A. initial guest feeling
B. eventual "member"
C. Dahirel...August 30 to March 1
1. Delphine (17), Vincent (15) and Benoit (10)
2. having younger siblings
3. always with Delphine
D. Bougeard...March 1 to July 13
1. Rose-Marie, Aude, Lucile
2. separate room
3. independent, yet member
4. easier because of language skills
E. general family customs
III Host Family Experience
A. Iinitial guest feeling
Upon arrival in such a situation, one initially feels like a guest. This
impression gradually changes as the student adjusts to the host family and vice versa. The length
of time it takes to really incorporate onesself into their host family depends on many things,
including attitude, language skills, compatibility, and simply personality.
~top~
B. Eventual "member"
The eventual goal is to become so integrated into the family that one feels like
a member.
~top~
C. Dahirel...August 30 to March 1 (photo1 w/o Delphine) (photo2 w/o Delphine) (Delphine)
1. Delphine (17), Vincent (15) and Benoit (10)
2. Having younger siblings was very strange for me, after having been an only child for
two years.
3. Having a sister who was just about my age was very helpful, because it gave me an
immediate circle of friends. She was also there to help me whenever I needed it, and was very
understanding because she had spent two months abroad herself the year before.
~top~
D. Bougeard...March 1 to July 8 (photo)
1. Rose-Marie (16), Aude (10), Lucile (4)
2. I had the only room on the main floor of the house, which was nice because it gave me
a bit more autonomy and privacy.
3. Because I was older than all of their children, they pretty much let me do my own
thing, and if I needed time to myself, I had it. But I also felt very much like a member of the
family.
4. I also believe that the adjustment was much easier because of the advancement of my
language skills.
~top~
E. General Family Customs
It's impossible to justly generalize about family customs in France, just as it
would be in the States. These are simply customs *I* observed during my stay, that may pertain,
more or less, to families in Brittany and all of France.
1. Families eat meals together. Some children even come home from school to eat lunch
with their parents. Dinner is an event that generally takes longer and is later in the evening than in the
States.
2. Families speak to each other. Over the course of a single meal, the conversation could touch on
education, politics, music, work, etc.
~top~
Return to Perspectives:
my year in Brittany.
Voir cette page en français.