The French Life Style

My time in France has been very positive, although I am now starting to become slightly homesick. It's not necessarily being away from friends and family, but more the lifestyle change.

The food.
I have no complaints about the food, it's probably some of the best I have ever eaten. Going out to dinner is always great, but very expensive in Lyon. The problem is trying to make it yourself. I actually love to cook, but specifically I love to cook in a kitchen with all the amenities. When I arrived I had to buy everything all over again as the kitchen in the residence doesn't have anything, not even a garbage can.
Here is what I have to work with:

See what I mean? I share this kitchen with four other people! There are only two hotplates, and you can barely fit a pot and a pan on at the same time.

Even with a lackluster kitchen I still manage to cook some decent meals for my self.

One of the other problems I have is shopping, as I never really have any idea of what I am buying. The bread and cheese is pretty straightforward, and delicious. I have eaten so much bread and cheese it is coming out of my pores, literally. I don't think I have broken out this bad since I was eighteen, but I look like I am eighteen anyway so it's kind of fitting.

French.

One thing about France that can become irritating is that hardly anyone speaks English. I know what you are going to say "why would they speak anything else in France?" Even some of the other European students find it irritating sometimes. For example, our residence houses well over a hundred international students, but the administration office has about one person who speaks English. Very frustrating when trying to check in.

I suppose though that makes it better for learning French, which turns out is VERY hard. 

Before school started I thought French was the most beautiful language in the world, now I almost despise it. I find the accent the hardest. After an hour of class I have a sore throat. For one of our exercises we had to make a song in French and sing it to the class. If there is one thing I love more than French, it's singing in front of a classroom full of strangers. 

That said, I'm still going to give it my best shot. I have made a good Belgian friend and a few French friends already. My Belgian friend is going to stop speaking English with me in a few weeks. This friendship is going to be put to the test alright.

The people.

I've found the French people here to be very nice. The stereotype is that the French are arrogant, and rude to English speakers, but I think that is more common with Paris. The Lyonnais are a very polite, and in cases, very engaging. As I develop my French and assimilate more into the lifestyle I hope to meet more French students, mainly girls.