Submitted by Olivia Toth on the 2016 fall semester study abroad program in Paris, France…
Last week was our fall break in Paris. My family from the United States came to visit me for a week, and I was so happy to have the opportunity to introduce them to my French host family. My French parents don’t speak English very much and my Mother and grandparents don’t speak French at all, so naturally I was a bit worried that there would be huge communication problems, but we had such a good time. My French mother, who is an excellent cook, prepared a lovely lunch for my family. The main dish was smoked salmon. My Grandma thought it was funny when my French mother said the meal was simple for her because in the United States a simple lunch is something like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Seeing my two families interact was fun, and they actually understood each other a lot better than I anticipated. I think it was good for my family to see how much we actually do have in common with families from a different culture.