Christmas Eve Eve (the 23rd in other words) was spent traveling across France toward the town of Vichy. A French friend of Lórien's, Justin, invited us to his home for Christmas. The day before was his cousin's birthday dinner, which we were also invited to, and that was hosted at a mansion-like castle. If you ever find yourself eating traditional meals in France, there are a couple things you learn very quickly: 1) Dinner doesn't start until around nine. (Yes, 9 p.m.) 2) Meals last around three hours (Yes, 3 hours). 3) Before you eat, you stand around with pre-dinner drinks and snacks. 4) There are multiple courses and you eat them all with wine. 5) Every meal ends with cheese ("fromage" in French). 6) And the French really like their desserts. The meal at the castle was fancy and delicious. The best part wasn't the food though. This was a French family that mostly spoke French, believe it or not. I do not speak French. This barrier led to a beautiful linguistic dance between my many new acquaintances in Justin's family. Most older people know one or two English words, so conversations are mostly gesturing. The younger French people usually know more, but they don't seem very confident when they speak and struggle to find the right words. However, many of the French people I spoke to spoke Spanish better. So for many of my conversations French people spoke Spanish at me and I responded in English. It was a fairly effective system. On Christmas Eve, Justin's family drove us through the French countryside to their delightful house in a teeny-tiny town. Every fifteen minutes on the drive we would see another castle or another church, and we made multiple stops that let us really explore a much more "real" part of France. Everything is so much older in France; the original part of Justin's parents' house was completed around the 1750s, making it older than the United States. We arrived in fog, which made everything look like a fairy tale, and there were sheep and more traditional meals and lots of wine. Everything I ate was amazing and I was blown away by the hospitality I received from Justin's family. It was difficult to spend Christmas away from my own family, but being with someone else's family was the next best thing. It was a one of a kind cultural experience that was truly incredible. I picked up a few new French words as well. So from France I wish you all a Joyeux Noël!
1 Comment
Christophe
2/28/2018 02:54:05 pm
Hi Dear Amy,
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Amy Golden
Amy will be spending the academic year at the University of Sunderland in England studying journalism. Archives
February 2018
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