bonjour, le shopping. // hello, shopping.

on to day three! yesterday i was feeling super homesick, but today i felt so much better! i woke up at noon (how american of me...), so i missed going to "faire des courses" (go shopping at the market) with my french father. it's all good though -- i can go next saturday, if i want. anyhow, i went downstairs and everybody was doing their own thing. my french mother was taking a bath (they rarely take showers here -- too bad, because showers are so much better!), mathilde was doing her homework, manon was running around the house, camille was getting dressed, and my french father was watching tv. i ate my normal 'pain au chocolat' with 'le jus d'orange.' then, i got ready.

i sported my gray-tone striped dress with a red striped sweater, tights and my boots. camille and her mother said they liked my outfit, so i think i looked very french! success! ;D we were supposed to go to montmartre so see the dali museum and a great view of paris, but my french mother saw how tired i was and decided that we would have a calm weekend. she said that she had to buy camille new clothes, so shopping would be the perfect trip. i was pumped for my first french shopping experience! stores are closed from noon to 3 pm during the weekdays and saturday, usually. the french savor eating and lunch is their biggest meal of the day, so the break is needed. when i went back downstairs, they were all watching this show where celebrities live on a farm in africa. it was weird.

mathilde was playing 'who wants to be a millionaire' online in english, so this is when i really got to bond with my family! i helped her answer questions and we had the whole room laughing at our (or should i say, "my") poor knowledge of random american facts. around 3.45 pm, camille, my french mom, and i headed to enghien-les-bains to shop. there aren't many stores in montmorency... the boutiques are tiny, but the storekeepers were nice! we went to a store called 'DANE' and it was so cute! i found this dress that is really nautical, and my french mom asked me if i wanted to try it on. i couldn't remember how to say, "no, it's okay..." so i reluctantly went to try the dress on. the storekeeper asked if i wanted it in black and gave me three different sizes to try on -- i tried on a small and it looked pretty nice! while i was the the dressing room, i could her the storekeeper asking where i was from. my french mother told her that i was american and the storekeeper told her that i spoke very well in french for being american.

anyhow, i ended up getting the dress, but when i went to pay, my french mom refused to let me buy the dress. it was 20 euros, which isn't that much, but i still felt bad. it was really cool experiencing the french dynamic on the street! we walked by a cafe that was packed with teens sitting at tables, talking and smoking. camille got some clothes and shoes, and then we went home. everybody we talked to got to know me as the "petite americaine." people say the french are stuck up and mean to foreigners, but so far, i haven't experienced that at all.

after coming home, my french father encouraged me to plug my ipod into the stereo and manon insisted that i play songs my mika. she sat by me and we read magazines while she sang (in english, which was amusing for me) to the songs. she then randomly said that she thought i spoke well in french because she could understand what i was saying. that was nice of her. it was really cool to have that bonding experience! this evening, their family friends came over. it was awkward when i was with them so i escaped to my room to write this blog! all of the kids ate spaghetti and meatballs and then came back upstairs while the parents chatted. camille and her friend, marine, are playing the wii and manon and marine's sister are upstairs. mathilde went over to a friend's house for a sleepover.

today went well, and boy, am i glad. yesterday, i was afraid that this trip was going to be a disaster when i had to be myself. now, i'm not worried about spending time with my family. i'm lucky that i have the family i have, based on my friend's stories about their families. i still cannot wait for our excursion on monday to paris, though! i still miss everybody a ton! love you!

xoxo,
jyothi