Anouchka Talks

The center of La Cr èche (the Nativity) at Notre Dame de Paris  is surrounded by other santons  (little saints) and people of the community (i.e. the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker...).  The display fills the sanctuary. Un sapin de Noël  in front of Notre Dame de Paris Un chat  framed by Christmas decorations on a snowy afternoon in Rochejean (French-Swiss border) Le Père  Noël (Father Christmas/Santa Claus) climbs a wall in Rochejean (French-Swiss border). La Grande Rue (Main Street) is rainy, but decked out in decorations for Christmas in Besançon.

Our time in France has been delightful, and Habibi and I will never forget our first international trip together as a couple.  As I write this final entry from my cramped seat on the plane ride home, I feel contemplative and rather introspective.  For the past six and a half years, I have been searching for ways to move and work abroad.  While I would still love to do so, I currently find myself ready to return home to my Midwestern city where everything makes sense to me.  I love the French and have a profound appreciation for their language and culture, but I also feel very strongly that it is in learning about other languages and cultures that we can come to appreciate our own.  As many similarities as there are between the populations of the U.S. and of Europe, I have come to realize that I will always be a foreigner here - an outsider.  Please don't misunderstand me, however; this is not necessarily a bad thing!  It is simply a fact. As I consi...

(Sincerest apologies for the two-week delay in my posting.  I blame the holidays and so should you.) le 8 à 10 novembre Making the final drive from Rouen to Paris was bittersweet.  While we had greatly enjoyed our scenic drives through the French countryside, we were relieved to no longer have to concern ourselves with paid parking, toll roads and unspoken French traffic etiquette.   We spotted a castle on one of our many scenic drives (this one from Paris to the Franche-Comt é ).  Imagine seeing this on the interstate!!! Despite the je fais ce que je veux  attitude that colors French driving, I found myself saddened by the fact that we would no longer be frequenting the French gas stations I had grown to love over the course of our trip.  The little cups of gas station  café will forever remain a fond memory, as will the manner in which the French typically stop to drink it, rather than chugging it on the road.  The friendly gas...

le 6 à 7 novembre Our final morning in Bayeux began with a little last-minute shopping for souvenirs for the folks back home.  Let's be real:  You cannot come back from a European trip without Chinese-made garbage for your friends and family!  (Yes,  fabriqué en Chine exists in France, too!)  After picking up a few essentials, we hit the road to Rouen, which had been one of my top favorite French cities to date. To my dismay, however, the beautiful city -known worldwide for being the location of Joan of Arc's trial and execution- was not as I remembered it.  Perhaps it was the weather, as France in mid-autumn is much different than France in late spring.  The streets -although still rather lively- were less scenic than I remembered.  The façades of the exposed timber buildings were nowhere near as picturesque.  Despite this, I still found myself as intrigued by the city's history as I had before. After installing ourselves ...