The Holidays

                                   Ardèche: Take 2 Days After Christmas

Now that the holidays are over, I'm happy to say the blues of being away from home are gone once again. Christmas came and Christmas went, and I somehow managed to survive it all. To be honest, I did miss my home and family, Wagilia (Polish Christmas Eve), Christmas cookies, Yankee Trader, and all the other traditions that an American/Polish Christmas entails, but I tried my best to push those feelings aside this year. After all, this is my only Christmas with the Delenne's in France, and I will have the rest of my life to celebrate Christmas with my family in America.

Most of the celebrations for Christmas this year took place on the 24th. Anne had to work early on Christmas Day, so we had our big dinner and opened presents the night before. I'm not going to lie and say I was in love with the French version of Christmas dinner. There was a lot of food (mostly meat) that I had never tried before, and while I gave everything a shot, some dishes were a little difficult to stomach. Here's the menu:

Appetizers: Oysters and Foie Gras. I slurped back an oyster for the first time while everyone took a break in the celebrations and conversation to stare at me in silence and take pictures. Talk about pressure! Before that oyster went anywhere near my mouth, I smothered it in lemon juice and tried to gain composure. (I've never been a seafood fan.) It all went down in one swallow and I was relieved that it was over. Or so I thought. Next came the foie gras. This one was especially difficult for me because I know about the torture that ducks endure for foie gras to be made. Basically, a metal pipe is jammed down the duck's throat, and it is force-fed a high volume of food until the duck's liver is 10 times its normal size. (I know this because I had just signed a petition against the practice that morning). Talk about bad timing.

Now that we're on the topic, this is one thing I have been struggling with for a long time: meat eating vs. morals. For the past couple years, I have been going back and forth on whether or not I should be vegetarian. I love animals so much, and every time I eat meat, I think about where it came from and what type of life it lived. For some people, this is enough to quit eating meat, and I respect that completely. On the other hand, it's been a little more complicated for me. I'm not so much against eating meat as I am against the food industry and animal cruelty. It's only natural for humans to eat animals and I hate being rude by turning down food. Even more so, when there is meat served on a table, I would never want that animal to have died and gone to waste. Therefore, I'm trying out a new method where I choose vegetarian options for myself, but I will still eat meat if it is served.

I guess I've just gone on a major tangent, so I'll make a not-so-fluid attempt at getting back to the story: I did eat the foie gras to be polite, but I do not see it appearing again in my diet any time soon.

Entrées: Langouste (lobstery-crayfish) and chapon (I think it's a rooster).

There you go. Four different meat dishes, and not a whole lot of dessert. It was a difficult meal, but I'm not super-picky, so I got through it with not a whole lot left on my plate.

After the meal, we opened presents. I received the prettiest necklace and earrings, and I know I will always wear them to remind me of the wonderful time I had with the Delenne's. Cheesy but true on my part. For my host family, my real parents sent a quilt that my mom made as a thank-you for having me. All the designs and color equaled a thoughtful blend of America and France, and my host family loved it. (Thanks Mom!)

On Christmas, I got the chance to Skype with my family back home during their celebrations. It was great to see everyone, although the first thing Dziadzi (Grandpa) said to me was, "Hayley - it sure looks like you've been gaining some weight over there!" Should have seen that one coming.

All in all, it was a good Christmas. Different, but good. My parents sent me a lovely watch and some books, which I've already devoured, along with stretchy pants from my sister (needed after the package filled with Nutter Butters and Reese's that came from my favorite teacher in the whole world. (Mrs. Marsh!) Besides that, my cioci (aunt), uncle, and cousins sent a package filled with a beautifully hand-knit scarf among other goodies. Every present that I opened this year made me the happiest kid on earth. Not so much because of all the gifts, but because I realized just how lucky I was to have the best family (and host family for that matter) in the world. Change has been a consistent part of my life since graduation, and I know there is plenty more to come, but I'm so grateful for the family and friends that remain constant through the nonstop chaos. Joyeux Noël and Bonne Année everyone!