I spent my junior year abroad in Vern-sur-Seiche, a small town outside of Rennes, France. Rennes is the gateway to Brittany, an area known for retaining its Celtic roots and traditions. I lived with the Foucher family and though we had kept in touch with yearly Christmas cards, this would be the first time we would see each other in person in 23 years.All of my photographs from that time are in storage back in Atlanta, but Madame Foucher provided me with the following pictures.
Did I let out a large gasp when I saw my short permed hair! That was the only time since I was 11 years old that I have had short hair. What was I thinking? Wait, I remember exactly what I was thinking. We had been warned in program information papers before leaving for France not to bring electronics, particularly once that heated up, so I could bring no curling iron nor hair dryer. My straight, fine hair needed both. In a moment of insanity, I had my hair cut short, thinking it would be easier to care for that way. Big mistake. It was so awful, I had it permed while I was there, which made it even worse instead of better.And to think, the whole time, it never occurred to me to save some money and buy a curling iron or hair dryer there.
This was at Christmas with Janet, the other American who lived with the Fouchers. Did any of you have a dress in the 80s similar to mine -- a Gunne Sax prairie-style dress? I loved that dress, and come to think of it, my prom dress was a Gunne Sax as well -- lavender with lots of lace. I looked like I stepped right out of an episode of Little House on the Prairie in that one.
Giving Maud, the only daughter, a kiss to say merci for my gift -- a Breton coffee bowl and bracelet, which I treasured and wore constantly until it was misplaced at a hotel during a move years later. The bowl, on the other hand, is sitting right now on my "French shelf" in our living room.
with Madame Foucher
The exchange students before us had taught the Fouchers how to toast marshmallows. That's the younger son, Marc, on the right.
A little taste of home
Dressed up for a costume party. By the way, Maud became a nurse and Marc, a teacher, so the costumes were a good guess. I did not become a gypsy fortune teller, however. Oh, look! I'm wearing my bracelet!
At the end of my stay with the Fouchers, the curls are gone, in the sweater I knitted with lots of help from Maud and Madame Foucher. Back in the U.S., I knitted 5 or 6 more sweaters and started a gorgeous one for David, that, alas, sits half-finished.I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about visiting the Fouchers. My French is more than a little rusty and I knew I would be embarrassed by the many mistakes I would no doubt make. And there was the little matter of not having written as often as I should have. But I had spoken on the phone with Madame and Maud Foucher just last week and expressed by fears and was assured that all would be well.
In less than two hours, we arrived in the Rennes area and with the help of our navigating system, found the Foucher's house. Thank God for the navi (a common phrase around our house), because the area looked totally unfamiliar to me and I would not have been able to find my way to their home from the highway without it. I don't remember there being so many roundabouts and there are new stores everywhere.
We were greeted by Monsieur and Madame Foucher and most of their grandchildren, who spent some of their school holiday with their grandparents. We ate lunch, caught up on family news and all the kids went upstairs to play.
For dinner, Madame prepared galettes, traditional Breton buckwheat crêpes topped with any combintion of ....
...eggs....
....ham and cheese.
All folded up and ready to eat
We all found the galettes to be yummy.
After dinner, the kids showed me the big discovery they made upstairs -- a typwriter! "Look, Mom," James said, "It prints as soon as you hit the keyboard!"
Me in my old room.
1 comment:
Such an awsome look back at your European past! (Don't feel bad--there were a lot of bad perms in the 80's!)
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