 Blair’s epal is named Claire, and she lives in Crépy en Valois, France.  She was born in the city of Gonesse on January 5 th, 1996, and she is fifteen years old.  Claire has green eyes and long, blonde hair.  She is about 1.78 meters tall, and she is shy and nice, but she is stubborn.  When she is outside of school, she likes to practice Judo.

 Julie’s epal is named Juliette, and she also lives in Crépy en Valois, France.  Juliette was born on January 9 th, 1996, and she is now fifteen years old.  Juliette has long, brown hair, and she has green eyes.  She is very social and talkative.  She goes horseback riding whenever she has free time, so she doesn’t hang out with friends much.

Julie  Julie was born in Virginia Beach  Her birthday is on July 31 st, 1995, so she is 15 years old  She has brown hair and brown eyes Blair  Blair was born in Virginia Beach  Her birthday is on January 12 th, 1995, so she is 16 years old  She has blonde hair and blue eyes

 Crépy-en-Valois is a town in northern France and it is 35.9 miles away from the center of Paris.  The average temperature in Crépy-en- Valois is colder than in Virginia Beach.

Location of Crépy-en-Valois Crépy-en-Valois

 The French government is a semi- presidential system which means that there is a president and a prime minister that are both involved in administrations.  There is a separation of powers that was determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic.  France is a unitary state who’s national government is divided into an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. This style of government is similar to our own.

 Claire goes to Collège Gérard de Nerval  Claire will be in high school next year  At her school, they have A weeks and B weeks  In the morning on A weeks, Claire has History class, and on B weeks she has French class.

 Juliette goes to Collège Gérard de Nerval  Classes begin at 8:15 am and end at 5:00 pm  She has lunch from 12:15 to 1:55  She takes English, French, Spanish, Biology, History/ Geography, Math, Physics, Sports, and Music  Her favorite classes are Math and Biology

 We are both sophomores at Kellam High School  At Kellam High School, we have A days and B days  School starts at 7:25 am, and it ends at 2:00 pm  We are both taking English, Spanish, AP Human Geography, Chemistry, Math Analysis, Driver’s Ed, and P.E.

 Her mother’s name is Sylvie and she is 42 years old  Her father, Philippe, is also 42 years old  Lucie is her youngest sister, and she is 7 years old  Her oldest sister, Emilie, is 12 years old  Her other sister, Solange, is 9 years old

 Juliette has 4 family members  She has a mother and a father  Her youngest sister, Elise, is 12 years old  Her oldest sister, Margot, is 16 years old  She also has a cat named Berlioz

Blair  Blair has a mother named Debbie, and a father name Larry  She has an older brother named Kyle, and he is 18 years old  She has a rabbit named Ashes and a turtle

Julie  Julie has a mother named Emily, and a father named Greg  Her younger sister, Amy, is 13 years old  Her younger brother, Jack, is 10 years old  She has two dogs: Ellie and Lucy  Her sister has two fish

 When people in France meet each other they often will exchange kisses high up on the cheek, whereas we only hug in the U.S.  Men will kiss women and women will kiss other women. However a man wont kiss another man unless they are extremely close friends or relatives.  2 kisses on the cheek when you meet is standard in most parts of France but some people may do more, but in the U.S., we only shake hands

 When hosting a party you should never serve drinks until all guests have arrived even if they are super late.  Guests should not pour their own drinks when invited to dinner.  If guests are not served anymore drinks then its time for them to go home. When this happens in the U.S., it is implied that the host wants you to leave

 If you are invited to dinner by a French person, it is custom to bring a gift, such as flowers, a plant, or chocolates.  Some flowers are meant for different occasions, so if you have any question about what flowers to get, ask a florist for advice.  If you bring wine, it may give the wrong message that the host doesn’t have good taste in wine. In the United States, it is usually polite if a guest brings wine.

 The French government recently blocked a train coming from Italy that was carrying Tunisian migrants.  This incident reignited a diplomatic controversy with Italy on how to handle the migrants that are fleeing political problems in North Africa.

 In France there is an international search alert for a man who is a suspect in the killing of his wife and children.  The bodies of his wife and four children were dug out of the garden at their house and many suspicious purchases were made by the man prior to the deaths.

December 7 th, 2010  “…My house is composed of five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room and a living room. I have a big garden. I haven’t got any pets. I like all sports and I read all books. On TV, I like Desperate Housewives and NCIS. My favorite music is R&B. I like romantic films and documentary films…”

November 22 nd, 2010  “…I love pop and rock music like Muse, Queen, Green Day, and Simple Plan. I don’t watch TV very much except when there is Desperate Housewives. My favorite mass production, remains without a doubt, Gossip Girl, and my favorite movie is Sherlock Holmes…”

 /Articles/Culture/Social-customs-in-France /Articles/Culture/Social-customs-in-France  _France _France  italy-france-train-illegal-tunisia-migrants- lampedusa-eu-north-africa-diplomacy italy-france-train-illegal-tunisia-migrants- lampedusa-eu-north-africa-diplomacy  france-police-international-alert-issued-for- nantes-murder-suspect-dupont-ligonnes- family france-police-international-alert-issued-for- nantes-murder-suspect-dupont-ligonnes- family