The Australian student reports
Many cultural differences but many similar fundamental elements too
By Anni South (from Melbourne)
It is difficult to remember exactly how I expected living with a family in France would be six weeks ago.
- Groupe de Julie, Albane, Zelia avec leurs correspondantes
During the long flight from Melbourne, I was filled with excitement and a little apprehension as I thought about how different daily life could be from in Australia.
I was surprised to find that, almost immediately after my arrival into my incredibly warm new family, I felt completely at home. I soon came to realize that despite many cultural differences, family life in France possesses the same fundamental elements as in my home country.
Of course, I encountered many differences as well. Trying to explain and learn about how French and Australian life differed, which for me is one of the key ideas behind this exchange, in a language in which I was not yet confident, turned out frequently to be a hilarious experience.
One of the differences which I noticed first related to food. I was amazed at how much later in the evening families in France eat dinner and at the quality of the food that is so readily available. I came to greatly look forward to the Saturday morning trips to the local market to admire the fantastic produce and meet the cheerful vendors.
I imagine that it is due to the fact that France has developed one particular culture of a long period of time that I found that French cooking is based on a solid base of tradition, whereas Melbourne’s cultural melting pot creates a diverse range of food.
At its core, I found the values and spirit in my new home to be the same as those which I had briefly left behind in Australia. I soon found that despite cultural and language differences, that the people with whom I had spent six of the most amazing weeks of my life had become a second family.
Dernière modification le 02-02-10 par
