: : Un petit mot [[ d'un petit bonbon rouge ]] : :

So, judging by the date...It appears that Saturday is approaching ever-so-quickly :O. It wasn't until I was talking to Whye Yen on msn this afternoon that I realised that it was indeed Thursday and not Tuesday...

Why do I keep having to be reminded that I've been here for nearly a month already??? That's 1/5 of my exchange almost gone :O. Me no likey!

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Before I start my recap of today, I would like to write something that my experience so far has taught me.

Last week, when I was standing out in the rain, after Arts Plastiques, waiting for my host mum to pick me up, there was something that occurred to me.

I had been randomly placed, in another country, by people I didn't know, to live, learn and be around complete strangers for five months. Before arriving here, I had been warned, time and time again, that this exchange would be a journey - at times a hard and most of all it would mimick the journey of a rollercoaster...oh and then there was the culture shock thrown in the midst of things as well.

As I was standing there, watching the strangers move, laugh and run through the rain around me, I realised that for me, there was no culture shock - that there would be no rollercoaster. Perhaps I'm "speaking to soon" when I say that, but life is a rollercoaster and will be till the end. So, if life = rollercoaster and rollercoaster = exchange, then really, doesn't exchange just equal life? Why be here, afraid of the next jolt, the next plunge into nothingness, not knowing what's around the corner, when you can just take it and say, "well, I'm going up...oh, whoohoo! That means the thrill of the drop is ever approaching...!". This isn't a rollercoaster. This is just the climb that builds you for those times when life is tough - it teaches you that you can make it through those times and be proud that you've let go of that handle bar and screamed like no one was sitting there with their fists in their ears.

I realised that where I was, at that moment, was a place no different to any other. There were people who had made mistakes, people who were too positive, or the opposite, too negative. There were people just like me. And as the sun set over the school, a group of friends ran past in the rain. All five cold and wet. Just like me. They were screaming and laughing and being too loud, making fools of themselves. Something you're able to do with people who don't judge you. It reminded me of those times in Australia with my own friends. Whether it be dancing in the rain after photogaphy club, lining half melted jellybabies on the steps of the science lab, or just feeding off eachother's energy. There were people with their own stories, heads ducked against the wind.

All this made me ask myself, what separates people? Here I was on the other side of the world, in a differnt climate and culture and the people were just the same. Complete strangers, yet mimicking the same patterns I have seen before.

People think that they can go on exchange and be a different person - start a new life...But how is this possible if you are faced with the same everyday situations?

This experience changes you, yes. But you are the same person, just growing and maturing and catching up with yourself, really. Your anticipation, curiousity and perhaps fear grows as you wait in suspense for that dip at the end of the road. Each person around you, a stranger yet a shadow of someone you know. It is for this, I think that there is no home sickness no rollercoaster out of the ordinary. Just life. Life multiplied a hundred times, then multiplied again. And right now I'm heading up that mountain, not knowing what lies ahead. There is no fear. Just the knowledge that the strangers surrounding me are there to hold my hand and scream in unison as the ledge approaches...

People don't change. They just experience things that bring out different traits from within. It's our own choice what we choose to experience - how to react to an experience. People have told me this all my life. But it wasn't until it hit me that one day afterschool, that it became true, maybe not for everyone, but for me. One person amongst billions. Just one small step - just one metre of railing. But still, it's a start :).

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Okay, resurfacing again : ).

This morning I woke after some rather pleasant dreams : ) : ) : ). Haha, which seemed to scare away my headache and sore throat. Instead I just woke a little heavy eyed and generally blocked up (especially in the nose region...three more mint scented tissues gone! You should really see my bin!).

After eating breakfast and showering, and doing a few other random things, it was lunch time. We had Chicken Curry again. OH! And the long lost parcel addressed to me and my family for Christmas finally arrived (although, to the return address, haha). So before and after lunch I spent time unwrapping all the gifts. There were things for me, my sister and my mum. Very nice things too :D.

After lunch Marine and I had a little wrestling match over my keyboard...haha, ouch. But I gave in in the end...(that's something I'm not willing to share :P Muahahahaha).

Oh, and during that time, Marine knocked over my bin of tissues twice...haha, she had to pick them all up! But nah, she's sick too, we're embracing eachother's germs, hehe.

At 4pm, Marine was hungry so we went down stairs and made a nutella hot chocolate and put "Petit Dejeuner" biscuits in it (they're these chocolate biscuits for breakfast with a few oats thrown in them, they quite good). Haha, was a bit too chocolately for me, so I got a mandarine instead. But Marine ate it and managed to spill it all over her top (haha, I think it stained).

At 5.40pm-ish Marine left for her driving lesson. Haha, you won't want to get in her way! It snowed tonnes today...and Marine + snow + a car = CATASTROPHE, I'm thinking. Haha.

Anyway, she should be back soon for dinner. Probably in 40 minutes or so : ). I'll add to this after dinner :D. Whatever we're having smells mighty good! Hehe.

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After dinner : :

Okay, so dinner turned out to be a yummy omelette, haha. A very very very yummy omelette. I think my host dad is possibly one of the best omelette makers : ). They're not your everyday omelette. Instead there are layers of potato, tomato, meat, onion, herbs, parsley, and then, finally the egg and a lot of cheese. For entree we had charculerie meat and more cheese on slices of baguette.

After dinner we went upstairs and Marine started to write out a resume for finding work in Soissons.

After a little while, we went downstairs and ate prunes soaked in some sort of alcohol - quite nice, although the alcohol taste became a bit strong for me, still ate them and enjoyed them though : ). And the heat was well welcomed.

Anyway, going to get ready for bed now :D.

Bonne Nuit et bisous : )