Conversations with Laurine never fail to entertain. As Colin commented after my lesson last week, "I never hear you laugh as much as when you're on the phone with Laurine." I'd like to say this is because Laurine and I exchange witty bilingual repartee, but in reality we're usually laughing because we're struggling to have … Continue reading Molettes
Language
Another milestone
Over the past two weeks, Laurine and I have met twice for a French-English language exchange. This works well for both of us: for about 30 minutes, Laurine asks me hard-hitting questions in French (like, you know, what I do on a typical day), then we switch and for another 30 minutes I pepper her … Continue reading Another milestone
“I salute the effort you are going to make”
In one of last week's posts, I alluded to the fact that I've continued - somewhat - my French language learning. The truth is, for a while I was très motivée. I even enrolled in an online course! Then in February I began to lose my focus, and then March-which-was-200-years-long happened, and now it's been … Continue reading “I salute the effort you are going to make”
How to learn French (for free!)
A photo that I posted a while back made me think I should share some of my strategies for learning French. Although I haven’t been entirely diligent about studying, I have been actively engaged in learning French for over two years now, most seriously for the past 10 months. I sort of expected to learn … Continue reading How to learn French (for free!)
Reluctant self-improvement: or, trying to parler français in St. Louis
Shout out to this blog for holding me accountable! Remember when I told you I'd definitely keep up my French lessons à Saint Louis, if for no other reason than providing entertaining blog fodder? Well, I arrived, and I looked into affordable options, and I found exactly one—a meet-up group that gets together for two … Continue reading Reluctant self-improvement: or, trying to parler français in St. Louis
2018 by the numbers
What a year 2018 was! Even as I’m getting used to living in the US again, I still miss France more than I can say. It’s strange not to be able to hop on a train in the morning and be in a different country by lunchtime. It’s strange not to buy fresh bread at … Continue reading 2018 by the numbers
France vs. America
I follow enough French accounts on social media that the targeted ads I see are often in French, even now that I'm back in the US. Normally I don't give the ads much thought, but the fine print of this one caught my eye: Pour votre santé, évitez de grignoter entre les repas. For your … Continue reading France vs. America
A tale of two parties
It was the best of weekends, it was the French-est of weekends. It started with a simple plan to eat dinner one night with Colin's researcher friends Anthony and Anne-Claire (who have since moved out of the apartment with the toilet that traumatized me), but it ended up being the most social weekend we've had … Continue reading A tale of two parties
Quel dommage
The first thing to go in a foreign language is your sense of humor. When I speak French, if I manage to speak French, everything is 100% literal. Teasing, telling jokes, sarcasm—c'est pas possible. Occasionally people laugh at the things I say (see: my photographer/writer/economist spy persona), but it's usually a happy accident. But this … Continue reading Quel dommage
Casse-noisette
Although I love living in Paris, the language barrier means that daily life is often baffling. I never quite understand what's going on around me, and my brain is usually a minute or two behind where the conversation is. When I try to speak, I find that my vocabulary sounds like that of a kindergartener. … Continue reading Casse-noisette
Practice Makes Parfait 