On language

One thing I did not expect to get out of this experience was the realization of how lucky I am to be a native English speaker.  But, after some reflection it seems a bit silly to me that I would not have seen this realization coming.  As a native English speaker one is already ahead of the game- English is in the top three of most spoken languages and has quickly become a global language, some even considering it lingua franca.  The bottom line is that English is everywhere and to have grown up speaking it makes me, and all other Anglophones, really lucky.  As I’ve witnessed various people struggle to try and learn my mother tongue I have found a whole new appreciation for English.

I see my students struggle every day to remember how to construct simple phrases and questions, or get stuck on certain vocabulary words.  One major issue students have is with sounds including (but not limited to) the hard “r” sound, the “th” sound, and the “h” sound.  English does not come easily to most of them but with some encouragement they continue to try.

A science teacher at the high school offered me a small tutoring job to help her improve her English as part of the new curriculum is requiring certain science classes be taught in English and she wanted to get certified to be able to teach these courses.  I would consider her to be almost fluent in English (although she would disagree!) but one of her trouble areas is with our use of prepositions.  For example, she will say “I will explain you” instead of “I will explain to you” and every time she gets so frustrated with the tiny words tripping her up.

Through my tutoring at the university in Dijon I met some students who needed a native English speaker for an interview project they had to do.  They had to make a video interviewing a native English speaker about certain issues to their class.  They sent me the script to review it and as I made corrections to little errors here and there (mainly verbs) it really hit me how lucky I am to just know simple things like English verb conjugations without thinking twice about them.

I know anyone can make these comments about their native language but being fluent in English, and especially being a native English speaker, has the potential to open so many doors in today’s global community due to the constant use of English worldwide.  And while many Americans are lucky to have English as their first language I still strongly encourage and support Americans to study other languages.  Learning a language is a direct gateway to learning about another culture and way of life.  The world is only getting smaller and the more we learn about each other the more united our world will be!  As I’ve been on this journey in France I am so thankful to continue learning about French language and culture but also thankful for the time this has given to reflect on my native language and culture, too.

Word of the Post:  l’anglais -- English

2005-2012: A love story

“Paris is always a good idea.” –Audrey Hepburn

Let me just say that Audrey Hepburn knew what she was talking about.  I often joke that Paris is my “first true love” but in reality that is the complete truth.  I’m feeling especially nostalgic about Paris since my first to trip to the City of Light was around this time in February seven years ago; so, in honor of Valentine’s Day and the marking of a seven year anniversary here’s the story of Paris et moi:

2005: A weekend

2005
This is taken on a cold, foggy February morning from a
disposable camera! Almost looks fake!

I was lucky enough to visit Europe for the first time in 2005 as a sophomore in high school.  A friend had moved to Germany and her family generously offered to have myself and some others visit during our February school vacation.  As if 10 days in Germany wasn’t enough we were given the chance to go to Paris for the weekend.  I remember barely being able to contain my excitement- since my first French class I had been intrigued by France so the chance to see it firsthand was a magnificent opportunity!  It was a whirlwind weekend, and everything seemed to blur into one memory, but I will never forget how I felt when I first saw the Eiffel Tower.  We had driven to Paris (only a 6 hour drive) and as we drove into the city we were crossing a bridge and the La tour Eiffel suddenly appeared.  Cue instant butterflies: it was love at first sight.

2007: A week

2007
This was taken on the walk from the métro stop
Bir-Hakeim to the Eiffel Tower.  It was a hot April day!

After that weekend spent in Paris I knew I had to go back.  In 2007 my parents generously offered a week-long trip in the City of Light during April vacation of my senior year of high school.  It was an extraordinary graduation present.  Not only did this allow me to have more time in Paris, I was able to spend this time with my mom, too!  It was a magical week exploring and rediscovering a city I had only seen so briefly before.  Upon seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time in ‘07 I once again got butterflies.  This week confirmed what I already knew to be true- Paris would forever be part of my life.

2009: A semester

2009
This is taken the last day of my semester abroad.
I was lucky enough to experience a snowy, December day!

After two fabulous stays in Paris I was itching to get back.  There was no question that I would study abroad during my junior year of college and I knew it had to be in Paris.  When I saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time in ‘09 I was greeted with some butterflies but overall I felt a comforting feeling. During this amazing semester I was no longer a tourist, but able to experience true Parisian life: experiencing the good and the bad while taking in the loveliness that is having all that Paris offers at my fingertips.  I discovered so much about French culture but also so much about myself. I left that semester completely and utterly in love with Paris.

2011/2012: A day trip here and there

2012
Me and la tour on a typical cloudy Parisian day.
This view is from Trocadéro.

Now, as a resident of Dijon, I visit Paris for day trips and transportation: to see a rugby match, to go to special shops, to spend New Year’s, or to take a shuttle to CDG airport.  I no longer get butterflies in my stomach when I see the Eiffel Tower but it doesn’t mean I love her, or Paris, any less.  My love for the City of Light is simply a full on commitment now: I accept the dreadful smell of the Châtelet métro stop just as I accept the beautiful grand boulevards and historic sites.  And as lovely as Dijon is, I will always love Paris most.  I know Paris better than I know any other city and as big as it may be it feels like home to me.  If I had to choose my “happy place” there’s no doubt that it’d be sitting in a Parisian café.


                              -----------------------------------------------------------

bisous!

I realize how unusual it is to have been able to visit Paris every two years since my first time and I do not take it for granted.  This city has given so much to me: a desire to explore other cultures, lifelong friends, a better understanding of myself, a deeper appreciation for history, and a serious baguette addiction.  As they say "your first love never dies" and I wouldn't have it any other way:  Paris, je t'aime. 

Word of the Post: l'amour -- love

Fleeting Moments

Today it randomly hit me that my time in France is in fact limited/definite/coming to an end.  Perhaps it is because I recently booked an official return flight home, or maybe because I need to purchase a TGV train ticket to Paris/CDG airport soon, or simply because whenever I look at a calendar I am instantly reminded just how quickly May will arrive.  Whatever the reason may be, today I couldn’t escape the ever present sound of a clock ticking away my moments left here.

This feeling of time running out completely overwhelmed me: as I rode the bus into the city center I wondered how many more times I’d make this same ride until I’d be faced with my last.  As I sat in a café enjoying a chocolat viennois and conversation with friends I couldn’t help but succumb to a voice reminding me that these moments are in no way unlimited.  As I wandered Rue de la Liberté and popped in and out of shops I tried to ignore the realization that it wouldn’t be all mine anymore in a few months.  And as I walked home from the city center I pondered how many more times I’d race across certain crosswalks at Place Wilson or if I’d remember the smell of each boulangerie on Rue d’Auxonne.

While I'm not certain what caused this hyper-awareness that I have less than three months of living in this enchanting city it made me appreciate the time I do have all the more.

Word of the Post: pensif/pensive -- reflective

Super Bowl Monday

Yes, you read that correctly: Super Bowl Monday.  The Super Bowl started at 12:30am here in France during the wee hours of Monday February 6, 2012.  But, that’s not to say that Sunday the 5^th was a calm day for me.  After arriving home from a fun day in Paris late on Saturday I realized that the running water in my flat had stopped working.  I went to bed hoping a pipe was temporarily frozen but when I woke up there was no change: no kitchen sink, bathroom sink, toilet, or shower water.  I called my landlady and she advised me to ask around the complex and see if it was just my flat or the entire building.  After speaking to a few neighbors it became quite clear that it was just my flat with a water problem.  My landlady decided it would be too expensive/difficult to find a plumber who would come to my flat on a Sunday (remember, everything closes here) so she offered to put me in a hotel for the night.

The hotel room

Now, the plan had been to have some friends come over to my flat to watch the Super Bowl and luckily because the hotel room was big enough we could still have a “Super Bowl party” à Dijon.  An added perk was that my hotel room had a TV so we were able able to watch the Super Bowl on a French channel.  After settling into my hotel room, I met Jamie and Jim to have a coffee late in the afternoon (to ensure we’d be able to stay up until 4am!) and we planned what to get for Super Bowl snacks.  This is what we came up with:

Coke, biscuits & jam/nutella, cookies, chips,  candy,
peanuts and of course, coffee! ;)

We even bought red, white, and blue candies in honor of Pats colors:

Red Tagada candy and Blue and White Smurfs candy

After shopping we just had to wait for 12:30am to finally get here!  In the meantime I used MacDo’s WiFi (my hotel room didn’t have WiFi) to Skype briefly with my Mom and Dad.  I told them I didn’t have a good feeling about the game – I couldn’t explain why but my gut was just leaning toward a loss.  This feeling was further strengthened when I left MacDo and saw two different people drop their baguettes. TWO! I’ve never seen one person drop a baguette and then to see two people, in one day, withtin 5 minutes of each other?  Bad omen.

Finally, midnight rolled around and friends came over to cheer on the Pats!  It was bizarre to watch a NFL game with French announcers but amusing nonetheless!  Of course the announcers were pro-New York because the French have an obsession with NYC but we put up some decorations hoping our Patriots support would go all the way to Indy:

Signs courtesy of Jim!

Me, Jim, Charlotte, Clementine, and Jamie

But it was not enough.  I'm fairly certain that if you’re reading this blog you know all too well how the Super Bowl ended.  Ugh.  Needless to say we were a sad, tired, broken hearted bunch at 4:30am.

After sleeping for a few hours after the game (I went to bed at 5am!), I woke up, checked out of the hotel, and headed back to my flat to contact a plumber.  The plumber came promptly and fixed the water problem pretty quickly so I was thankful for that!  Throughout the day I continuously attempted to process how the Patriots crumbled for a second time but to be honest a majority of the day was spent in a sleepy-state listening to Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” and eating Nutella.  (Hey, we all mourn in different ways.)

It should be known that there were two positives to come from Super Bowl XLVI, though.  The first is that Jim (from England) proclaimed he is now a “Patriots fan for life”.  (Nice to see 'Old' England and New England come together via American football- haha!)  And the second is that Madonna’s lyrics from her song "Give me all your lovin", which was performed at halftime, gave Burgundy wine some press.  As reported in Le Bien Public, a local Dijon paper, the lyrics state: "we can drink some wine, Burgundy is fine, let’s drink the bottle every drop".  (The Madonna article was one of the few post-Super Bowl news pieces I could handle reading.)

No matter how much I love France, American sports are a constant reminder of how I could never live in Europe permanently: you can take the girl out of Massachusetts but you can’t take the Massachusetts out of the girl.

Word of the Post: la Nouvelle-Angleterre -- New England

On becoming a rugby fan

Stade de France

Rugby.  I had heard of it, I know some people who have played, but I had never watched a game until coming to France. Many of the European assistants here a big rugby fans and they sparked an interest in watching the Rugby Word Cup back in October.  So thanks to my new friends I now have a general idea of the game, rules, and strategy.  (I still have a lot to learn but I’m much more aware than before I came to Dijon so it’s a good start!)  So back in October, France had made it to the semi finals of the Rugby World Cup.  They faced England and came out victorious-- meaning they were to advance to the Rugby World Cup Championship game!  In the championship game they faced the highly favored New Zealand All Blacks.  Unfortunately France lost in a heartbreaker- by one point!

After watching the ups and downs of France in the World Cup last fall, when the opportunity to go to Paris to watch a live rugby match at Stade de France came up, I simply could not turn it down!  This was my second time going to Stade de France as I had previously attended a soccer game there, when I studied abroad, to see France vs Austria.  Stade de France is massive and for the rugby match there were over 79,000 fans in the crowd- crazy!  France played Italy and crushed them: 30-12 was the final score.  Attending the game was an absolute blast as the atmosphere was fantastic!  A horn would sound and the whole crowd would yell “Olé!”, the French national anthem was sung countless times, we did the wave, and chanted “Allez les Bleus!” over and over.  An added bonus was to take in sayings French people would yell throughout the game…now I have some phrases to use for a future game!

On a personal level I achieved two “French sports fan moments” in one day:

To paint the French flag on my cheek:

(Everyone does this!)

And to buy/wear an official France scarf:

(Again, everyone had one! Team scarves are
a very European thing.)

After watching France in the Rugby World Cup, and seeing them play live, I truly feel connected to the team- as if they’re really “my” team now.  So, no matter who is playing, when it comes to rugby I will forever support les Bleus!  

Maeve, Jim, and I after the game!

Word of the Post: Allez les Bleus! – support chant for French national teams (All French national teams are called “Les Bleus”)