Georgia Girdler - NSW to France

Thu 19 Nov 2009

Georgia Girdler, from Annandale NSW, is currently in France on a semester-long student exchange. She writes:

“Bonjour!

I have just gotten through the two month mark of my exchange and what a strange feeling that is. The first few weeks here were no doubt a struggle. I don't think there was anything I could have done before I left home to prepare myself for what I was taking on.

The first few days were a combination of fantastically exciting and just plain terrifying. It's really the little things that surprised me the most, the things you don't think about just before you leave. For example, I didn't know what time I should wake up in the morning, what my family had planned for the day, how often could I watch TV, etc. Just little things that managed to remind me just how far from home I really was. I think I could say that was one of the hardest times of my life. Now however, after 2 months in France those few terrifying weeks all seem worth it.

Vannes is a small medieval town in Bretagne, France. I actually live in Plescop an even smaller village just outside town. I'm really enjoying experiencing small town life. Coming from the inner city of Sydney Plescop has been a refreshing change. I still laugh when I take the bus home from school driving past the farms, cow pastures and corn fields.

I feel like I have been extremely lucky with the host family I received. In my host family there is two parents and two boys of a similar age to me. We all get along really well and I haven't had a single problem with them yet. I realised just the other day how hard it is going to be to say goodbye to my new family when my host mum called me her 'petite fille' or little girl.

School just finished for the term. When I heard the bell ring after my final class I had such a great sense of accomplishment to know that I had really made it through one term at a French high school. At first school was another massive change. The French school system in general is just completely different to the system I know in Australia. Classes are shorter, days are longer, subjects are different, eating habits are completely changed and much more. I spent my first week or so at school just sitting in my classes trying to figure out what the teacher was talking about. Now I can understand most of my classes as well as participate. I've found that I love History/Geography here, it's so interesting to learn about Europe in detail instead of just the Asia/Pacific region. School has also been great to help meet a whole bunch of new friends.

My family loves showing me around France. I've already visited Marseille in the south, Brest in the north and am off to Paris next week. I'll also be spending New Years in the Pyrenées Mountains that border France and Spain. I think that will be another highlight of my trip since I have never been to the snow before.

Gros bisous,

Georgia”

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