Purposeful family living - with a French twist
Bonjour! I'm Michele Cherie: francophile, teacher, writer, runner, wife, and mama to five children. I'm a non-native French speaker from the West Coast, USA. My husband and I recently relocated our family to Alsace, France. IntentionalMama shares our bilingual journey and resources for a culturally-rich family life.
When my husband and I hosted high school exchange students, they told us about the repeated conversations they had with American students during the first few weeks of school:
American: "So you're an exchange student? That's awesome! Where are you from?"
Exchange student: "I'm from Bolivia." [or Hungary, etc.]
American: "Really? That's awesome! So . . . where's Bolivia?"
Read MoreWhen I was a high school French teacher, I told my students that high school was the last time in their lives when they could take a foreign language class for free. Now that I'm raising my children in French, however, I see that my statement wasn't entirely accurate. Here are five ways to learn French or improve your knowledge of the language for free without enrolling in a class:
Read MoreThis 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!
Read MoreBliss: When did you last feel it? I am blissfully in love with a few precious people and a few things: my husband, my children, my family and some cherished friends, and everything French. Because of my French ancestry, I confidently chose French as my foreign language elective in high school. The first day of class was the first day I ever heard the language. The sounds were odd and funny, yet the phrases flowed beautifully. I couldn't wait to learn more.
Read MoreBonjour, mes amis! My family was on vacation in central Oregon earlier this week. Now that we've returned home, I love seeing my children spend long periods playing with their familiar playthings again. The old becomes new with absence!
Yesterday was a strange Thanksgiving Day for us. We celebrated with my family a day in advance, and we'll celebrate with my husband's family tomorrow, so our actual Thanksgiving Day was uneventful. The quiet of this holiday reminded me of Christmas 2004, when I was a university exchange student living in France. I spent that Christmas Eve in an inexpensive Paris hotel.
Read MoreWhether you are currently hosting an exchange student or are simply curious about what activities are highly American in nature, this list is worth reading.
Read MoreWhen I returned from an amazing year in France as a university exchange student, I wanted to continue to support international understanding. For a few years, I volunteered with Mercy Corps, an NGO bringing life-changing aid programs to those in devastated areas such as Syria and Ethiopia. My husband and I have also hosted several exchange students over the past few years. Someday soon I'll share stories about those host family experiences, but in the meantime, here are five reasons you should consider hosting an exchange student:
Read MoreTwelve years have passed since the attacks of September 11th, 2001. At the time, my now-husband and I were students working towards our Master's in Teaching degree. When we began teaching the following year, September 11th was a day of mourning marked by a moment of classroom silence, then discussion. Today's high school students no longer remember September 11th firsthand--they were too young. (It's eye-opening to see how quickly collective memory begins to disappear.) But the questions of that autumn day can still be taught: Why our nation was targeted. Why America is not loved by everyone outside her borders. And equally important, how people responded--and how we ought to respond to those who wound and scar us.
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