Oui-oui

I thought it would be fun to reflect on the changes that living in France for ALMOST A YEAR NOW! has brought about in my life.

Let's begin with my diet, since the French seem to be so big on this anyway! Do I think I'm like a francaise in my eating habits? Answer: not quite yet. Although I've definetely been influenced! I still prefer having my dinner at an earlier time in the evening, if possible, and often still find it difficult to stomach a massive breakfast (including bread!) first thing in the morning. But the ways my diet have changed are as follows:

1. I think I eat far more healthily now. Spurred on by the example of my au pair family (with whom I lived for more than two months), I drink water with almost every meal and much more besides, I try and have vegetables or fruit with every meal (and often multiples of vegetables at dinner-time) and I think my diet is also more balanced.

2. My dinner-eating times, whether I like this or not, have gradually changed. I used to eat dinner at about 6pm in Scotland, whereas my average dinner-eating time here in France is 7.30pm.

3. I eat a lot more bread and cheese now. But who wouldn't; not when Roquefort is so delicious and readily available, and there is such an extensive variety of nutritious but scrumptious breads!

Obviously, I feel my French has come on quite a lot since moving here. I don't know about calling myself fluent yet, but having spoken French almost all summer-time with my au pair family, and speaking it more readily and accurately now (I hope!) with others, I feel like I'm on a good path! I was told by various people that I've got very good French-speaking skills and Caroline, the au pair mum, even told her mum and aunt that I was just about fluent! Of course I don't always feel fluent, and I learn new things about the language all the time and get corrected often, but I do believe that once I've completed my studies here, I should be just about at the bilingual/fluent level.

I think it goes without saying that French-ness is rubbing off on me, and I feel it's definetely for the better.