A Foreign Land

My French exchange family greeted me with open arms but it was a great shock when they expected me to speak their language and to keep up with their conversations. On the journey to the apartment I could see young children playing football on the streets although it was late evening. I compared this to England where mothers would have dragged their children home long ago.

My heart sank when we reached our destination. The garages around the apartment were old and the apartment block appeared tatty with paint flaking off its walls. However once inside the apartment my heart rose. The lift was modern and the flat was beautifully decorated and finely furnished. I realised I could not judge a book by its cover or a new country by its exterior.

I was surprised how late the French ate their meals. My prejudices disappeared as my hosts produced a delicious meal of beef and French chips. The family took a lot of trouble to make me feel at home. I went to bed early and clearly knew that my French counterpart was allowed to stay up until very late.

The following day we went to school. The children wore no uniform and the school was coeducational. School children did not pay much attention to their work or the teachers. There was a powerful smell drifting from the canteen of unfamiliar food, which fortunately I did not have to experience.

The heat of this foreign land continued to engulf me as the sweat beads poured from my brow. We played rounders and clearly it was the English against the French. Trafalgar had not been forgotten. The modern French did not like losing at all. We all shared a love of football but the French played a rough game of diving and fouling, as we learnt to keep our wits about us.

The noise of crickets was a continual background to whatever we did and the noise stayed in my head al night adding to the problem of getting to sleep in the extreme heat. I woke up the following day with at least ten mosquito bites.

We visited a market the next day with my host's family. There was a very strong smell of cheese and fish, unlike our supermarkets. The noisy bargaining droned the noise of the crickets, as the running gutters carried the smells. The stalls were very colourful with all the fresh fruit and vegetables merging in one.

Later in the day we visited a cathedral in Lyon. The massiveness of it, along with its beauty took my breath away. There was an eary religious silence around the clean building. The golden statues dazzled in the sunlight. There was much vegetation and many beautiful flowers around it, unlike the typical English view.

Every other shop sold incense and candles which took the focus away from the stalls on the side of the street, selling souvenirs, jewellery and music boxes. My favourite shop was the huge sweet shop. It gave a great variety of home-made sweets and smelt delicious. I spent a lot of money in this shop, which added a the problem of using French currency. The shopkeepers were patient and kind, unlike the normal Englishman.

The cobbled streets were narrow and hard on my feet, shadowed by the tall and thin houses on either side. These old houses were used for weaving silk in the past. The windows had shutters to shield the strong sunlight. People seemed to come to life at night in the coolness of the shade.

The view was amazing; fields and orchards covered the mountainside in the booming economy of agriculture, unlike the economy of England. The sound of horses on the cobbled streets could be heard from miles away. The French preserved the past and had pride in it, in contrast to modern England..

The clear turquoise and blue rivers rapidly flowed through the town from the mountains, quite unlike the green murky Thames.

Dogs ran wildly through the streets as I tried to shop. I felt un-secure and alone but fortunately the people were kind and helpful.

The trip to France dismissed all of my prejudices. I learnt to accept the French culture and my language improved greatly. The meaning of the French heat and noise never left me. I saw England with new eyes; the bland scenery and smoky built up areas did not please me as they used to. My foreign land helped me to mature and judge for myself.