My First Week Living with a Host Family

Although it has only been about one week since I met ma famille d’accueil (my host family), I feel like a great deal has already happened, none of which is bad, mind you!  Certainly, there were some moments when I felt overwhelmed.  The first day that I met my host mom and her daughter, for example, they spoke very quickly which made it difficult to follow their conversations.  What I learned from this was that I would have to adjust myself slowly to the new atmosphere and listen carefully to what my hosts had to say to me before I spoke.

Listening is especially important if you live with a host family because they may have a few rules that need some clarification to understand.  My family, for example, expects me to turn off the lights when I leave a room, to take no more than one shower a day, and wash my clothes only once per week because the electricity and the water are more expensive in France that they are in the United States.  The French also tend to be more passionate about the environment and may feel pressed to preserve it for future generations.  After all this was explained to me, I found it much easier to accept all the new rules I had to follow.  However, it took a bit of practice to remember to turn off the lights whenever I left the room!

My host family is religious and has certain traditions that they like to practice, like saying a prayer and singing a Catholic song once every month to honor their beloved departed ones.  I am also a practicing Catholic and I found it interesting to witness how other people around the world celebrate their faith.  The one problem I had was that I was unable to follow along with their song!  Luckily for me, I will have lots of opportunities to improve my listening comprehension skills both at home, with my friends in my program, and in class before I can try again.

Another thing I found interesting about my French hosts is that they are strongly family-oriented, in that they prefer spending time with their grandparents, uncles and aunts, daughters and sons, cousins, and grandchildren on weekends rather than being alone.  The last time my family sat down for a dinner together at their grandparent’s house, which resides next to a large farm, they sat and talked for three hours.  The festivities were regularly interspersed with all kinds of delicious French cuisine, including cheeses, breads, salads with vinaigrette, wine (which I did not take, but which was offered because the drinking age in France is 18 years), braised chicken with whole potatoes and figs, savory tartes aux pommes or aux tomates (with apples or with tomatoes), and tea.  Indeed, my French family seems to greatly enjoy spending time together.

Through this program, I have come to realize that culture is everywhere and it inspires a lot of what we do and say.  This can lead to confusion and misunderstandings when you first arrive at your host’s house, but if you give yourself time to adapt to the life style of your French family (and they yours), then you may come to appreciate them a lot more.

Hannah Jeffery

Alma College