Dear Laura,
亲爱的劳拉，
Thanks for your message. Yes, I'm having a great time on my student exchange program in France.
谢谢你给我发来的短信。是的，我正享受交换到法国后的美好时光。
I was a bit nervous before I arrived here, but there was no reason to be.
来到这里之前我有些紧张，但其实没有理由这样。
My host family is really nice. They go out of their way to make me feel at home.
我的寄宿家庭非常的好。他们想尽办法让我感觉像在家里一样。
The grandmother knows that I miss Chinese food a lot. So she actually learned how to make Chinese food!
祖母知道我想念中国的食物。所以她竟然学做中国菜！
She also has a teenage granddaughter about my age who is really kind. She always talks to me in French to help me practice.
她还有一个大约和我同岁的孙女，也非常好。她总用法语和我交流帮助我练习。
You wouldn't believe how quickly my French has improved because of that. I'm very comfortable speaking French now.
你也许不信，我的法语因此很快得到了改善。现在我很适应讲法语。
Although I still make lots of mistakes, it doesn't worry me as it used to. My biggest challenge is learning how to behave at the dinner table.
尽管我仍会犯很多错误，但它不再像以前那样困扰我了。我最大的挑战是学习餐桌礼仪。
As you can imagine, things are very different from the way they are at home. For example, you're not supposed to put your bread on your plate.
正如你想象的那样，这些风俗与国内的非常不同。例如，不应该把面包放在你的盘子里。
You're supposed to put it on the table! I thought that was pretty strange at first, but now I'm used to it.
你应该把它放在桌子上！开始我觉得这很奇怪，但现在我习惯了。
Another example is that you're not supposed to eat anything with your hands except bread, not even fruit. You have to cut it up and eat it with a fork.
另一个是，除了面包，你不应该用手吃任何东西，水果也不行。你必须把它切开，用餐叉吃。
Another thing is that it is impolite to say that you're full. If you don't want any more food, you should just say, "That was delicious."
另一件事是，说你吃饱了是不礼貌的。如果你不需要吃更多的食物，你应该说，“真好吃。”
Also, you're not supposed to put your elbows on the table. I have to say that I find it difficult to remember everything, but I'm gradually getting used to it.
还有，你不应该将手肘放上桌。我必须说，要记住所有事很困难，但是我渐渐习惯了。
I don't find French customs so strange anymore. I'll write again soon and tell you more about my life in France. Hope you're having a good school year.
我不再觉得法国习俗很奇怪了。我会再给你写信告诉你更多关于我在法国的生活。祝你度过一个愉快的学年。
Yours, Lin Yun
祝好，林云
