Oh, I see! moments
Travel Cultures Language

An OIC Vegetable Moment

by Meredith Mullins on November 8, 2012

Endive for sale in a Normandy vegetable market gives the author an "Oh, I see" moment about the endive growing cycle

Endive for sale in a Normandy vegetable market
© Meredith Mullins

Endive Indeed

How could I have eaten endive for so many years and have no idea how it looks “in the wild” or how complex its growing process is?

How could I be so uncaring about a vegetable’s life cycle or take such a crunchy treat for granted?

It took the convergence of a Saturday morning market in Normandy and a stall dedicated solely to endives to lead me to an endive ephiphany. What is that I C?

Cultural Traditions Passed Down a French Street

by Sheron Long on October 8, 2012

The French village, where I live part-time, opened my eyes last week to the importance in France of passing along culture and heritage, or patrimoine. For French people, patrimoine has to do first with realizing that French arts, history, culture, language, and traditions are the property of everyone French and then with making the commitment to pass that “property” along to the next generation.

French family in a parade celebrating French cultural heritage and traditions

Multiple generations of a French family get set for the parade
© Sheron Long

Cultural Traditions on Parade

Passing along cultural heritage and traditions—that’s just what was happening last week on the streets of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, a pretty village in the south of France between Avignon and Marseille.

Being Bilingual Builds Brain Power

by Sheron Long on September 24, 2012

“Rainy Day in Paris” © Sheron Long

If video does not display, watch it here.

French? You Can Learn It!

Chatting in a French café makes for a good day even in the rain. Chatting in a French café in French is worth even more—knowing the language, just some or being bilingual, deepens how you experience the life and culture.

Benefits of Being Bilingual

A brain lifting weights to signify the brain power of being bilingual (Image courtesy of Thinkstock)

Flex your brain with a second language and build bilingual brain power

Connecting across cultures is one benefit of being bilingual, but there are many more.

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