La France

So here I am.
Let's take it from the beginning.
Monday, little more than a week ago, me and my parents set off in a pickup packed with probably about half of what i own.
After two days of speeding on german autobahns and french highways (I drove in 140 km / h weee) we arrived in Rodez. My new home.
After some driving back and forth we found the right place, and met my mentor. Her name is Kristin Olewinski. She is originally German, hence the non french sounding name. She is really short, which sometimes bothers me x), but she is nice. The best thing is that her English is excellent, since no one, and I mean no one around here speaks English. Okay, I am supposed to use french, but it is nice to be able to express thoughts a little less primitive than "thank you, I am fine" etc.
Anyhow, they didn't really have time to deal with me until the 10th, so I spent one day driving around in the area with my parents. We found some adorable little villages. Straight out of a storybook, old stone houses, several hundred years old, stacked together on these mountain sides, and small gardens filled with roses and God knows what.
The apartment that they gave me is beyond expectations. By far. According to my father, it is about 40 m2. It is completely new, finished some month ago, consists of a living room/kitchen, a ridiculously large bathroom (it is handicap adjusted) and a bedroom with a king size bed. I am very happy with it, thought they told me that they'll have to move me if anyone with a wheelchair moves into the house...
I however don't have a television, radio nor Internet in my room. This is quite a new experience for me... The first couple of days, when I was left all on my own, with nothing to do, I felt slightly isolated, but found comfort in my computer, packed with series and films, and also in my dear guitar. It has hit me, how I can never feel alone when I create. Whether it is drawing or playing music, it is the best way to drive feelings of isolation away. I haven't really discovered this before, me never living alone, and if these feelings have arisen I have silenced them ether with the Internet or with a TV. You learn something new every day, they say. Not sure if that's true, but I feel I've learned something anyway.
I took a walk through the area last Sunday, and had an uncomfortable feeling of being slightly afraid of everyone I saw. I certainly have to get rid of that feeling.. Not sure where it came from. Probably I am just feeling a bit alienated. Everything improved once I could start working on Monday though. The staff, and also the residents are all very friendly.
I was a bit scared when the boss told me (translated by Kristin) with a serious look on his face, that this is not an easy job. That I have to make people integrate, and that requires lots of initiative from me. The little shy Swede in me shivered and wanted to say that "I can't talk to people, I can't take initiatives, I just want to mind my own business". Of course I didn't listen to the little Swede in me, and certainly didn't let her out of my mouth.
I got to work in the Cafeteria, and it went fine, apart from them leaving me alone there (event though they promised they wouldn't since I don't know all the procedures) and I had to stay for one hour longer than I was supposed to. (Til 23 that is). There was a french guy keeping me company though, it was hard keeping a conversation with him, and he even when I did understand what he was saying it was mostly "Je pas..eh" (slang for Je ne sais pas = I don't know).
Oh, I didn't explain what this place is really, It is like a place where people between 16 and 30 can live while they're studying, working, or looking for a job. Also Immigrants who are waiting for their asylum can live here, and old people with a certain amount of autonomy.
Today I went up to a hill, 15 minutes from here, and eat my breakfast with a 360 degree view. That was pretty nice.
Yesterday I had french course with the immigrants. It was strange having lessons in french, and only french is spoken, the immigrants not understanding English (honestly I don't think the teacher knows English either). Massive amounts of time is used for trying to explain words that I know the meaning of but can't find any synonyms or explanations for in french..

I will not write more at the moment. I know people in this era don't read anything on the internet that's longer than half a page anyway. I am the same.

Wish me luck