So my host mom probably thinks I'm a total weirdo for being so polite, but I'm still navigating the treacherous waters of French society. According to every authority at AUP that's spoken to us about interacting with French people, this society is a very polite one in which it may take you months to be called "tu" (as opposed to the more polite "vous") by a friend. However, Abby, the previous boarder, told me that my host mom is a lot more informal than other host families (even if I had already committed several faux pas IN THE FIRST DAY which Abby helped smooth over by explaining that I'd never gone to France and was not used to it at all). Still, I can't help but use "vous" and overusing the words "d'accord" (okay) and "merci" (thank you) as well as always greeting her formally. (To lessen the tension, though, I tend to greet her in a funny way, like "hel-looooooooo" and "good-byyyyyye" just so I don't feel so dorky about being formal).
I just mentioned this because I used "merci" like five times in the last conversation we just had, which was about doing laundry (I'm lucky in that she'll even do it for me) and my borrowing the iron. As I said the last "merci" she just kind of laughed and I'm not quite sure how to take that... is she thinking like "this girl is really overly polite and should loosen up" or "this girl is a complete dork" (which isn't too far from the truth)? She has been very, very generous and welcoming but I still worry here and there whether I'm crossing the line or what; the cultural minutiae and language barrier are really doing NOTHING to alleviate my neurosis.
Like foreals.
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