Letter to Host

So recently (about a week ago) I sent a letter to the woman that I am going to be staying with explaining who I am and where I come from. I did this so that she could get to know me a little buit before I showed up at her house and also so that I could get to know her. If she emailed me back... Which hasn't happened unfortunately. So naturally I wrote it in French. Knowing that few of you followers out there can actually speak French I thought I should probably translate it for you. But naturally I don't want to write the whole thing out AGAIN. So let's play a fun game! It is called laughing at translators!  

FUN FACT: When you write in a foreign language it is a TERRIBLE idea to write what you want to say in English and then translate it into French. Language doesn't work that way. It would be the equivalent of trying to take Shakespeare and put it into words that a 3 year old would understand. It just doesn't keep the same fluidity and meaning. But this is what translators are made to do. At least on the internet. And because many words can translate as other words or tenses in a translator, bad things will happen. As you will soon see!

The following is the French version of the letter put onto my blog. I then used the translate feature located on the right toolbar and put it into English. Below is the copied result:

Madame Raibaud,

My name is Kacy and I am the woman who will live with you this fall. I am twenty years old and I'm American. I live in Oregon and that on the north-west coast of the country. I am from St.Helens which is a small city with nearly twelve thousand people. My parents live there now. Unlike many others my parents are not divorced. My father is a nurse and my mother is a Spanish teacher. I also have a brother who is three years older than me who got married in July this year.  His new wife and I are very close and she is really like a sister. I have a boyfriend who also takes courses at another university in Oregon and we are the same age. Now I live with three roommates closer to the university where I'm taking classes. This may be a two-hour drive from my parents' house. My family has two dogs, two cats, and also goldfish.

My major is English literature and my minor in French language at that time. But I think maybe I'll change my major to French. I started studying French in high school and I took classes for four years there. Then I took two years of French classes at the university. I chose to study French and not Spanish because I think my mother corrected me all the time if I spoke Spanish.

I chose to go to Aix-en-Provence because I want to speak better French. I know that my French is not very good but I hope I can speak better after this semester. As I come from a small town I wanted to study in a city that is less than great. Sometimes when I'm surrounded by a lot of people I'm stressed so I chose a place with less people.

I play the flute for a set at university and I played for about ten years. I'm not very good because I do not practice much. I like to read more books recently I read the first two volumes of the series by George RR Martin called "Game of Thrones." This is a series of fiction with kings and dragons. It is very popular in the United States now. I likes to take pictures but it is not an activity that I often do. When I took courses in high school I do lights for theater and dance concerts. This is something that I like. I do that when I have the temple. So I have a great desire to go to Lyon for the Festival of Lights in December if possible.

I'm allergic to pollen but it is not very large. I'm not allergic to foods I know. But when I eat eggs sometimes I'm sick. So I do not eat eggs very often, but only I can. I love strawberries very much and my mother gave me the name "Queen of strawberries." But it is not serious. I must say that I sound a little weird sometimes every day. I have vocal cord dysfunction and this is when the vocal cords almost closes completely when I do a lot of exercises or walking on the slopes. When it happens, it's hard for me to breathe. But I know when it will start and I can stop walking or some things like that. This is not something that frequently happens but it is something you want to know. This noise is a small indirect effect that happens all the time. The noise sounds like a bird or a dog that is very fast and strong. This is similar hiccups but only one or two at once.

I think I get along well with others. Sometimes it's hard for me to find good words for my feelings. I am very shy when I meet people for the first time too. But I want to know new people. So I do not stop trying to do something. I think I'm going to miss my family because we are so close but there is Skype, yes?

Thank you for allowing me to stay home. I hope we be good friends. And if you have time is that it is possible to give me some information from you? Are you married or have children? What do you do? What activities are you interested in? Do you have other students before me? And is that there is something that you think I have that I do not think so?

Thank you a thousand times and waiting to meet you.

Sincerely,

Kacy M Helwig

Also, I have attached a picture of me for you.

See? Wasn't that just weird and silly sounding!? It is much better in French believe me! But that my friends is why you do NOT use online translators!