Book-Project

Are you familiar with that particular kind of hesitation when you meet someone and there is this first embarrassing contact: a kiss, a hug or a handshake? Whether it is at school, or whilst shopping or even when you have people for dinner, these first minutes are a little dance between a step forward to embrace them, a step backwards; maybe they prefer a handshake, but firm or gentle? Or finally is a “hi” is sufficient? Even if I like joking about this topic, I have to admit that I am lost between cultures. And I am only moving between three of them (French, German and British). What about you? What are you used to? What do you do when you live in another country?
Talking to bicultural couples (read more about my project here) I remember a Thai-British couple who describes how different the codes are in Thailand. Continue Reading

Gregre lunettes BLOG The end of April 2014 found me starting the writing project for my book Bringing Up Children between Cultures. The main idea behind the book is to interview bi-cultural couples in Oxfordshire about their day-to-day experiences. This involves couples in which both partners come from different countries, speak different languages, and have different traditions, habits and therefore different parenting styles.
Through anecdotes, stories and their own personal perspectives, these couples will illustrate how enriching and sometimes challenging parenting can be between different cultures.

In now close to one year I have interviewed twenty couples and single parents: French-Colombian, German-Irish, English-Thai… parents shared with me their experiences as couples and parents. We talk about subjects like communication in two (or more) languages, couple life between different cultures, expecting a child and children’s upbringing, bilingualism and how to transmit values from another country…

Would you like to join in this exciting book-project? I can’t wait hearing from you!