NOVEMBER 19th – Join me (Kristi) for a Webinar vivifiant!
This coming Wednesday, I’ll have the honor of speaking with Margot Steinhart, President of La Renaissance Française, USA, and  Renée Amory Ketcham, Vice President of the Federation of Alliances Françaises USA, in a lively conversation about receiving, in Paris, La Médaille d’Or des Valeurs Francophones and my book A Year in a French Life.

👉 The event is free–gratuit! Click here to register. Your presence means the world to me!

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TODAY’S WORD: l’huître : oyster
PRONUNCIATION: [weet-ruh]

Example sentence:
Une huître épicée, s’il vous plaît ! → A spicy oyster, please!

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French Oysters and American Weddings by Jacqueline Espinasse

Taking the train in France is like riding your bike—it’s really common. As opposed to the U.S., where people are surprised when you say you’re taking the train. “You are what, taking the train you said?”

“Oui, je prends le train.”

I’ve taken the train before—last summer, from Savannah, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina. Only one and a half hours! But it seems like most Americans prefer to fly.

Just last weekend, I took a train from New York to Baltimore. The ride was so silky smooth. Et hop, me voilà à Maryland! I was there for the weekend to celebrate Vinny’s cousin’s wedding, and I was about to meet the rest of his family. I can’t even explain the stress I was feeling before the event. It took me weeks to choose the right shoes, dress, and accessories. And as the tomboy that I am, I never wear dresses.

One weekend upstate in Connecticut, while sitting on the couch, I asked Vinny’s mom, “Do you think I can wear fancy pants to the wedding?” I was trying to negotiate my way into being a wedding tom-girl. She gracefully smiled and showed me that a dress would be a better option.

The reception was in Annapolis, the capital of Maryland. “The capital??” Wait, in France we have one capital, Paris! But I learned that in the U.S., every state has its own capital. Anyway, retournons à nos moutons, the reception was in this beautiful seaside venue. We were greeted with sparkling apple cider and a walking oyster bar.

“How do you like your oyster, Madame?”
“Spicy please,” I replied.

But wait—where is the bread and butter? It seems like Americans eat bread and butter with everything except oysters, and Frenchies eat bread and butter only with oysters—funny! Another fun fact: the classy way to eat oysters is to finish with just a touch of pepper.

I’m not trying to be an oyster connoisseur here; I just find these little differences very cute. Maybe that’s what I love most about experiencing life and living between two cultures—you start noticing the small, juicy facts that you can then share with the world.

It’s in those small differences—like a spicy oyster or a train ride—that I feel the joy of living between two cultures.

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FRENCH VOCABULARY

Oui, je prends le train = Yes, I am taking the train
Et hop, me voilà à Maryland! = And just like that here I am in Maryland
Retournons à nos moutons = Let’s get back to the subject (literally: let’s return to our sheep)
Une huître épicée, s’il vous plaît = A spicy oyster, please

REMERCIEMENTS
Thank you to the following readers for your donation this past week to this journal!

Marji E.
Nancy C.

Whether you’ve been reading for years or just stumbled upon this little corner of France, thank you for being here. These stories continue thanks to reader encouragement. If you’d like to help maintain this journal, here are a few simple ways:

🌿 Zelle – to Kristin.espinasse@gmail.com
🌿 PayPal – Click here
🌿 Credit card – Click here

Gift the book A Year in a French Life to a friend. It’s packed with colorful photos and vocabulary.

To order the paperback, click here. Or try the digital version for immediate download.

READER HIGHLIGHTS – MARIA COCHRANE
I owe a debt of gratitude to every single reader here. Thank you for opening my emails, for reading along, and for the kind words that keep me going. One reader whose thoughtful notes have especially lifted my spirits is Maria Cochrane–French teacher and language enthusiast. I’m thrilled to share that Maria has just published her first book, Feed on Him: 365 Daily Devotions to Make God’s Word Yours. Congratulations, Maria — what a joy to celebrate this milestone with you!

Over at the French Word-A-Day WhatsApp Channel, I talk about le timbre fiscal–the electronic stamp I needed to purchase at our local tabac in order to pay for my French Residency Card. Listen to the recorded update here.