“School”

            Ici en France, le système d'école est ingénieux. J'aime mon école beaucoup. (Here in France, the school system is ingenious. I like my school very much)

            The first day of school, I believe, was the worst part of my exchange year. It was also a new experience for me because it was my first time being a ‘New Student’. Other than that, this day was also very difficult because everyone spoke a language that  I did not quite comprehend and I was confined to a dumb (as in without talking) position since I only knew a few phrases. As a result, I felt awkward and unlike “Aryana” (for all those that know me well, know that it is quite hard for me to not express my opinions and thoughts) and so that was apart of this exchange that I disliked the most. Yet, it was an experience, and now I am able to indulge in conversations and make a few jokes. ( I love it!! Aryana’s back!!)

             My first few weeks of school were a bit difficult to handle, as school starts at 7:55am (promptly) every morning (from Monday to Friday) and usually ends at 5:00 pm. Those days were so long and boring since I could barely understand what the teachers had said and since the students were not as welcoming as Bahamians or Americans may be. However, after a month here, everyone became so nice and welcoming. I was invited to many parties, an afternoon in the pool, a stroll in town after school, and to a few homes. I guess school was not as bad as I had thought it was.

            The name of my school is “Sainte Marie”, it is a private school and consists of almost 3,000 pupils. It starts from what we Bahamians would call Grade 1 and ends at what we Bahamians would call Grade 13. The high schooling system, like I said before, is ingenious. Everyone is classed into a category of their wish, (e.g., Sciences, Economics, Arts or Humanities). I am in 1˚ S 1 (Premiere S 1 - The first Scientific Class) which is considered to be one of he hardest classes because of the science and all of the work it entails. The subjects I take are: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, History, Geography, Spanish, English, TP (a class for projects), Biology/Geology, EPS (Physical Education) and French. However, since three weeks ago, I have been learning French with what we Bahamians call Grade 1 and Grade 7 every day throughout the week. (I say “what we Bahamians call..” because our schooling system is different from the American system). I am in their classes through each day except on Monday Mornings (because I take Physics and Biology as I believe it is easy to do and easy for me to comprehend) and Wednesdays (because they have no school, and the high school gets out at midday). Learning French with the younger students has been superb as I think they are far more patient, helpful and less complex than people my age and older.  Donc, Je progrèse beaucoup plus avec les enfants. (Therefore, I progress much more with the children). What a Blessing. However, the blessings don’t end there! In the CM 1 class, there is a little American girl trying to learn French, and because I understand the grammatical points, I was asked to tutor her. Hence, my French is improving much more, since tutoring this girl has made me more sure of what I have come to know. Je suis TRÈS contente!!!

                At school, we have a 2hour lunch break and you can either eat lunch at school or elsewhere. I eat lunch at school in the cafeteria with different people each day (however, I have about 10 friends that I usually sit, talk and laugh with).

               As of last week, an Italian girl named Karla started attending Sainte Marie to learn French, and with her I speak French, Spanish, a little bit of English and Italian (as she is teaching me Italian, I am helping her with her English, and we are both helping each other with French) How cool is that? I just may come back home speaking two new languages instead of one. Yet, I must say that I am enjoying school. During our 2 hours of lunch break, we can either go into our “teen lounge” and play pool, cards, the piano and music as well or we can just study in a class. To be honest the only thing that I dislike about the school is the fact that you have to wear uniforms. Pourtant,  c’est la vie et ceci est une experience. (yet, that’s life and this is an experience).  

               At the end of my school year, my host father and my biological father have told me that I must pass the French Baccalaureate. Thus, that is what really gives me the drive to learn this language as I hate to do something and fail it when I now I had the chance to do better. Nonetheless, the language is coming along smoothly, I mainly have only French friends and I am enjoying the French School Life.