I went to a second Thanksgiving at a friend's flat, and it was just as delicious as the first. Americans were actually in the minority this time around. It was pretty entertaining to chat about our perceptions of different foods and traditions, and hear how Thanksgiving foods seemed 'exotic' to the Brits. Christmas pudding and crumpets are as quaint to me as sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce are to the English. It's odd how our cultures can seem so exotic and so familiar at the same time, perhaps in part because of the shared language.
In many of these cultural conversations I find am more stereotypically 'English' than I am American - which is to say, much more emotionally constipated. (There's probably a better way of saying that, but...eh.) I've also learned that the Thanksgiving tradition of sharing things we're grateful for is VERY American. (Feelings? Sincerity?!?) I appreciate the sharing and openness, even though I tend toward more reserved habits of expressing emotions. This blog is a big exception, by my standards.
This week in class we tried our hands at painting and grinding pigments; it was fun to get our hands dirty and experience the artistic process in person. You certainly get a sense of the creative difficulties in the 15th century. I'm dashing off to Paris today (part holiday, part school trip), so there will likely be few to no updates for the next week. À bientôt!
Love,
Annie
In many of these cultural conversations I find am more stereotypically 'English' than I am American - which is to say, much more emotionally constipated. (There's probably a better way of saying that, but...eh.) I've also learned that the Thanksgiving tradition of sharing things we're grateful for is VERY American. (Feelings? Sincerity?!?) I appreciate the sharing and openness, even though I tend toward more reserved habits of expressing emotions. This blog is a big exception, by my standards.
This week in class we tried our hands at painting and grinding pigments; it was fun to get our hands dirty and experience the artistic process in person. You certainly get a sense of the creative difficulties in the 15th century. I'm dashing off to Paris today (part holiday, part school trip), so there will likely be few to no updates for the next week. À bientôt!
Love,
Annie