Now that I've been here over a month, I'm starting to see the kind of support network that exists, even if not always apparent in the foreground, in the exchange program. It's incredible.
My host sister Alexia and Me, at a Rotary Soirée and welcome/farewell.
Not that I have really had any problems since I've gotten here; my exchange has been a smooth transition into the routine of living here, in my family and my town. But I have witnessed secondhand how being a part of such a network of students, families, Rotarians and volunteers can make all of this possible.
First of all, as an exchange student, it can be very difficult to be the one to make things happen: I didn't really have a whole lot of connections in the first few weeks, I bascially just went with the flow and let others plan for me. I also really didn't want to invite myself over. That's a very unfriendly thing to do in the psychology of the American socio-sphere.
So I waited for people to come to me. After all, I didn't have a house in such-and-such village to invite people to have dinner at, I didn't have a trip planned to go to somewhere in Italy, I didn't have a boat to invite so-and-so to go to such-and-such bay to eat fancy cheeses.
I still don't have that actually.
But Rotary has presented me with an incredible group of friendly people who are constantly willing to have Will around, too. And not that a successful exchange should be equated with the number and quality of invitations received Not in the slightest. But how do you make an exchange student feel warm and fuzzy? Ask him/her to go somewhere, anywhere, do something, anything, with you. Ask him/her to just hang out at the house for a day. Simply seeing other ways of life and interacting with other families and groups of people has enriched my exchange and my conception of this place and society so much. It would have been silly to stay home at my host family's house every day and assume that was how all French people lived. Heck, I still don't know how all French people live, I've still only been here for a month, and haven't gotten out of this département!
But an exchange student lives for those moments where, especially after a tiring day of trying to formulate coherent sentences, somebody comes up to and says "Hey, I heard you like skiing! We go skiing in the Alps every year, and it'd be great if you could come along too!"

And now we're planning outings of our own, and trying to get to see each other more frequently than the 6 or so already scheduled Rotary get-togethers.
And if that weren't enough, one of the women I met had actually traveled to Vermont to ski at Stowe, and knew Burlington pretty well! How great a coincidence is that?
Okay, so that's enough musing for now! I hope you enjoyed the pictures sprinkled throughout. I would have pictures of our latest Rotary outing to the very popular, touristy, and rich village of St. Tropez. But my camera broke. Again.
Sorry.
So I think I'm going to buy an underwater camcorder as a replacement. Just because It Would Be Awesome.
Thank you,
Love from the South,
Will
ps. Here are the cars I saw at St. Tropez: (thanks Google)


Lambourghini Rolls Royce Maserati
And lets not get started on the crazy boats.


NEW VIDEO COMING SOON!
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