Settling In

Having been in Nantes for two weeks now, I'm settling into a lovely rhythm. I've got some constants in my life (the creepy dude in viking attire at the tram stop, the children who follow me in the jardin de plantes, and the sex shops all over the place) and I'm feeling at home. I've been thinking for the past couple days about how different my life is here.

1) Skinny people. People in the U.S. are actually a ton larger. Yes, we hear about it on the news, but being surrounded by it, I didn't notice as much. Maybe it is because chain smoking starts at age 13, or that everyone walks everywhere (I walk 1-3 hours a day).

2) Traffic. People walk in front of buses, cars, trams and bikes like nobodies business. Whaddayadoing? Same thing with wearing wedge heels on cobblestones. Get it together ladies, because you're gonna turn an ankle.

3) Language exchange. French term for a cheerleader? Pom pom girl. A window shopper here is a "leche vitrine" (spelling?). Literally translates as window licker. Learning a language is tons of fun. At school is wasn't this consistently fun, because we didn't have an hour long lesson on the various ways to say "prostitute" and how each of them play into french culture. Everyone would take language courses if this was the case. American insularity? Solved.

4) American Insularity. Part of the news in EVERY newspaper is the news from the U.S. What's the last piece of news y'all patriots can remember involving France that doesn't involve a rapist?

This also goes for music, fashion, words, etc. Avril Levigne came on the radio in the cafe I was hanging out in ("Complicated" anyone?). My host brother knows more English lyrics than I do.

5) Creepy old guys.

I've mastered how to say the following (used to it enormous effect this morning).

"Excuse me, but how old are you? Why are you bothering me? I'm not interested." I'd like to add to this...

-no I don't want to hang out with you and your buddies
-same goes for your son
-Don't you have a significant other? Go hit on them.

6) Random conversations. Just like Minnesota (maybe this is just me, but I meet tons of people by having randoconvos). Met an old guy (see #5) who had an American friend called "Tom" from Boston. He was super interested in my drawing, so I showed him my doodles of monsters. And then he left me alone.

Most exciting thing so far: Met someone yesterday who THOUGHT I WAS FRENCH. I introduced myself in a very french way (apparently) and so I was pretty pleased. Unfortunately, my french is not perfect. I can't even say "swear words" properly, instead repeating "fat words."