And Now... The Weather

So a couple days ago it snowed. And not like just a dusting. No. When I woke up there was a good 4 inches (10cm) of snow on the ground. Now I've heard this is abnormal for France (Dijon) at this time of year but it got me thinking what the weather is like here, at least in Dijon (I know in the south they're still catching rays, at least to some extent.)

Let's start with the facts (according to actual sources):

• Dijon is considered a mild continental climate.
• The temperature averages between -1° Celsius in January to 27° Celsius in July and August (30° F to 80° F.)
• In winter the average temperature is between -1° and 4° C (30°-40° F.)
• In summer the average temperature is between 15°and 25° C (59°-78°  F.)
• Dijon doesn't receive a lot of snow, and when it does get snow, it melts quickly as the temperature doesn't rest below 0° (32° F) for very long.

Now the facts (according to Kobi):

Ew.

• It rains in the winter. A lot.
• Like a lot a lot.
• And when it's not raining, it's still cloudy which sucks.
• My shoes are getting ruined.
• The weather is definitely the worst thing so far.
• I can't really say much about the summer since I was only here for the very end of it, but it's hot and doesn't rain as much so I liked it.
• I've heard it rains every day in the spring.
• This isn't really weather, but the leaves still haven't totally fallen off the trees yet, nor are they really close to.
• Rain's gross and cold.
• If you like rain come to Dijon, also come if you like mustard.
• Even though it's above freezing it's still really cold ugh.

Well that's about it for this post! Do you like the rain? What's your favorite weather? Leave a comment below!

The Norms of French Culture

Hey guys, sorry I haven't written anything in a while. I've been pretty busy and not a lot of post-worthy things have been happening. Anyway, I thought I'd bring up the subject of customs in the French culture. There's many things that are different than the customs of the U.S and some things I'm still sort of getting used to.

Faire la bise

As you can see there can be anywhere from 1-5 kisses (that's a lot!!)

Let's start off with greetings and goodbyes. As many of you know, the French have this thing called "la bise." It's pretty much where you air kiss one cheek then the other. In different regions it's a different amount of kisses, but where I am it's one kiss on each cheek. This usually only happens between girls and girls or a guy and a girl, and usually isn't in a romantic context. Occasionally two guys will "faire la bise" but that's only when they're family or very close. For men it is more common to see a handshake or a check (high five.) Even among teenagers a handshake is quite common and not considered formal. Handshakes and doing la bise happen when you first greet someone and when you're leaving. This has been one of the weirdest things I've had to adapt to, even after almost 3 months, I don't always know how I should approach greetings and goodbyes. (Also, hugs are super awkward for the French, unless you're really close with someone, they don't really happen.)

Let's move on to one of my favorite subjects, food*. So food is pretty important for the French. Except breakfast. Breakfast isn't very important and usually consists of some toast and a glass of orange juice. Lunch is kind of the primary meal of the day and is eaten right around noon. Although many kids eat at school, many kids go home to eat with their families. Dinner is eaten pretty late here, or at least for U.S standards (around 7:30.) It's not as big as lunch but still tasty. Both lunch and dinner consist of a meat and some sort of grain and possibly some vegetables. They both end with bread and cheese and/or yogurt.

I don't have much else for this post. Sorry it's so short but I felt the need to write something. Next time it will probably be longer! Anyway, before I go, what are some customs in your country that you feel are specific to where you are from? Leave a comment below! Thanks for reading, I'll be back soon!

*No but for real, food is delish and French Food, it's the bomb-diggity.

The French and Their Food

What a day, what a day! Today I went to La Foire Gastronomique (the food fair!) It's a pretty well known thing in Dijon and it happens every year. Every year, a country hosts it. This year was South Africa, and it was pretty cool. Although South Africa hosted it, there was food from all over the world.

I got see and try a whole bunch of cool things from South Africa and I also tried some French delicacies. (I even ate some very American things.) First of all I had a sandwich with Foie Gras. Then I had escargot. Finally I had some gelato. (Also had some french fries but yeah.)

So foie gras is pretty much goose liver. It's a real delicacy in France and it's actually really good. It's usually eaten around Christmas and is quite expensive. I really liked it and I think that's true for most people. I don't like how it's made though. I'm not going to say because it's pretty gross but if you want to look it up feel free to.

Next I had Escargot (snail.) It's actually really good. The texture is a little chewy but the sauce* really makes it. The sauce has garlic, butter and then basil or cilantro, I'm not really sure. But yeah so that was super good and now I can say I'm a true French person because it's super cliché.


Finally I had gelato.** It was pistachio chocolate which was super delicious. Gelato is Italian ice cream that is softer and creamier than most American ice creams. It's my favorite type of Ice cream. They also have some great, and different flavors from your normal ice creams (kind of like Ben and Jerry's, which is actually in France!)

Well that's all I got for today. If you're looking for something new, go to a French restaurant and try some escargot! Have you guys already tried escargot? Did you like it? What's the most exotic food you've ever eaten? Tell me in a comment below! Have a good week!

*The sauce is also super delish with bread.
**Although gelato isn't French I thought I'd mention it anyway since it's foreign and really yummy.