{"product_id":"one-sip-at-a-time-learning-to-live-in-provence-9780998312002","title":"One Sip at a Time: Learning to Live in Provence","description":"\u003cb\u003eKeith and Val had a dream \u003c\/b\u003e- to live in Provence, the land of brilliant sunlight and charming hilltop villages. \u003cp\u003eBut there were two problems: they weren't French speakers and they had full-time jobs. So they came up with a plan...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFollow their adventures (and misadventures) as they quit their jobs, become consultants and split their time between two countries. Laugh along as they build a life in Provence, slowly mastering a new language and making friends with the locals over long meals and just a bit too much wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis light and breezy memoir is full of wry observations on France, like the power of cheese to sway elections, the right and wrong ways for men to kiss each other, and the law requiring that blood donors must speak French.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you've ever dreamed of changing gears and learning what \u003ci\u003ejoie de vivre\u003c\/i\u003e is really all about, you won't want to miss this delightful book.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the Book\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJoyeux Anniversaire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e The chef had written a cookbook and and signed it for Val. His inscription read, \"\u003ci\u003eVal rie, vous  tes jeune et d licieuse comme les f ves du printemps\u003c\/i\u003e\" (\"Valerie, you are young and delicious like the fava beans of springtime.\") . . . I had so much to learn from the French.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow to Kiss a Frenchman\u003c\/b\u003e Here, not far from where we had stayed the year before, it was two kisses on the cheek rather than three. How were we supposed to know this? Was there a border we had crossed but somehow missed the sign? (\"Welcome to Eastern Provence. Please Follow the Local Kissing Regulations. And Enjoy Your Lunch, Especially the Asparagus, Which is Delicious Right Now.\") \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Night at the Opera\u003c\/b\u003e There are many words that are the same in French and English, like nation, pause, and danger. If I don't know a word in French, sometimes I will just fake it by using the English word with a French accent. It works most of the time. But you have to be careful. There are words that exist in both languages and have entirely different meanings. These are the infamous \u003ci\u003efaux amis, \u003c\/i\u003e or \"false friends.\" Ask Val about the time she shocked her co-workers by talking about preservatives in food. Oops, preservative means \"condom.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eInterregnum\u003c\/b\u003e France had started to capture our hearts. It wasn't just a place we visited; it was becoming one of the places we lived. Thomas Jefferson is supposed to have said, \"Every man has two countries - his own and France.\" Maybe he was on to something.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKeith Van Sickle is a technology industry veteran and lifelong traveler who got his first taste of overseas life while studying in England during college. But it was the expat assignment to Switzerland that made him really fall in love with Europe. With his wife Val and their trusty dog, he now splits his time between Silicon Valley and Provence, delving ever deeper into what makes France so endlessly fascinating. Read more at www.keithvansickle.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dresher Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50331880587538,"sku":"9780998312002","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_fa69425b-b8f8-486d-91a9-76457cf5bd3f.jpg?v=1727827023","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/one-sip-at-a-time-learning-to-live-in-provence-9780998312002","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}