Sorry, I seem to have dropped off the face of the Earth for a few days......
Our French student has arrived! I took Friday off and cleaned ALL DAY. Lea arrived at 7 that evening. She is only 13, and speaks only a little English. Which makes it tough, because Rachael speaks only a little French!
Thank God for http://www.freetranslation.com/. It has saved our lives these first couple of days. We type in what we want to say in English and it translates it to French for her to read. Then she types in something in French, and it translates it to English for us. At least I was able to figure out what she likes for breakfast.
So far, we have taken her to Rachael's band rehearsal, to Louisville's Waterfront Park (where Rachael and her friends took her for a ride on a 4-person bike carriage ride), out to lunch, to the mall, and finally to Stephanie's family's Halloween party, where Rachael's band performed. She seems to be having fun. Tomorrow we are going to do some sightseeing, then there is a pizza party for all the French students and their hosts. I'm sure she will be glad to see some of her friends and talk!
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On another topic, I have been found out. I know we have all had this happen to us, but someone has located my blog. Somehow, with my "real" e-mail address, which has my REAL name on it, she has "Google"ed my name, and connected it to my blog. She also found out a lot of other information about me and my family, including my kids' names and where they go to school. I honestly have to say I feel a little......exposed.....for lack of a better word. I was very upset to find out that someone could find out so much about me, with only my name and my e-mail address. I am not really going to change much of what I write here, but I guess I will have to stop using the e-mail address that had my name on it, and start going by some vague pseudonym like "J. Hoosier". (rolling eyes)
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Last but not least.....I had an encounter today with a couple of people. One of them I know somewhat, and the other I just met today. I can't really explain, due to the above issue, but the whole encounter just left me feeling strange and sad. Both of them are lonely people, for different reasons. One of them - the person I already knew a little bit - I would like to know better. But we'll see....I feel sort of empty tonight, reflective. I know I'm being vague, and I'm sorry. It's a weird world.
Have a great weekend.
J.
14 comments:
Your French student situation seems interesting. Is the French student's family taking an American student into their home in exchange?
Why on earth is this person so interested in gathering all this personal and family information about you?
I hope everything works out OK now that the "encounter" has occurred. Of course it's a weird world, after all I'm in it. ;-)
I hope that your French student has a great experience here so she can go back and tell the rest of her countrymen we are not all arrogant bastards.
I found the real identity of another blogger quite by accident by googling a last name for fun. I haven't passed this info along and I hope your detective will do you the same courtesy.
When I got divorced back in the Juraissic period, I met up with an old girlfriend that I had dated in high school. We has been fairly serious when I did something stupid and we broke up. We went out once and spent the evening just looking at each other, realizing that we had both changed so much that it would be impossible to rekindle what we once had. I has that same reflective, sad feeling then.
By the time she leaves she might be really good speaking English and you guys might all be speaking French.
Brother Dave - She is staying with us for 10 days. If I can come up with the money for the plane ticket, Rachael will get to go to France in the spring and stay with her.
Why is she gathering information about me? I have my theories, but nothing I can be sure about. She's paranoid, that I know.
Just Dave - She seems to be having a good time. She is talking more, and finally eating more.
Jay - I know she is learning some English. So far, I know she has learned "silly", "loud" and "spooky". I don't know about our French!
J.
Have fun with your French exchange student. How cool!
I'm sorry about that exposed feeling. I know it too well. Just keep yourself safe!
Exchanges are fun. I was able to go to Ukraine for about 3 weeks. It was a blast. At, sixteen, I loved every second of it. It helped that lots of people spoke English!
Yup, it was the fear of being found that made me switch up the whole blogging thing! Good luck with that. If you go dark, I'll understand. :)
I agree, that's way "kewl" having a French student staying with you for 10 days. You might make her feel really at home if you fix a batch of snails for dinner one evening. ;-)
I hope you get things sorted out with your "freaky friend." Of course, I realize she's not your friend. At least she's not stalking you. Maybe. ;-)
Thank goodness not every day is a "strange" one. :-)
Is that how they do exchange students now? 10 days? When I was in school, they came for the whole school year. Being a parent now, I would say that was way too long, but talk about immersion!
Being "found out" by a stranger is spooky. Being "found out" by an acquaintance may be even spookier.
I hope you're feeling better and had a good weekend J.
Good for you - and your French exchange student. It sounds like you have been showing her a good time.
Keeping secrets sucks. I used to, don't any longer. Now I'm upfront and honest with everyone so I don't have to be embarrassed later. It works! And better yet, it keeps those whom I don't like away from me and keeps those whom I love near me!
Regarding foreign exchange students... I was put off by them altogether when some german exchangers came to my high school once. They were grumpy and pissed the entire time that the didn't get to go to New York or Hollywood, but were stuck in Oklahoma. Ingrates.
But your post has changed my mind a little in favor of the deal.
I understand your concern and unsettled feeling about being 'found'. I write a blog that started because we have a motel/bed and breakfast in northern Michigan and our guests enjoyed my snowmobile reports and I just started a blog... but its very uncomfortable when people I don't know critize everything I do/say and are mean about it, and I am so exposed. Being a business owner though, especially a motel we have very little privacy... which makes it difficult lifestyle. Blogging helps keep my sanity, although I am not totally open about my feelings. Might loose business if I said what I thought about some of our guests. HA.
Your blog is an enjoyable read.
Glad things are going well with your French student.
As far as being "found" I understand why it is unsettling. That is precisely why I used my yahoo addy when setting up my blog because it won't identify me too much...better safe than sorry!!
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