The gift of language in marvelous France - Jess absorbs her new surroundings

Two weeks into each of our stays in the magnificent country of France, and I figure it’s time to share some of our experiences with you. Paris had a cold bite that nobody had quite expected. It was nearly summer, right? But, as we were soon to discover, this was just the first of an extensive series of changes that marked the difference between Australian and French lifestyles. Bonjour tout le monde!

Having collected our baggage, each of us soon boarded the TGV (Train à Grand Vitesse, which translates to high speed train) which would take us to our individual placements, and were whisked away through the French countryside. Here we tasted the first of the rich French culture which would soon envelope us – amidst verdant landscapes there lay magnificent, sixteenth century brick cheateaus, row upon row of soon-to-be harvested grapes on the outskirts of massive wineries, or small cemeteries next to beautiful medieval villages, all beautiful beneath the cloudless, perfect blue sky. And we would soon get the chance to see such architectural splendours up close and personal.

For now, however, we nervously waited for our trains to stop at Rennes, Avignon, Nimes, Marseille or Valence, where we were to meet the families who would house us for the next three months. And with relief we noted that, on the whole, they were all lovely, wonderfully accommodating groups of people. Whether they spoke near-fluent English, which allowed us to communicate easily, or little English, whereby communication was a mixture of broken French, broken English and frenzied gestures, we were all quick to warm to our families.

And, excited to share their rich culture with us, they soon took us each on excursions into nearby cities (for neighbouring villages and cities are remarkably close to one another in France). In Avignon, the magnificent Palais des Papes, which housed the pope from the fourteenth century onwards, stood more than seven hundred years old. Hundreds of kilometres North, those who had stayed in Paris for the week or fortnight long language immersion course saw the likes of the Eiffel Tower, L’Arc de Triomph and other highlights of the city of love.

In the heart of Nimes one could explore Les Arenes, the best-preserved Roman amphitheater in the world, which had been built at the dawn of the Christian era. Here, excited peasants and magistrates alike would watch as gladiators fought against tigers, bulls and each other. Or, on the darker side things, they would watch as helpless criminals fled from beasts before being torn limb from limb. Ouch. Tough luck buddy – guess you should’ve thought twice before pick pocketing the Marquise. In fact, every street in each one of these cities was bursting with hundreds of marvelous secrets and cultural artifacts.

So rich was the French culture, and such a wonderful blend of the modern and antique! We all stumbled upon wonderful vintage clothing stores, old-style cinemas showing modern films, hidden yet delicious up-market cafés and brasseries, or street markets which sold antique lamps, books, clothes and cameras at remarkably low prices.

And if we’d had enough of the hustle and bustle of these gorgeous, old metropolises then we could easily borrow one of our host families’ bicycles and ride through the countryside, passing horses, beautiful landscapes and medieval villages all the while.

Both at home and abroad we all enjoyed the delights of French cuisine, with little concern as to what we were actually eating. Last Thursday a group of us met at an Avignon restaurant for lunch and, having ordered the plat du jour, were surprised to be served raw beef! Of course we ate it nevertheless – for how long would it be before we were again served delicacies in one of the gastronomic capitals of the world? And you know what? It was delicious!

Above all, the greatest pleasure (and there are many to choose from) was giving the gift of language. Even helping our host brothers and sisters with their English homework was rewarding in ways I had never imagined, and it was slowly being reciprocated as we learned the French language. And this was but the very beginning of our journeys abroad.