Birth, Two Worlds Apart: Part 3 - Julie and Regina's Story

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What a joy it is to know Julie Engeman (a former classmate) and follow her journey as an American midwife living in Zambia! Julie's stories have opened my eyes to the realities of birth and maternal care in less developed countries. She has seen the injustice of Zambian hospitals where the care that people receive is entirely based on their income level or tribal group. She has seen the corruption and life-threatening "treatments" that are common there--and yet she chooses to persist in her work, bringing life and encouragement to mothers and babies. Just last week, Julie shared Regina's story:

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French & American Children's Fiction: Comparing Cultural Clues

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As my children grow towards school-age, we're reading a larger variety of short stories in French and English, and I'm delighting in the subtle differences along the way. Fiction stories are culture capsules--they rarely reveal culture overtly, but the more one reads, the more one sees how the stories reflect cultural tendencies. At the risk of wading into stereotypes, I'll share the key differences I've noticed:

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Remembering Easter in France: Church, Chimes, & Chocolate

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This week between Palm Sunday and Easter, Holy Week, brings back my memories of Easter (Pâques) in France. During my first exchange in France ten years ago, I lived on the campus of a Protestant theology school in Aix-en-Provence. (That's unusual for a homestay situation, but my host parents were employed there.) On Easter morning, a French friend drove me to an outdoor Easter sunrise service in a nearby village; the sunrise was glorious and I appreciated the opportunity to celebrate the resurrection of Christ with a small group of wonderful French families.

Afterwards, my host maman, host soeur and I had lunch at a friend's home where we enjoyed a meal featuring a succulent roast lamb--the first time I'd ever tasted lamb. (I'd been vegetarian for a few months before I lived in France, but chose to expand my eating preferences to educate my taste buds and to make meal preparation easier on my host family. I've eaten meat ever since.) It was far better than the mutton (aged sheep) I'd eaten in England!

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Global Mom: An Interview with Melissa Dalton-Bradford

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It's rare to find a book that enhances your knowledge of world cultures while embracing you as a cherished family friend and confidante, yet Melissa Dalton-Bradford does exactly this in her memoir, Global Mom: Eight Countries, Sixteen Addresses, Five Languages, One Family. More than a collection of tales of family globetrotting, Global Mom recounts with humor and honesty her family's journey through life-altering circumstances, and the result is a book that brims with touching truths and memorable moments.

Ever gracious, Melissa agreed to answer some questions I had for her after reading her book. (She responded from Geneva while preparing for their upcoming move to Frankfurt.) It's an honor to share her responses with you here.

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Carnival in France through Children's Eyes

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Living in the U.S., I've always associated Mardi Gras with the beaded necklaces and parade trinkets linked to the New Orleans celebration. Now that I am raising my children in French, however, I've learned that the pre-Lent carnival season in France is largely an occasion for children to celebrate, somewhat like Halloween in the U.S. Here's what I mean:

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