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Hey guys. I hate to sound like a broken record, but yet again, it's late Sunday night and I have found myself with nearly no time left for a blog post. That being said, I did make it a little easier on myself this week and I will be answering your questions that you have sent in about my life in France. It will be another short post but hopefully you'll have some answers!
1. Is your English class flooded with non-natives? And if so, what do you think about it?
It's kind of a mix, however my class is in the English Section, which technically means that everyone there should be speaking at a native level. However, for some reason, there are a few kids that have thick accents and don't necessarily seem as though they're on quite the same level as us native speakers. That being said, they haven't really spoken much, so it's hard to tell what exact level we are talking about here, but from what I've seen, that appears to be the case. It is a little frustrating sometimes walking into what's supposed to be a class for native speakers that actually challenges us. I've learned how to write an essay about twelve times by now and it can be hard to be patient in some cases when you're ready to move on to something new but half the class just isn't there yet. However, my teacher this year seems to be pretty good and I think we'll do some good work, native speakers or not.
2. If you had to line up major differences between France and the US, what would you say they are?
This is a little bit of a tough one as there's so many things to talk about, but if I had to narrow it down I'd say:
-The teaching style
-The hours
-The freedom
First of all, one thing I really miss about school in the US is the sense of community you build at school, especially with your teachers. Teachers in the US are more likely to actually care about you personally and really want you to learn something, whereas in France I get the feeling that it's just their job and not their passion, and they're here to do it and leave with a paycheck. Obviously, this isn't all teachers, and I have some fantastic teachers that are dedicated to what they do here, but in general it is a noticeable difference.
Second, in the US school hours are, for the most part, strictly 8am to 3pm with about forty minutes for lunch and then after school activities like clubs and sports. This is most definitely not the case in France, but I can't really decide if I like it or hate it. It definitely sucks not finishing school until 6pm, something you'd definitely never see in the US, however I love the mornings where I can sleep in until class at 10am or have extra hours for lunch. This kind of goes hand in hand with my next point.
The freedom of French schools is definitely a bonus point. In the US, you don't really leave school for anything until the final bell rings and you go home. In some cases, I think seniors may be allowed off-campus for lunch, but it's rare and difficult because they would have to drive somewhere. However, one of the benefits of Strasbourg is living in a city where you don't have to drive and students are allowed many more freedoms, since it's safer and there's less fear of lawsuits. My friends and I often eat together in town when we have long lunch days or you can go get a quick coffee during a free period. It really does make students feel trusted and not like children being chaperoned all the time and I personally really love that aspect of French schools.
3. How does this (OIB system at Pontonniers) compare to the IB system?
So, I've explained this a little bit in my previous French school blog posts where I explained each schooling option I had, but I can't say I'm an expert on the subject. From what I understand, the IB is completely international and can be used anywhere, while the OIB is simply the English add-on to the original Baccalaureate and is mainly for use in Europe and the UK. However, I do plan on attending university in the US and I've chosen this OIB program. This was because I can transfer in as an international student, and I believe it'll look better on my CV if I went to more of a French school and had that experience as opposed to staying in the international lane. It'll hopefully make me look more authentically French and less plain old American, and make me stick out from other international students applying. At least that's the idea.
4. Who are your friends?
Contrary to popular belief, I do have friends! All jokes aside, I do have friends from a lot of different groups, mainly from school and YATS. Sadly, I don't talk to my original class anymore for a whole slew of reasons but it's actually been better for me to have a fresh start. I still talk to a lot of people from my new class last year who have also transferred to Ponto plus all the YATS kids that are there now too. I have a friend at Sturm still that I see occasionally but otherwise everyone I know is in one of those two groups. Everyone both at Ponto and at YATS are super welcoming and nice, so I've been very lucky.
5. What do you do during lunch?
So, I live fairly close to my school (it's about a fifteen minute walk), which means I basically go home to eat every day. I have a friend that lives about an hour away by bus, so she's been coming to eat with me at my apartment nearly every day, which has been pretty great too. As I mentioned above, sometimes I'll go out with friends and hang out in the city if we have longer lunches. We mainly just go everywhere teenagers go: McDonalds, Mexican takeout, Starbucks,etc. A lot of times my friends and I like to take our food down to the river (which I believe was also mentioned in a previous post about my favorite spots in Strasbourg).
6. Is it hard being a vegetarian in France?
Absolutely not. I would say it's less about the location and more about just being a vegetarian in general. Anywhere you go, as a vegetarian there's going to be times you'll be faced with meat and are going to have to find an alternative, whether it's at a friend's house for dinner or a restaurant with very few options. It's more about how flexible you're willing to be so you don't have to eat meat. As for me, for the most part all the restaurants I've been to have had other options or made accommodations. There have been times where I've been stuck with tiny salads or things that maybe I wouldn't usually order, but it isn't hard to just eat when I get home or only eat a little bit. I think you just have to be committed. It is hard sometimes when I can't participate in s'mores (marshmallows sadly contain gelatin) or eat bacon but in the long run, it's not that big of a deal and it's worth it not to have to walk around with constant guilt in the back of my mind. Plus, I'm doing my part to save the planet and it doesn't cost me anything. I just celebrated two years September 2nd and I plan on many more, I hope you do too!
7. Have your parents learned French? Why or why not?
Bit of a touchy subject in my household, actually. So, my brother and I obviously have had to learn French because of school but my parents got off a little easier. My dad works in English and his hours are long, which doesn't leave him much time to sit down and learn another language. That being said, he does try and he can (for the most part) get by. My mom definitely has been trying and continues to do her Duolingo daily. During our first year she was really busy trying to figure everything out and she was definitely stressed out enough without having to face the joys of the French language (that was sarcasm, in case you didn't quite pick up on it). Then, during quarantine she struggled a bit to keep it up, and why should she? We all speak English anyway and there's not going to be a whole lot of socializing when everything shut down. However, she has really given it her best and made so much progress. I'm not going to lie, it's frustrating for my brother and I sometimes because we were forced into this French life so they could have their big European adventure and it felt like they weren't suffering as much as we were. We had to face so much difficulty at French schools as Americans while they sat at home and spoke English all day. However, we've come to appreciate them trying and there's really not much else we can do.
8. If you could change one thing about the last three years, what would it be and why?
Honestly, for all the sadness, pain and difficulty it has brought me, I honestly wouldn't change anything. I'm a big believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason and shapes you into who you're supposed to be and even though it sucked and felt like I went through hell and back, I know that ultimately it's what I need to be prepared for whatever's going to come next in my life. As much as I hate to admit it, this is going to be a really beneficial experience for me in the long run and is going to teach me so many things I never would have learned from my comfort zone in California. The only thing I wish is that it didn't have to affect my best friend at all. It sucked to leave her and I felt so guilty about it, even if it wasn't even my fault or decision and it feels like we've been robbed of so many special moments in our teenage years, like going to prom, football games, etc together. Ultimately though, we have managed to stay really close which is more than a lot of other people can say so I'm really lucky for that.
Anyway guys, that's all the questions for today! If you have any more, feel free to shoot them to me and perhaps I'll do another Q&A in the future! Thank you again for all the support and I'll continue to do my best with the updates.
Loreleixx
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