French mealtime is when family gathers

TRIAUCOURT EN ARGONNE, France -- Being here for two months now has made me more accustomed to the French lifestyle -- but not the weather. October and November, I'm told, are the rainiest months of the year. At least five days out of every week in October, there has been at least one major rain, or it has just been dreary and misty all day. I never forget to pack my umbrella anymore after one fateful day when, absent-mindedly, I forgot it. Luckily the school I attend has plenty places of shelter.

Similarities and differences

During my two months here, I have only eaten out four times -- three of those were at Mickey D's!

In France, there is much more of an emphasis on home-cooked family meals. Saturday nights are especially important for my host family because we, along with other extended family members, go to the grandmother's house for a large evening meal. It is not out of the ordinary for a meal to last several hours while different topics are discussed. Truly the meals are a social gathering.

My McDonald's experiences were very helpful for me in adjusting to France. Once again (like the Coca-Cola sentiments), a little slice from home seemed to be transported to this foreign land. I know this isn't the case, but it still makes me feel special in a place where people just don't know who I am and what my gifts are. I noticed something that really surprised me at McDonald's: In Europe -- or France at least -- beer is served right along with the Coke and Sprite! I suppose I looked a little "American" gawking at the 8 ounce cup of bubbly amber stuff sitting next to a Big Mac. But this is all part of the experience, I suppose.

Exchange students meet

I have already visited my host club in Bar-le-Duc, about 17 miles south of Triaucourt, and the members seemed to welcome me warmly. They took into account, I think, the fact that I had only been in the country for less than two months and hadn't quite fully adjusted to the language and the speed of their speech. I was surprised -- surprise is quickly becoming a common feeling here -- at how much I could communicate and comprehend information. I have grown in leaps and bounds in my grammar and speaking ability since I have arrived. A sink-or swim-mentality might have facilitated this result.

Once a month, all of the Inbounds (students who are currently exchange students in my district) get together to make friends and to share common experiences from school or home life. It was really a relief to hear that other students were having some of the same problems adjusting. There are about 25 students in all and 14 are from Canada or the U.S., so I always look forward to speaking with them in fluent English and to be able to use idioms that the French just wouldn't comprehend without much explanation.

These past two weeks, I was enrolled in an optional French class offered by my host Rotary district held in the city of Metz -- a metropolitan city of about 100,000 people. Twelve other students and I took the class to help improve our everyday French usage. The only downside was that it cut into my two-week All Saints' Day vacation. Thus, my plans to visit some people I know in Paris were squandered until my next break.

Here's hoping that nothing else interrupts my plans.

A tout à l'heure.

Dane Lincoln is a graduate of Central High School spending a year as an exchange student through Rotary International.