Baby Talk

Elliott, the 2-year-old where I work, is learning to speak French. So am I. Only he had a 22-month head start.
His comprehension is better than mine, but my speech is better than his. I'll sleep well tonight knowing that I speak better than a just-turned-2-year-old. Oh yeah.

No, but seriously. :) The words little kids come up with when they're learning to talk is cute. In any language.
So I thought I'd share a few of Elliott's pronunciations with you. I'll put the word in English, then the word in French, then the way Elliott says the French word (in more-or-less English phonics)...


no - non - NON (This one he has down perfectly and has for some time now. :))

Monica - Monica - 'nica (At first, it was just " 'ca," but we've moved to two syllables now!)

stop - arrêtes - ah-get-uh!

come - viens - nyen!! (with great enthusiasm and emphasis, multiple times, usually accompanied by a tug on your hand or your clothing :))

Capucine (his sister) - Capucine - Apu

shoes - chaussures - diggeul-diggeul-diggeul (where this came from, I have NO idea!)

cake - gâteau - diggeul-diggeul-diggeul (yes, this can cause some confusion)... however, he now says gah-koe for this

Jacques (his brother) - Jacques - Cacques (Cock)

Vicky (his sister) - Vicky - Kiki

please - s'il te plaît - AH p'aît!

thank you - merci - atsi (this used to be "ahni")

clown - clown - COO-loon

What is that/it? - C'est quoi? - nempah (I always think he's saying, "n'aime pas" - don't like - but he's asking what the thing is; not expressing his dissatisfaction with it, lol!)

car - voiture - *brrrbrrr* (a pseudo-engine sound; he incorporates the sound into his sentences just like it's another word :D)

The way his says "Alban" (another brother) and "lapin" (his "doudou") sounds exactly the same... it's a cross between the two.


He also has the cutest way of saying "MA maman!" when he thinks someone is threatening to take HIS maman from him for whatever reason! LOL! And when we ask him, "C'est à qui, Elliott?" (Who's is this?) and it's his, he says, "Moi-moi!" and points at his chest. Every time without fail. :)

You know what all this means, right? It's a two-for-one deal: I'm learning TWO new languages!!

Five Months

Today marks FIVE MONTHS since my plane landed in France and I began my sojourn abroad!!
The months have gone very quickly, and yet, so much has happened that it really does feel like five months' worth of action - or more! Six months from today, I expect I shall home, though I don't yet know the actual date of return.

I feel as though I should say something profound on this "occasion," but... hmm... nothing comes to mind! :)
Therefore, I am just saying this to note that I am nearly to the halfway point!!

I'm going to have to step up to the language-learning if I want to reach my goal by the end of the year!! Wish me luck. :)

Scarlet Fever

This poor baby has scarlet fever and spent the better part of today crying (which no doubt only aggravates her sore throat!)... la pauvre!! Hope she gets well soon!

This Cracks Me Up!

ONLY the French would have SOS Repassage!!! That is a phone number you can call if you are sick, tired, or otherwise unable to complete all your household duties. The local SOS Repassage will send someone out to save your freshly-laundered clothing from a fate worse than death: WRINKLES!!!

Don't laugh. I'm serious. They're serious.

The French (in general... ALWAYS in general :)) iron E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. This includes, but is not limited to, sheets, towels (both kitchen and bath varieties), boxers, T-shirts, and jeans.

I think that the money they save by not using clothes dryers must be spent in ironing all those non-tumbled, wrinkled clothes! :)

What to Say? Where to Start?

I have so many topics I'd like to blog about, so many points to bring up for "ponderation," :) the occasional anecdote to relate, etc. I often find myself composing a draft in my head, only for it to be lost in the cobwebs of my brain as I push blogging to the bottom of the to-do list. Admittedly, that's as it should be. Blogging is a leisure activity, not a priority... but I still wish I could get to this more frequently, not only because it serves as my "bulletin board" for my friends and family while I'm on the other side of the world (well, almost...), but also because it will serve as a reference point for me too once I return to civilization... er... once I leave France. ;)

Unfortunately, my thoughts aren't collected enough for a post right now, so I'll just leave you with a picture and let it say a thousand words for me!

I call this photo Reflections.

Have mercy on a body and let me know that you stopped by, by leaving a comment! :) Let me know what you'd be interested in hearing about: daily life, adventures out and about, learning the language, cultural differences, amusing and/or embarrassing anecdotes :)... leave your topic of preference or any questions in the comments. Thanks!

Learning the Lingo

Technically, I've been in France for just over four months now... actually, to get technical, I've been here 10 days short of five months, minus two weeks for Joe and Linds' wedding. Like I said, just over four months. However, I consider the first month/five weeks an almost total wash as regards learning French. The entire month of September, I spoke to almost EVERYONE in English and they spoke to me in English. What little French I spoke was a pathetic version of "pigeon-French," that in fact, no one bothered to correct. Since the number one step in learning a language by immersion is to HEAR it and since I did not hear it much AT ALL during September, I don't think that month counts.

Therefore, when it comes to learning French, I consider that I have been immersed since about the end of October (having been in the States the first half of the month and on my own, without French-speakers around, the second half) or the beginning of November. Minus another two weeks for Christmas Vacation, during which Rose and I spoke a sorry amount of French and carried on at great length in English. :/

*punches the numbers into the calculator*
I'm estimating I've had about 8 weeks of good and profitable and consistent immersion! (Whew! That's not much!)

But that's not what I set out to talk about...

Some days, I really get into "French mode," and go at it with a pretty fair 'batting average.' Other days, I absolutely cannot get in the groove and I stumble over the simplest sentences. Practice makes perfect, though... and, while far from perfect (!), I can actually begin to feel the progress I've made. You may ask: four months here and you're only BEGINNING to feel the progress??

Yes.

Looking back, though, I find it hard to believe that I didn't know things like "ca y est" and "vas y!" There are SO many things I know now that I didn't know a few months ago. I'm really, really glad to be past that beginning part! (I can't believe I came over remembering only the present-tense endings for the verbs. Yikes!)
I don't understand everything, but if the speaker is distinct, I understand well over half of what's said. And if the topic is a familiar one, I can sometimes understand EVERYTHING!!

And that's cool.

The French words (those that are used most often anyhow) have taken on real meaning of their own. They're not translations anymore. In fact, a number of them have recently started coming to mind BEFORE their English equivalents. YAY!! :D For the everyday things, I think I can truly say that I'm beginning to think in French.

It's funny, though, because when I hear English (which is rather frequently - usually at least once a day... how's that for complete and total immersion?? LOL!), I sometimes marvel at how I can understand so easily! I sure don't take comprehension for granted anymore. :)

At the moment, I'm pretty happy with my comprehension and satisfied (though not happy) with my 'speakability.' But in a day or two, I'll probably be on the underside of the curve again - impatient with how little I know and how little I understand.
And in a few months time, I'll probably look back on this post and laugh that I thought I was coming along so well.

But for the moment, it's all good!



P.S. Although I admit that my comprehension is getting better (after all, how could it NOT??) and that my written French is perhaps on the "upswing" at the moment, I do not claim that my spoken French is very good! I don't even like my accent... how bad is that?? LOL! That's life, though.... and hopefully the accent will improve with time.

French Perspective

This evening, before dinner, I had a pretty good talk with Mme. Smith. (Which brought home to me that one of the hardest things about this language barrier is not being able to have a discussion, heart-to-heart talk, or anything of the sort with people here!!) We started with my reasons for coming to France and finished with the difference of outlook on marriage between our two countries. (No, those two topics were NOT related!!!)

I rather shock myself, but the truth is: I'm not quite sure why I DID come to France!! I had no concrete reason; no certain goal. Yes, I wanted to learn the language. Yes, I wanted some experience away from home, preferably in Europe. Yes, I had nothing else presenting itself for my occupation this year. But, in the end, what DO I tell people when they ask my reasons for coming?! I tell them those things, but it always sounds a bit open-ended, a little unsatisfying. Even I'm left wondering, "Why?" I don't know exactly... except that I'm sure it was God's Will for me this year. Although I may not be able to give one, particular reason for being here, I do know that I appreciate being here and that I'm enjoying it... and that even through the rough parts, I haven't REALLY wanted to leave it behind and go home. It's just like Mom said before I left, "Going to Europe is somewhat like visiting a Grandmother's house. It's not the same as home, but it's familiar." This is really true... mostly because of all the history over here that is lacking in the United States, and because the United States was colonized by Europeans.
I was telling Mme. Smith these things (well, I was trying! It was awfully stilted, I'm afraid!) and we agreed that an American's reasons for coming to Europe are very different than a European's for going to the States. She said that Europeans often go to the States just out of curiosity, for an adventure, to earn money, or sometimes for the sake of learning English (although a lot more go to Great Britain for that purpose). But she said that it's very hard for Europeans to live in America, because it is so lacking in history, in deep-seated culture, in character. This was not a slur against the United States... it's an objective fact; very true, really. She told me that many Europeans can't live in the States because it feels too empty, too shallow. I had never thought of this in as many words before, but I can totally understand it!! Heck, I'm not sure I'll be able to live in the U.S. when I get back! (LOL! I'm joking! The U.S. is my home and I do love it. But I could sense that "void" when I was home in October... how much more will I notice it upon my return this summer??)

With a slightly unusual segue (the person who was most influential in my final decision to come to France), the topic changed to cultural customs regarding dating, engagement, and marriage. Mme. Smith told me what I had already observed and heard about a little bit: the dating period before engagement is relatively quite short in France. This is because the young people go around in mixed groups quite a lot. In this way, they get to know each other (and everybody) very well without becoming exclusive or going steady. When a boy decides to ask a girl out, they typically already know each other well enough that it's not long before they're engaged to be married. Engagement lasts between six months and a year, in general.
The age at which young people marry in France is, on average, older than in the United States. Twenty-five is a pretty typical age, even for the girls. Often, both the young man and young woman have finished university and are working before they get married. That's because, in France, as Mme. Smith put it, "C'est independence ou pas de mariage." There's no moving in with the in-laws after marriage. The parents "cut their children off." It's sink-or-swim. Which is great incentive for being financially stable before taking such a serious step!
(As a side-note, Rose and I discovered over Christmas vacation that, in Switzerland, there aren't usually engagements!!! The couple just gets married. I was pretty floored when I heard that! I'm still a little puzzled how that works... I don't suppose there is ever a formal proposal in that case, but when do they set the date? And how do they know when to start planning the invitations, the dress, the flowers, etc?? But it's true: they don't get engaged in Switzerland; they just get married.)

Miscellany

Well, I'm back to work, as of yesterday. It's kinda nice to come back to a familiar routine.

While I'm thinking about it (and before I forget again)... we had soup last night. That's not unusual, but I had said before that I'd post about the food from time to time in the hopes of being able to re-create it (or at least imitate it) once I'm home again. So last night, we had soup. Homemade soup. That's not unusual either. It turned out pretty tasty and this is what it was composed of: one leek, one small zucchini, three small to medium potatoes and three medium to large carrots. These were all peeled and cut into large-ish pieces, put in a large pot, barely covered with water, and boiled until mushy. Then, with a handy dandy machine that they have here, it was all mashed up... no... pureed... yeah, that sounds more appetizing. Add a bit of salt and 'mange.' Pretty good!!

Another thing that I've been meaning to say and never remember when I go to say it is that I have observed that European children play castles and medieval times the way American children play cowboys and Indians (or house, if they're girls). This makes perfect sense, but I never really thought about it before I was here. The boys here have a HUGE collection of knight toys and figurines. The nine-year-old has a castle theme on his duvet. In another family I met, the children all had dress-up costumes as medieval characters. Princesses and/or ladies-in-waiting for the girls and knights for the boys. They even had a pop-up tent/castle! :)

And one more completely unrelated thing. This made me laugh... I was teaching Jacques and Alban English tonight. (I was trying, anyway. The latter was particularly uncooperative.) I was one-on-one with Jacques and, after doing some reading in English, I was teaching him the phrase "my name is __________." So, since we were 'speaking' English, I told him to say, "My name is James." (That's what his dad calls him when talking to him in English... after all, that's the translation of 'Jacques.') Without missing a beat, he said, "My name is Bond. James Bond." I had to laugh. That was so unexpected! After that, he switched to, "My name is Smith. James Smith." He's such a crack-up! If it's not one thing, it's another... he can almost always make me laugh.

BEE-YOO-TI-FUL, eh?

(I'm talkin' about the scenery, of course.)