Arrival, first impressions, and impromptu mass

So I have now been in Paris for 4 days, and it's been an amazing time so far.  It feels unreal to take the Metro and pass the Eiffel Tower every day on my way to the Tufts-in-Paris office.  The sights, the smells, the food- all are so different from home, but so interesting!  When people claim that Europe is similar to the US, they are really wrong.  Some things cannot be globalized.

So the most interesting aspect of the Tufts program is the homestay portion.  Every student is required to live with a family, rather than in a dorm or an appartement.  I was very skeptical at first about whether I would like the homestay, but it definetly adds an interesting dynamic to the program and my time in Paris.  Also, it's by far the best time for practicing and learning French.

What I knew about my family coming in was that they are very large (9 children, 8 grandchildren already.  Only the youngest 3 children still live at home, plus a former au pair and a godson) and that the father does art restoration and painting, and the mother does sculptures with shells.  I arrived at the house after being picked up by the family and having an awkward car ride back to Boulogne (the nice suburb that I live in) and find that the house is basically a museum.  Nearly every bit of wall space possible is covered!  However, I notice very quickly that nearly all the art is religious in nature, and am later told that it's all 14th through 19th century European religious works.  Not exactly what I was expecting before, but it's all incredibly beautiful, if not slightly overwhelming in the sheer volume of works.  If I can, I'll take a picture of the living room and post it.

Then I was shown to my room, which is across and inner courtyard from the main house, which means I get more privacy, but have to walk outside if I ever need to use the bathroom.  However, the room is nice, and has a lot of storage space, plus a sink in the corner for brushing my teeth, etc.  Overall I am very happy with the living arrangement.

Also, the family is very sweet.  Anne-Olivia, my host mother, is very accommodating and patient, and has been very helpful in my getting oriented to Paris.  Gabriel, my host father, is very funny, understated, but quite nice.  The boys are a mixed bag- Max (22) is very nice and friendly, Matthias (19) is a bit moody (something having to do with the fact that he does not have a job or many classes and the parents won't give him money), and Francois Joseph (16) is funny  and nice, but a little fresh sometimes.  He really likes saying things in french, and then repeating them in English for me, even though I understand perfectly well what he is saying.  Also, the Lithuanian Art Student Anika is very sweet, and Eduoard, the Godson, is friendly and goofy.  It's also helpful to have him around because he speaks English pretty well.

So the one really awkward moment here was when I returned to my house from orientation on Monday. I walk in the front door into the living room, and no fewer than 20 young (10-20) year old French boys are staring at me.  I was confused, so I just said "bonjour" and walked to my room.  Anne-Olivia then calls to me, sayingJon, we are having a mass and there are lots of young people here you should meet.  You really should come down and join us!"  Not wanting to be awkward or impolite, I decide to walk down and see what was going on.  They converted one end of the living room into a makeshift altar, a priest is lighting candles!  It turns out it was a youth mass for this youth group (young firefighters) that the boys are or at one point were in, but I was so confused!  I then was required to sit through an almost hour and a half long mass, the most awkward moment being at the beginning, when they asked me if I take Communion. I said no, and so then they started asking questions, and now know that I am not Catholic, which I'm sure took me down a couple notches in their book.  However, the dinner afterwards was delicious, and the conversation was pleasant.  There have not been any similar moments since, however I'll have to be on the lookout now on Monday nights, in case of another impromptu mass in the living room.

Sleep now.  A bientot!