Mon Ami

We have had a friend from France living with us for the better part of the summer, and it has been a wonderful time! We met Marjolaine through a friend of a friend, and were excited to host her as she improves her English, and experienced life in America. Well, she says we have lived up to her American expectations, (all except for the fact that we are not obese, and the fact that we actually do eat vegetables) and it seems that she has enjoyed being here as much as we have enjoyed having her. In fact, the kids asked how much longer she was staying, and almost started crying when I told them she will only be here another three more weeks.
It has been fun learning how similar we are and how different we are. And there have been quite a few funny things to learn on both ends...for example: that neither French fries, French toast, or French dressing really come from France; or the fact that not everyone in the whole world puts their pajamas under their pillow during the day. And novel experiences like going through the drive through at the bank (we have solidified the thought that Americans do anything they can to avoid having to get out of their car). And lastly, finding out how many things are really truly "American"...like Jell-O.
It has been the best cross cultural experience we have had, and we didn't even have to go anywhere. So, I'll sign off by saying one of the many phrases we have all learned...goodnight, or "bonne nuit". (The kids think it sounds like bunny...so sometimes we say bunny now instead of goodnight.)
Here is a picture of our friend Marjo who we have grown to love!