Something strange has been happening in France. It started on our TGV from Marseille back to Chambéry. We were met at our platform by three SNCF agents checking everyone’s ticket before being allowed onto the train. Then, during the journey, the conductor came by to check our tickets again. Then, on our TER regional train between Lyon … More Train ticket trifecta
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?
presentperfectblog.com 