The past three days have felt a little like I woke up on Wednesday
suddenly transported into a strange French film. Going from life at home in
Solihull to assuming the identity of “Helene (what the French think is my real
name) the new assistant” in a small town in Alsace in one fell swoop has left
me a little confused. Guebwiller, my new home, is a small town near the French
border with Switzerland. With its cute coloured houses, open fields, and view
of the Vosges it is somewhat different to both Solihull and Bristol. Not to
mention the fact that passing a coffee shop every five minutes has become
instead la boulangerie (France: 1,
England, 0).
The highlights of this movie starring moi-meme are as follows…
Several conversations with real-life French people (I am
thoroughly enjoying the fact that I can open my mouth and some form of French
comes out, even if I’m not yet word-perfect)
A visit to a neighbouring village which is so ‘Alsace’ its
become a tourist trap…and of course the permitted smug-ness that I am now un habitant of this beautiful region,
not just a visitor.
Trying a local cheese called ‘….’ which I was warned was
very strong, and realising it was very tasty indeed!
An afternoon spent wandering around the town and having the
time to stop and read in a café….
As you can see, this all seems a little like a holiday at
present, so I plan to make the most of all this free time to explore before I
play my part properly and start at the Lycée!
A little surreal, yes, but thus far I’m not complaining. La vie,
c’est belle en Alsace.
Fun fact about Alsace: the infamous coloured houses have not
always been simply a matter of taste. Indeed, the choice of colour represented
much more than your decorative preferences. For example, it proved one way of
distinguishing the Catholics from the Protestants!
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