GOOD FOOD, GREAT WINE and EXCEPTIONAL CONVERSATIONS – NOVEMBER 2009

HIGHLIGHTS:
- 11 11 11
- Epiphanies about French culture through interactions with my students
- Breakthrough – recognizing the gypsy
- The weather and how it changes people
- Colin’s possibilities
- Lifestyle Fair
- Cremaillere(Housewarming)
- ILLNESS

11 11 11
This was a particularly powerful event for me this year. There is so much history here related to the war that it comes alive in my mind in little ways every day: memorials to classmates that are embedded in school walls; buildings that have been bombed and repaired; museums hosting photographs of the life and times of people who lived through "the war", or didn't. The stat holiday activities reflect the honour, rebellion and celebration that such a huge event as the consummation of a war deserves. We've appropriately ritualized that in Canada too, but I think what's different here is that there are physical reminders everywhere. The majority of people have had their families and communities impacted by the wars. It's the power of shared memories.

EPIPHANIES ABOUT FRENCH CULTURE
Through my students I am gaining insights into French culture. Simple exercises like "What did you do this weekend?" reveal their passions, home lives and habits. I feel privileged to have this insider's peek. I'm often amazed at how resourceful, physically driven and integrated into the Alps they are in their daily routines. Everything from biking up and down a mountain after work to restoring homes they've had in their families for three generations to creating and acting in a theatrical company to visiting elderly parents every weekend who are stubbornly sequestered in remote villages ... each of these revelations show me more layers to these passionate people, and reveal the relationships to land and family that they hold dear.

It's not all rosy. I was appalled when I taught my first set of classes and witnessed the students ignoring each other or acting bored when another person struggled to talk in English. As a student my French classes tend to be populated by 6 - 12 different cultures (ie. Turkish, German, Chilean, American, Hungarian, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, you name it and it's possible). These classes have an aura of mutual respect and attention. When I teach I spend the first class assessing goals, motivations, expectations and language levels. It was tricky figuring out how to hook the students and motivate them to pay attention to each other. I soon realized that discussion, acting and the interplay of words is what they love. I facilitated a murder mystery scenario in my classes and they loved it. They paid rapt attention and got seriously involved. It was great! They are present, intense and willing if I present an idea they can sink their teeth into.

It is with sadness that I realize I won't be integrating into this culture. I'm too Canadian. I don't regret it or apologize for it, I just recognize that I am polite and thoughtful, don't barge in front of a line or let fights in the playground work themselves out between 5 year old boys and their fists. I'm not as open-mouthed or quick to act as the majority of the French. I'm not soft either, that's not what I mean. I like to resolve conflict with a win-win. I prefer to make someone feel like sunshine has touched their life rather than prove I'm right. I love lively discussion, but want to end with a handshake and maybe even a hug. And neither culture is wrong. There is a lot for me to learn from these people, these French mountain people who are true to themselves, honest in their interactions and passionate in discussions. They are as quick to help as to point out an injustice. At the same time it's neat realizing that I am partially a product of my Mennonite upbringing and my nationality. I like being Canadian: global thinker, active outdoor-person, educated environmentalist and compassionate humanist. Even my competencies as facilitator, educator and team builder puzzle into having a Canadian outlook. It suits me like a hand-knit toque hanging in a sugar-bush shack.

I must point out here that there are many cultures in France and my diatribe is not to be taken as a generalization, but as a slice of my experiences at this moment in time (how Canadian is that statement ... think about it).


Another epiphany I've had through teaching in France is that some of the self-centered and short attention span culture I'm witnessing is due to being in the silicon valley of Europe. In Grenoble there are many head offices of global companies who are interacting with several country-cultures every day. At the same time, because a lot of the work is IT or research oriented, there are people here who are used to working long inwardly-focused hours. Sometimes they need to be obsessed to excel at what they do. In contrast to this there are four universities and the tourist industry, both of which are very social. Plus Grenoble has a history of farming, herding and industry - fabric, gloves and paper - and therefore there's a history of immigration as well. What a complicated town!

Gypsies are another faction of our population. One of our local guys who squats outside our neighbourhood bakery almost daily, is someone I greet every time I see him. We had a breakthrough the other day when I recognized him hanging out with his kids at the mall. He's my neighbour. We both acknowledge that now. I don't give him money but we give each other respect.

The weather changes people. The fall is full of festivities. The snow makes people play. I don't notice irritation so much as I see people smiling at one another, united in our experience of a grand force we cannot control. My Manitoba roots are a tickled alive in this environment.

COLIN'S POSSIBILITIES
Colin is enjoying his job - finds the problem solving stimulating and the variety of clientele refreshing. At the same time we know we eventually want to end up in Canada again so he's keeping his ear to the ground regarding opportunities in Victoria. A few potential positions have crossed his path but none of them are due to come to fruition before next summer. We'll keep you posted on any new developments.

LIFESTYLE FAIR
The lifestyle fair was fun! The enormous exhibit was held at Alpexpo and showcased sports and hobbies, food, clothes, home works, gardening, furniture, technology, farming techniques, wine, kitchen appliances, etc., etc., etc. It offered us an opportunity to examine lifestyle habits across Europe, taste local foods and wines, and enjoy the theme - Italy. Plus Callum and I timed it right and got in free!

CREMAILLERE
We had a hoppin' housewarming. On November 6, 38 adults and 6 children warmed our home with their laughter and conversation. Good food, great wine and exceptional people. Our friends are from Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Persia, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S.A. The album below also includes photos of our place the morning after the party (but I show them first). The master bedroom is actually FREE of boxes!!!

DISCIPLINED WRITING
I miss writing. Between adopting a new country, acclimatizing my family to France, being a student of French and working in a fresh area of my chosen profession, my creative life – my essential life – has been delegated the back seat. In the New Year I will realign my goals.

ILLNESS
The down side to November was that at least three weeks of it passed in a blur. H1N1 struck our household hard. I didn't want to admit to H1N1 at first, because so many people were dramatic about the epidemic and I didn't want to cry wolf. But our doctor is convinced that H1N1 is what we had. There were no other flues going around at the time in our area, we had all the symptoms and the only other times I have been that sick were when I couldn't walk (because of my back) and when I had an appendicitis attack. I recovered faster from giving birth than I did from this flu!

Colin - had a cold, H1N1, an ear/nose/throat infection and then got strep throat.
Callum - had H1N1 quite badly - delirious during four nights of fever and hit all the symptoms head-on. Good news: he skipped the lice and scarlet fever that were doing the rounds at his school. Bad news: he was choked that he missed the field trip to the art gallery. I'm pleased that Ecole Maternelle Marceau is successfully fostering a love of art in my preschooler.
Me - after a week and a half of tending to sickies and not sleeping through the night, I fell prey to H1N1. So sick it hurt to move my eyeballs.
The great news is: We're all immune for 3 - 5 years!

Schools here were hit hard, especially the ones with kids aged 3 - 6. Can you imagine what they touch and how many times a day they put their fingers in their noses and their mouths? H1N1 was in optimal territory! One mom I know, her son's class of 26 kids had only a few kids one day. Another mom told me a similar story, 20 out of 28 were down for the count. Parents of little kids fell like trees in a Canadian forest. It was brutal. It seems to be better now though and I'm glad quarantine for our family is OVER! I actually turned to "Farmville", a games application on Facebook, for solace and space when we were all cooped up in our apartment. ANY flu is contagious for seven days. And the first day people generally have not cottoned on to the fact that they're sick. Do yourself and everyone else a favour and stay home if you are not well. Take a reprieve from the madness of life and return refreshed.

Be well.

With joy, Ramona