Lost in translation....

Successfully made it through the my first full day in frenchland, with the exception of one minor hiccup ( a phone call from home was a bad idea!! ). Today was very busy, and I wasted no time immersing myself in culture! We went out for breakfast this morning, and there are so many bizzare details. Like i asked the waitress for "un jus d'orange", and she had no idea what i was talking about! Julie repeated what i said, but said "jdorange" as one word extremely fast, and the waitress knew what she was talking about! Another little food fact, with any breakfast you order, it comes with a small cup of beans in sauce... it was weird. Other weird thing about Quebec, i knew there was alot of snow, but mon dieu, there is alot of snow! It reaches almost up to the roofs of the houses, and all the driveways have tents over them, because there is too much snow to shovel!

We then took the bus to Quebec city and went to the carnival. The ice sculptures were amazing, and we took a tour of the ice hotel! We also took a horse-drawn carrige ride down to the plains of abraham and saw the river. Later, we went to old Quebec and visited the stores. There are so many, and they are all in these quaint old buildings! The city really is so beautiful and amazing!!

Today was difficult though because it was the first time i have fully been immersed in french. It is so weird, because everything around me is going on in french and i am thinking mostly in english, but about what to say in french. As a result, i dont even know if the words i am saying are french or english! It is so weird even to be typing now, thinking 100% english. It was also really weird when we were in the city to have to put so much trust in others. Because I have no idea what is going on, i need to trust the horse driver will take us back, and i need to trust that when Julie motions for me to follow her down into a creepy parkade, we will pop out on the other side! Putting so much trust in others is not something i am used to, because i am such an independant person, but hopefully my french will soon be good enough to be able to fend for myself!

Tomorrow is my first day of school, and i am so scared. I am nervous first, about my french. It is improving vastly, and i am confident speaking around julie and her family, but to make new friends is a terrifying idea. I dont really have a choice though! It is exhausting to "put yourself out there" all the time, but it is the only way to make new friends. Thats one of the things i have learned already on this trip. You can't afford to put up walls, because people will not have the patience to take them down. You need to give everything you have right away, and hope it is enough to interest people. 

Wish me luck for tomorrow, I know i have the strength to get through it! I have faith in people, and i know if i tear down my walls, people will welcome me into their lives with open arms and hearts!

Carly

PS. Kirsten, I dont know if you're reading this, but Numbers 6:24-26 helps me get through every moment of every day. Knowing i have someone on my side is so reassuring. Thank you!!