Life in France - What a dream

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night from a bizarre dream and looked around to make sure you were in your own bed, because you dreamed that you woke up one morning in a bed not your own, walked down the unfamiliar steps to the kitchen, and sat down to breakfast with a family that you have never even seen before?

This outlandish dream of yours is my reality! I am a Rotary youth exchange student from Jackson, living in Chambery, France.

On Aug. 24, I journeyed to another country unaware of what was to come. Although I expected a lot of hard work, I knew it was going to be the time of my life and quite a new experience. I was so excited when I arrived at my new home. It was so different from my own: All the rooms are brightly colored, there are six mini-levels to the house, and my bedroom even has a loft in it.

I've learned a lot about the French culture. All meals, which are very healthy, are eaten together; teenagers cannot drive until they are 18; drinking wine is not uncommon at supper, yogurt is considered dessert, and a 16-year-old can buy alcohol. These things were not shocking to me since I expected it to be different. School, however, was a different story.

Normally an outgoing person, I found myself literally speechless on the first day of school, which started Sept. 3. My school here, Lycee du Granier, is very different than at Jackson. School days are very long, sometimes lasting from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; you can get hot chocolate and cappuccinos out of a machine; dorms for the boarding students are right by my French Literature class; there are smoke breaks and hour-and-a-half lunches. Even though these things fascinated me, I was truly amazed when I found out that I would often have different classes depending on the day and week. So far I find myself loving it, especially the Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings that I have off.

But more importantly, I have already learned a lot about myself, in less than a month. I never imagined coming to a country, not only without my friends, but also without my parents. It has been a big step but I had to take it, for my own self-improvement and also to represent Southeast Missouri. I've gained so much courage and independence; coming here alone. I had to push myself to build relationships with my new family and schoolmates. It came fairly easy, everyone has been incredibly nice, minus the poor images some hold for Americans. I honestly had a girl come up to me and say, "You can't be the American girl, you aren't fat!" I stood there, astounded and somewhat disgusted by her comment.

I would like to thank the Jackson Rotary Club for making this possible for me. If anyone has any comments or questions, feel free to e-mail me at baby_britni_06@hotmail.com. And you can check out photos of my experience on my Web site: pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/rotaryyouthexchangeinfrance/my_photos .

Brittany Lang is a student at Jackson High School.