Tag Archives: Caen

French kissing

Posted on February 14, 2011 by

Note: This post was voted Expatica France’s best blog for 2010/2011. I wonder what fool it was that first invented kissing. ~ Jonathan Swift It’s always seemed strange to me that the two acceptable greeting gestures in French society are the … Continue reading →

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We’ll always have Tiger Balm

Posted on December 6, 2010 by

I find scent to be the most evocative of the senses. The nose might as well be connected by a superhighway directly to the temporal lobe, where all our luscious memories are stashed away. The merest whiff of some long-forgotten … Continue reading →

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French cooking for (expat) dummies

Posted on November 19, 2010 by

Oh là là! According to Lonely Planet, French gastronomy has just been added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. (So that’s two things I learned today, because I wasn’t even aware that such a list has existed since … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, France | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

What my unknown soldier taught me about remembrance

Posted on November 10, 2010 by

I’ve dutifully observed Remembrance Day my entire life. When I was young, I understood perfectly well its origins and its purpose, but I didn’t feel, in my guts, any real connection to the people I was supposed to be memorializing. … Continue reading →

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My life as an au pair. Chapter 2: In which I grow a pair

Posted on July 7, 2010 by

When I arrived in France to start my au pair adventure, fresh-faced and all of 19 years old, I thought I would easily integrate into French life. Instead, culture shock and isolation – as well as an introverted personality that … Continue reading →

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