Living the French Way

So I've been noticing all these differences between the U.S. and France (obviously there would be some). And there are some I would like to share with you!

1. In the city, dogs are allowed to "go potty" wherever they want; therefore, it is not uncommon to see little piles of you-know-what in the streets. Not the most hygenic idea.
2. Cars can be parked facing each other; from what I've noticed, you can only park on one side of the street, but the cars can be facing any which way on that side of the street.
3. The French eat A LOT of cheese; my host family informed me that there are enough different kind of cheeses for every day of the year!
4. Nobody here smiles; apparently smiling at people as you walk is a very American thing to do. So I find great satisfaction in smiling at people on the bus and seeing if they'll smile back. Some hestitate and then they do and for some reason that makes my day. :)
5. The French are very conscious of their heat, water, and electric bills. I'm learning to take quick showers, turn off lights whenever I leave a room, and I'm pretty sure my body temperature has somehow adapted to living in cold all the time.
6. People here wear the same clothes for days in a row. Some don't, but many do. I think it's normal to wear jeans or a sweater a given number of days before you wash it. But to wear the same thing 4 or 5 days in a row... I feel like I would get sick of that outfit very quickly!
7. Everybody drives a stick shift here; apparently, France is scared of automatic cars. I explained to my host sister that I can't drive a stick shift to save my life (as many of you know) and she laughed and said she thought it would be hard to drive an automatic!
8. The weather here is very different (and this is really only a difference between Nantes and Michigan). It's typically around 45 or 50 degrees and either sunny or rainy. It never snows here (the people here think that one inch of snow is the end of the world). Sometimes it's colder but I feel blessed to be here especially considering the fact that it's below zero at home right now!
9. The French have a very different work ethic here; the parents are very quick to yell or be strict when it comes to homework, school, etc... but from what I've heard, Americans work much harder at school than the French do. I'm sure I will see this play out once classes start.
10. The French do not like to obey and this is why I am deathly afraid of crossing the street. People cross whenever they feel like it and wherever. And cars drive fast in the city here! I realize I should be used to jay-walking since I live in Ann Arbor. But it's a very scary experience to walk around here.

I'm sure I will come across more differences as I go, but there's ten for you to ponder. :)
Other news...
I've chosen classes and they will commence Monday. I am taking the following:
Traduction (this is a translation class for students taking French or English; so it will be with other French students who are studying English and we will practice translating passages from English to French and vice versa).
French 19th and 20th century Art
Religion, Society, and the State in Modern France
French Romanticism
Advanced French Language (my actual French class).

The first class is at the university and the other 4 are through my program at the IES center. However, all the classes will be in French and I'm feeling a bit nervous about starting Monday!

Last night, I ate dinner with three of the four kids and then we watched the first half of The Chronicles of Narnia in French. It was nice to hang out with them and get to know them a bit better. The oldest, Marie-Emmanuelle, took me with her to pick up the second oldest, Tiphaine, from her friend's house. It was just fun to talk about things we had in common - movies we like, books we've read, leaving home, driving, boys, etc... And even though the conversation was very broken because of my horrendous French, it felt good to be a teenage girl with somebody here. :) When Tiphaine and her friend got in the car, they started discussing life and laughing and even though I wasn't really participating, it just felt nice to be amongst people my age and realize that these girls are just like my friends in the States (now if only I could understand them)!

I'm headed out right now to do a bit of shopping. The government controls the sales here (isn't that bizarre?) and there are only certain months that stores can put their items on sale. January is one of them. :) I hope everything is well with all of you - you're greatly missed!