How is life going abroad?

    It is coming up to four months abroad on December 1, the time has really flown by! It will be five months in total that we will have been away from Vancouver. Today I went grocery shopping with the family we are staying with and it made me laugh when I was sent on a mission to find some items and I knew exactly where to go and what products would be awaiting me. I guess that is the biggest thing Ive noticed about adjusting to life abroad...the everyday stores that used to be foreign and unknown are becoming common. Instead of thinking, 'Oh, we will stop by at Save-On-Foods and buy some milk', I am now automatically thinking, 'Oh, we will stop by at Intermarche and grab some milk'. I also find myself craving products on the shelves here and even recognizing brands I perfer and dislike. Surprisingly enough I've even found boulangerie chains I do not like or others that I do...it's a really neat feeling transitioning from a tourist to a temporary resident of a foreign country.
    I still am finding that I have everything that I could possibly need in my backpack and I recently even sent some clothing back home. It's so liberating having absolutely nothing! All I really need is a camera, some paper and pen and a couple pieces of clothing. It's funny because as I'm writing this paragraph I'm looking around the room to see if there are some other important things Ive packed...but quite honestly there really isn't! One thing I will be honest about though, is how nice it is to have a piece of technology with you; whether that's a tablet, IPad or laptop. Having one will allow you to cut down on space used for books, games, dictionaries ect. and allow you to have it all in one unit. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy having some technology with me, because I do. It allows me to have entertainment, keep in touch with family and friends, have access to translators and keep me up-to-date with news back home. Being a completely honest traveller...I'd recommend having some form of technology with you when you travel for long periods of time.
    Our French is improving greatly day by day, and we are at the level where we now can slowly communicate pretty much whatever we need to in some form or another. Hearing people speak is still very difficult as the speed is very fast. Listening to the radio helps alot and listening to the language being spoken at the dinner table has been great as well. We can definitely understand more than when we first arrived. The best part for me at this point with learning a new language, is that now it does not sound like one long word like it did in the beginning. I now can pick out each individual word and understand a great majority of them...the next step is to keep pace and piece together the words fast enough. I really look forward to the day when it 'clicks' and my brain can keep up with the pace!
    My favourite items I have with me at the moment are random items I've collected over the past four months such as a peacock feather and an Italian peculator! Very odd (and impractical) items to have as a backpacker, but these are the things I've collected or have had given to me and I cherish the most. I even picked up a set of copper pots at a flea market in Liseaux the other weekend! They are gorgeous pots with old handles and embossed 'made in France' prints and although they will be painful to move around...I love them and I feel it's worth it! Along with the peacock feather, pots and peculator, you can also find in my bag; artisan leather work boots, an apron given to me as a gift, a wool dress jacket (from a fashion show), collection of recipes and even bread levain (starter)! I laugh when I look at these odd items I've collected and I'm so happy to know I will have them for years to come giving me the best thing of all...memories.