For the past few years, I’ve been going to France to spend Christmas with my (very French) in-laws, and every year is an onslaught of six course meals, cousins in cocktail dresses, and cultural family outings… It’s a lot. And I’m the only one who seems to struggle to keep up.

Maybe some of you are going through some version of this too. Whether your partner’s family comes from a different country or is just radically different from your own, holiday get-togethers can be relentless rounds of culture shock and ill-ease. But they can also be amazing…

When you're an indefinite guest like me it's nice to get away and have a place to call your own for a few days... and that's how Rouen became my temporary office.