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Name: Christine

Three words to describe yourself: shy, special, curious

Christine is one of my hallmate's grandmother and she was visiting her granddaughter at UGA. Christine was born in Paris, France during WW2. The German officers were blocking access across the Seine river, but Christine's parents were allowed to cross that night because her mom was in labor. She became a teacher in the Congo during the 60's because she "heard Africa was a lost cause". French was the most difficult class for her in high school, but Christine taught French, biology, and geography classes in the Congo. "It really was an adventure going to the Congo". Christine says she "couldn't recognize people for two weeks" because there were only two or three white people in the village, but she "got to know everybody" and the villagers have a "welcoming state of mind". She also met her husband in the Congo. They decided to marry in France but shortly moved to Kansas because her husband was going to get his PhD there. Christine's husband is an analytical chemist with the World Health Organization who researches causes of cancer. He worked in France until he was 60 (the retirement age in France is 60), but he wanted to keep working, so they moved back to the U.S and have been here for seven years. Together they have four kids and two of them live in the United States. I asked her about the cultural differences between the U.S. and France and she says, "Americans are very welcoming at first" but they often do not keep strong relationships. The French, on the other hand, "will keep their distance for a while until they get to know you better". I also asked her about the differences in wine and Christine said, "Americans like wine that is more acidic . . . they don't know it's bad . . . but they have improved". Christine does love living in America though! She is an animal person and enjoys America's wide variety of animal life and nature-there is a beaver dam in her backyard in Columbia, MD!