First Impressions

Incredible. My first impressions are that Provence, the people I have met, and my entire exchange so far have been incredible. Now, where to start? Today, I begin my fifth full day in Forcalquier, and I already have stories itching to explode from my fingertips. Or maybe those are just leftover vibrations from mountain biking on Saturday.


But we'll get there later. Upon arriving in Marseille, I took the escalator down, and was immediately met by friendly faces and a "Welcome" sign. There to see me were my host family, the Groffes, an exchange student from Australia, and the Governeur of my new Rotary district with his wife. The Governeur introduced himself, gave me a pin for my blue blazer, and hurried off (he had been at the airport all day, meeting each kid who arrived that day). Pia, my host sister, Brit, who arrived from Australia in January, and I collected my suitcase, and we were off!


Driving home, I got a beautiful view of Provence. The topography here is stunning; as the van wound through the valleys between hills, all I could do was soak in the gentle rolling. As much as I love Champaign, there aren't any hills there. And Forcalquier! I don't know how it happened, but I think I was placed in the perfect size town. Sure, big cities have an intense energy, but the sheer beauty and calmness I've seen in Forcalquier, so endearing, is unmatched in my mind. My first morning in the town I took un petit tour à velo, and have some pictures that show-off Forcalquier a little:

And the people! Everyone has been extremely welcoming. My host family has gone above and beyond planning meals to introduce me to the community. The first meal, at our house, started my exchange off on the right foot. As derrières filled the chairs, food filled the stomachs, and voices, well, talked over each other, opportunities blossomed. Martha, a friend of my host family, comes to Forcalquier each summer, and teaches Pilates and Gyrotonics in Boston the rest of the year. Luckily for me, she was offering free classes for the community about 2 minutes from our house. The next evening, sure enough, my host parents and I were twisting and turning in figure 8's with the locals. Back at the party, I met my third host family. Aurèle, who will be my host brother, has a band that just so happens to be looking for a drummer. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Forcalquier has a soccer team? It's only five days in, and this year is already showing definite signs of being busy. In a good way, of course!


Alright, I guess it's time for the mountain biking story... Now, don't get your hopes up, it's not a thrilling tale of death-defying jumps while being chased by bears. But it does exemplify what I think to be the aim of taking a youth exchange. It all started with dinner at the home of Lorent and Bénédicte, friends of the Groffes and Brit's first family. Sitting to my left at dinner was their son, Antoine. At one point in the dinner, he excitedly asked me, "Tu veux faire du vélo avec moi?", which means "You want to go biking with me?". I interpreted that as "You want to go [road] biking with me?" when he meant "You want to go [mountain] biking with me?". The next day I found myself at the top of a mountain outside of Forcalquier, with nothing but a bike and a helmet to take me home. Antoine, one of his friends, and I started our descent, and within ten minutes I was soaring through the air -- without a bike beneath me. Yep, I fell. Three times by the end, with the scars to prove it. But after we got past the rocky (in more ways than one) start, I got the hang of it, and was happily speeding through the countryside.

After returning home for a quick shower, I headed off with Antoine, his family, and Brit for a jaunt to Aix-en-Provence, the nearby big city, for some shopping. Needless to say, I slept well that night.


And now, another week is beginning, surely with more incredible experiences waiting.


À la prochaine!


Chris