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From:
Category: Category 1
Date: 11/12/97
Time: 10:05:52 PM
Remote Name: 137.82.192.16
From: Mandy Johnson
Category: Category 1
Date: 8/18/98
Time: 9:27:21 AM
Remote Name: 207.123.99.28
I'm so excited to find this group with people in similar situations! I'm a college student and have spent the past year studying in Paris, France. I love the city, the way of life, the people... and I fell in love. I met my boyfriend about a month after I arrived in Paris. He's from a very traditional, old French family. He is wonderful- I am continually impressed by his sensitivity, kindness, respect and love of life. We travel a lot and have a great time together! Before I left for Paris, everyone joked around saying "Oh, you're probably going to fall in love with a Frenchman!" They were all pretty surprised when I came home and announced I really DID fall in love with a Frenchman! I went through the ordeal of meeting the family- quite nerve-wracking at first, but wonderful now that my French is much better and his mother has finally decided I'm not going to wisk him off to the U.S. I was the first girl he had brought home to meet his family and his mother's first question was: "Would you consider living in France in the future?" We enjoy learning about the differences in how we grew up (Exs: Little stuff like he'd never heard of the Brady Bunch or Garfield and I'd never heard of the French cartoon Lucky Luke, and bigger things like the differences in our school systems and the traditions in our families.) We both make a conscious effort to understand and accept the cultural differences. He recently came to Texas to meet my family and see my way of life. He was dissappointed that the sherriff doesn't still ride a horse (funny the stereotypes people have!), but thouroughly thrilled with his purchase of a real cowboy hat. We have discussed marriage for the future, so I am interested in the people who are now experiencing that. I've decided to move back to France this fall and finish my degree at an international university. For my part, being in a cross-cultural relationship has been and continues to be one of the best learning experiences of my life. Plus, I think Frenchman are FABULOUS at the whole romance/love thing!