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(The letters of Julia Roberts
to the local community
first appeared in a fashion
similar to this in The Daily
News; Tarrytown, N.Y.; a
Gannett Co. newspaper.)
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AMBASSADOR
ROBERTS
CELEBRATES:
4 JULY 1976
Julia's letter written
at the time of the Bi-
centennial says, in
part: "I thought I'd
be the only one who
cared, but everyone
was well aware of it.
'Bicentenaire' was all
I heard all day long.
Newspapers were full
of it, as were the mag-
azines. Television had
a Bicentennial special,
and it was mentioned
in every news report.
"One channel on TV
signed off with 'My
Country, 'Tis of Thee.'
I sang along under
my breath, and the
family asked me to
teach them the words.
It was a great finish to
the Fourth of July,
with all six of us sing-
ing 'My Country, 'Tis
of Thee' together.
"The town of
Autrey-les-Gray had
motorcycle (motors')
races and a picnic for
the 'Bicentenaire
Americain.' I baked
a cake for the picnic. I
tried to decorate it as
an American flag, but
messed it up. So I
decided to just make
some stripes: one red,
one white, and one
blue. That, of course,
turned out to be the
French flag! They
loved it!"
In another letter, she
wrote: "The Experi-
ment (in International
Living) has given me a
better understanding
of the French than a
library of textbooks
(and years of study).
"All the people I've
met are gorgeous. Liv-
ing in a small village,
everybody in Autrey
knows everyone else;
and almost everyone
knows me.
"When I am in the
street talking to peo-
ple, I do sense the
stone walls nearby;
our street setting in-
cluding views of all
the houses with red
tile roofs, ivy, and
arches. Everyone I
meet is interested in
the United States and
in Americans.
"Immediately, I
loved the people and
the ancient surround-
ings. People are wil-
ling to help, and they
do so incessantly: any-
thing from helping
an old woman carry
something; or just
supplying company,
or a sympathetic ear;
to helping a sick man
finish his harvests on
time.
"Actually, in the past
four weeks, I have
learned more French
than I had so far in
three years at school;
granted, one supple-
ments the other. Not
only have I learned to
speak French--I have
learned to live
French!"
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