I have to admit, doing my 365 photo project makes it a little harder to write here as well. January has been mostly quiet except for one extraordinary thing: I've made a French friend! I met her through work and we got to talking about knitting. She contacted me a couple of weeks ago because she wanted me to show her some knitting stuff, and since she was willing to come all the way out to Tiny Town I invited her over for coffee. We had a really great visit and we didn't even see the time pass! I'm really looking forward to hanging out with her again.
I'm having a hard time trying to express how huge this is for me. I have, of course, made lots of anglo friends since I've lived here, a few of whom I consider to be very close friends. Of course the fact that they all live far away from me doesn't help. But making a French friend is something that has eluded me for six years. I've had a few acquaintances, people I would certainly stop in the street and talk to or even meet for coffee but this, for the first time, I willingly wanted to invite someone into my house. Not because she bothered to contact me, but because I think she's cool and I'd like to get to know her better.
The other thing is that Fry and I have been very sick this week. A particularly nasty gastro, or stomach bug, is floating around. Stéphane seems to be pretty much immune to them (being exposed to them for years at school I think has done it) and usually I am as well, but it looks like Fry picked it up from him and then passed it on to me. We are both on the upswing and getting our appetites back, thank goodness! It's times like this that I'm really grateful to be working part time (and even less than part time right now!) because this week would have been a logistical nightmare if both of us were working full time! Up until now we've been so lucky, Fry has certainly had his share of the sniffles but I don't think he's been this sick in over a year. I guess we have more of this to look forward to...
5 comments:
It's nice to hear / well... read that you got to make a real friend in France, that lovely country where I would like to live too.
It's great reading your Blog. Have the nicest of days. Antonio (Zaloette) from Spain
Making French friends isn't easy. Back when I studied in Besancon I had 2 male French friends at the end of my 6 month stay. The family who owned the salon de the I frequented also befriended me. That was the extent of it. I found one of my male French friends 2 years ago on facebook. We saw each other in Paris, where he lives, last April after not being in contact for 31 years! We had a great time with him and his kids. It was almost like no time had passed!
Vivi - I've got to see to say I'm very taken with the 365 photo project. I don't normally like tumblr blogs (dfficult to review) but your photo project works very well on it.
All the best
Keith
Get better soon and have fun!!
French society can seem very reserved to us gregarious anglophones, can it not? (Not that I would have considered myself particularly open or gregarious before I came to France.) And yet there seems to be a compromise, too - it seems very normal to be on your own, with the company of your own thoughts, whilst in public and(indirectly, diffusely) in the company of others. It is so normal to go to a cafe and have coffee or lunch or dinner on your own here - whereas this would seem odd and a little sad in most Anglo-heritage societies. There's a certain charm to it, I think.
It's also a great consolation for us whilst we search out those elusive French friends! Bon chance & all the best.
Anais
www.fabulousinparis.blogspot.com
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