Swim Lessons: Reflecting on a Childhood Rite of Passage

June 26, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Cultural Reflections, French Culture, Reflections on Parenting

Growing up in Southern California, swimming was as integral to my summers as the guarantee of scalding my feet on hot sidewalks. My mama enrolled me in swim lessons at age four, but I clung to her leg with ferocity when I saw that lessons meant joining dozens of unfamiliar kids in the shallow end of an Olympic-sized pool. A male lifeguard tried to cajole me into joining them, but when it became apparent that I wouldn't budge, my mama gave him permission to pry me off her leg and toss me in. By the end of the summer I advanced enough to manage a mean bellyflop off the high dive.

Child-Friendly French Events in the Pacific Northwest, Summer 2014:

June 12, 2014 by Michele Cherie in French Culture, French Language Learning

C'est l'été (it's nearly summer, anyway)! Here's a list of child-friendly French events in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. taking place this summer:

World Cup / Tour de France Airing at St. Honoré Boulangerie (June/July):

St. Honoré Boulangerie has such delightful French ambiance and authentic pastries (at any of their three locations around Portland) that it's always a treat to visit, but this month you'll have the excuse of enjoying a pain au chocolat with your child while watching the World Cup soccer games on a surreptitious flat-screen télé. Return again in July during the Tour de France programming to enjoy another perfect pastry.

May Day & Lily of the Valley: Bringing Happiness to Others

May 01, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Contentment, French Culture, Education

On May 1st in France, you'll see le muguet (Lily of the Valley) sold everywhere on the city streets--more than 50 million stems of its blooms are bought in France each May Day to give to friends and neighbors. The tradition dates to the Renaissance, when Charles IX offered it to those around him as porte-bonheur--to bring good luck and happiness. The flower is also a favorite for spring wedding bouquets, having been chosen by Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn (in her wedding to Andrea Dotti and in Funny Face), and Kate Middleton.

French & American Children's Fiction: Comparing Cultural Clues

April 22, 2014 by Michele Cherie in American Culture, Cultural Reflections, French Culture, Teaching French

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:

Remembering Easter in France: Church, Chimes, & Chocolate

April 17, 2014 by Michele Cherie in Cultural Reflections, French Culture, International Exchange, American Culture

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!