The English Language Assistants program（英语语言助理课程）is very famous in the UK. Every year，it sends many language teachers to support the teaching of English in other places around the world. I took part in the program last year and spent six months in a small town called Privas（普里瓦）in France.
The small town lies in the southeast of France. It is a beautiful place. And it's famous for its chestnuts（栗子）. Lots of chestnuts are produced there every year. There is even a festival about chestnuts. People from Privas have a strong sense of belonging. On weekends，young people who live a busy life in nearby cities often come back to Privas to get together with their family.
The quiet environment and comfortable lifestyle（生活方式）made me fall in love with Privas. The school where I taught was a great place to learn about French culture. I learned some special French customs there.
People greet each other by kissing on the cheek（脸颊）. The number of kisses depends on where you are in France. On my first night in Privas，I stayed with a host family. They told me that in most places in France，people give two. In the north of France，they give four kisses. And in Privas，the custom is to give three. This made me sometimes wonder which cheek to kiss first. Since I had long hair，when a person was kissing me，some of my hair would end up in his or her mouth. That was really funny and awkward（令人尴尬的）. But people there were pleased that I was getting used to the local culture.
Six months of staying there made me feel like part of the town. It was an unforgettable experience and I can't wait to return there some day.
