Where is home and what brought you to America?

 

Home is Bordeaux, France. I spent a year studying to pass an exam for university. Then someone contacted me to play tennis in the states and I decided "why not?" I studied at a junior college in California before coming to Judson.

Oh that's really cool! What are you studying?

I'm studying business marketing.

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Nice. So I actually had the opportunity to visit France this past summer, and I really loved it, but could you tell me a little more about your home country and maybe your favorite thing about it?

The food is another big thing. French food is definitely my favorite. In France, food is very important and having lunch, or dinner with your family is really important. The French government and all public institutions are laïc which means they are not related to religion. This is important because it comes from the French Revolution in 1789 and the abolition of privileges to the church. Therefore, French people are not very Christian and there is a wide variety of different cultures. Finally, I think something that represents France quite well is our national anthem "La Marseillaise" and the French motto "liberty, equality, fraternity". The ability to travel to different countries easily is also really nice. Visiting a new place or country is sometimes just a train ride or quick flight away.

Wow, well I would definitely agree with you on that! The French food I had was really delicious. The ability to easily travel is also really cool. It's kind like living in the United States and travel to different states. With all that in mind, what has been your favorite thing about living in the states? 

The sports and university culture is really great. It is accepted. In France you don't get rewarded for being an athlete as much as you do here.

 

That's really interesting. I've never really considered there to be such a difference in the sports/academia culture. Now would you be able to share your least favorite thing about home?

French people are generally known to complain a lot. I don't think they fully realize or appreciate some of their social advantages such as free healthcare.

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That's really frustrating and I think it's something we all do at some point whether we mean to or not. Following up with that, what has been your least favorite thing about living in the States?

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I don't really know how to say this properly, but there is a lot of senseless and non open-minded people. May be due to a lack of traveling opportunities? Another thing is the guns and weapons culture which is not really big in France.

I would agree with you on that. America is diverse, but engagement with the different cultures is lacking. We're not truly benefitting from the diversity around us. To go along with that, what are some major assumptions people make about your culture?

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People have a stereotypical image of a French person. They envision someone holding baguettes under their arm, or eating a croissant and are always holding a bottle of wine. The person is wearing a stripped shirt with a black beret standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. In addition, people always like to ask questions about Paris.

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That's really interesting and it's definitely something I've pictured before. As a kid who dreamed of going to France, Paris is specific, the image you just describe is pretty close to what I envisioned. With that being said, why do you think it's important for others to invest in and want to learn about other's cultures?

As we talk about it, investing in other people's culture helps us understand our neighbors more and opens our minds to the world around us which is really important. To me, not wanting to learn about others and trying to understand them is dangerous and rather not smart.

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What are you most proud of about your culture?

The countryside! All of the scenery, history, and architecture are really great. There is so much to see and to experience.

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I believe that! I took French for six years in school and was able to learn a little bit about the French countryside and it all looked really beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing. It was great hearing about a culture I've always been interested in. Looking ahead, what recipe are you going to be sharing?

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I will be making crêpes!