One of my French teachers once observed the difference between French and English: English has a million words which all have the same definition. French has only a few words which all have a million definitions. How confusing is it that Je suis means “I am” but also “I follow” depending on the context. And don’t even … More The chicken.
Ahhh January 25th. The perfect day to talk about December 25th! The holidays can be a tricky time of year when you’re away from home. All of the European assistants I know went home, and some of the Americans as well. But as for me, Home came to France!! My family and sister arrived in … More City of Masks: Unmasked, or Christmas in Venice
“Looking back on 2014” seems like a weird thing. My mental concept of a year has never divvied up quite so easily. If I think only about 2014, that leaves out a whole half of my 4th year in college, for one thing. I’m much more comfortable defining the arbitrary beginnings and endings by semesters, academic years, … More Year 22: the Retrospective
Full disclosure*: I started writing this post over a week ago. I have been reading and talking and muddling through these pretty complicated issues and though I’m not sure my marinating thoughts are going to come out perfectly cooked here, at least I can share them with you in all their unseasoned glory. France was thrown into … More Même pas peur
With TAPIF applications in the US due in the next few days, I am sure many hopefuls will be curiously Google searching tips and advice, much as I was 12 months ago… So, I thought I’d throw in my two cents. Step One: Strategize. Take a moment to examine your strengths and weaknesses as a … More So you think you can TAPIF?
The Christmas season arrived swiftly in France. Although the French are as unaware about Thanksgiving as the rest of the world, they – just like any self-respecting American should – waited until all the parades and football games were over before blasting carols and decorating trees. The Friday night after T-day saw the illumination of hundreds … More All of the Lights: Christmas in “secular” France
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