addition to our little cheese desert, we also snacked (nous goûtons...) on some apples (pommes), walnuts (noix), and hazelnuts (noisettes). Then we partook in some coffee, dark chocolate, and some maple candy I brought. (Even though they raved about the maple candy, I don't think it was much of a hit, which I understand because maple candy is a bit too sweet for me too). It's pretty much as French as you can imagine, and I love it!

What's coming up: Monday is my first day at school (eek!), I'm scared, but at the same time I can't wait. So many of my future classmates have been writing to me, I'm just so excited to meet them!