Home sweet (new) home!

So... I got off the train in Avignon, and was greeted immediately by Steve and Joëlle Patris, the couple with whom I'll be living for the next 7+ months.  They were so nice to pick me up at the TGV station!  With the additional items I had bought in Paris, the larger of my two bags must have weighed at least 70 pounds... it would have been a pain to have to find the bus station and then take the bus to Carpentras!  Unfortunately, since it was in the afternoon, the traffic was a little bit bad, which mean that it took us a little less than an hour to get from Avignon (a city of ~100,000) to Carpentras (a city of ~25,000).  

They brought me back to their home and showed me my apartment, which is the gite that they usually rent out to tourists and travelers.  I'm very lucky to have such a spacious, beautiful place to live!  Usually apartments in France are very expensive and very tiny, but I lucked out due to the kindness of the family and the fact that Carpentras is a little more in the country than other places where I could have worked.  I've learned that it's a lot easier to keep things neat and tidy when you don't have as many things!  I've added a few little touches to make it more "my" place and less like a hotel :)  

One thing that I learned that I didn't know before- the Patris family has three sons, who all live at home.  Amoury, the youngest, is 17, and I'm not sure how old Renaud and Cédric are, but they're both older than I am.  Maybe 26 and 29ish?  I have to admit that the first dinner with the family was a little bit overwhelming.  Learning French in the U.S. and actually spending time with a French family in France is very very different!  They speak much more quickly than I'm used to and use a lot of words that I don't necessarily know... so I do my best to keep up.  My first day, I mostly just listened, but I'm gradually getting to the point where I can actually add to the conversation.  They have a phone plan that gives them unlimited minutes to call to the US, so I was able to talk to my parents, which was nice!  It's good to know I have that option if my internet connection isn't working well so I can't skype.  

Steve and Joëlle are both members of a France- Etats Unis association, which promotes good relationships between the US and France and does programs with American foreign exchange students.  There was a réunion on Saturday morning at a rose garden not far away, and they brought me with to meet the members of the group.  I'll be helping them this year by conducting some conversation tables, where I'll help people practice their English.  I met lots of people, including two women from Texas who told me that I need to s'amuser bien ("enjoy myself") with the French men ;)  We then went on a brief tour of Carpentras, and I picked up some helpful information at the tourist information building.  Steve and Joëlle had a beer and tea, respectively, at their friend Paul's restaurant which is right across from the Palais de Justice in Carpentras.  We returned home and had dinner all together, and afterward, the parents left to go see Michel Boujenah, who is apparently a famous comedian?  I followed the gamecast as the Badgers whomped on Austin Peay 70-3.  

Alors, ça suffit for maintenant- I'll keep writing later! :)