J'apprends encore...

When I get to France I won't just be eating croissants, drinking wine and lounging by the Seine all day after a trip to Shakespeare & Co.  Not so.  I'll actually be doing stuff, like going to school kind of stuff.  Before classes start in September I will have to take a placement test, so I have been studying a lot.  Not just to make communication easier upon arrival, but to avoid getting placed in a class where we start with "un, deux, trois..."  

If only I had studied this hard in French 204 in college... It feels as if my elementary knowledge of French is taking over my life.  I have found that I am starting to say things in English as I would in my basic and infantile French way. Today, a friend of mine made a funny comment, to which I replied, "Oh!  This is so funny!" (probably nodding with a huge grin on my face) Rather than something ordinary such as, "haha"  or "funny, dude," like a normal, native English speaker would say.  

I stumbled upon this article where a teacher had her Japanese students create "rage comics" to help them with their English... I can't help but think that this is what I sound like to all of my French friends when I attempt to parler avec eux....completely bizarre and hilarious.

French Wedding

Okay, so any of you who know me, know that I love weddings.  (Including planning my own nuptials  that is being held at a date TBD).  You also know that I love French anything.  So when I saw these photos of this classic French wedding by Marion Heurteboust I couldn't not post them... 

Photos via Bridal Musings

Travel

Still sick.  Still up to my elbows in kleenex and lukewarm tea.  Still daydreaming about travels.  While I of course plan on seeing what I like to call the, "euro-pass fratastic cities"... London, Rome, Prague, etc... I am dead set on seeing countries that most don't ever make it to...

Brètagne

I am feeling very sick indeed, so I have been daydreaming about my vacation to Brittany with my host family a week after I arrive in France.  I can't wait to taste crêpes (they originated here) and local seafood, take in some chateaus, and meander along tiny seaside villages.  

Le Poéme

My college advisor lent me this book so today I have been reading about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis's Junior year in France with Smith College.  I stumbled upon a pretty little bilingual poem she wrote...

Who knows why an April breeze                            Qui sait pourquoi une brise d'Avril 

Never remains                                                          Reste jamais 

Why stars in the trees                                               Pourquoi les étoiles dans les arbres

Hide when it rains                                                    Se cachent quand il pleut 

Love comes along-- casting a spell                           L'amour vient-- jetant un sort

Will it sing you a song                                              Est-ce qu'il vous chantera une chanson 

Will it say farewell                                                   Est-ce qu'il vous dira adieu 

Who can tell                                                             Qui peut le dire (Qui sait?)

Charming, n'est pas?

Les Films

In order to bolster up my French skills before I depart, I have been doing a lot of studying with my old college textbook.  But mostly, I have been watching French movies on Netflix to re-acquaint my ear with the language.  And save your, "yeah, that really sounds like studying..." because I think it does wonders and I have even started dreaming en Français. 

So, here is a list of my favorite French films I have found on Netflix... 

La Paperasserie

After what seemed like months of document accumulations, translations and preparations, today was the day for me to report to the French Consulate to apply for my visa.  I was terrified.  The French are notorious for being extremely scrupulous (yet, oh so plodding) about their paperwork.  If the tiniest thing had been done wrong I chanced having to start the process all over again, and maybe even face some serious travel rearrangements.  But, after looking everything over about ten times, I was confident that everything would go well.  And everything was going fine (a traffic jam on 75S not withstanding) until the nice office worker asked me for my travel itinerary. The frantic look on my face prompted the young man to ask, "you do have a ticket right?  How else will we know you're actually going to France?"

Nouveau

As you can see things have changed a bit around here.  Decided to do a bit of overhall to give the blog more of an identity and focus.  "Le Cahier" is French for notebook, so I am sure you can figure out that "Le Red Cahier" is Franglish for, "The Red Notebook."  My favorite notebook is a red moleskin I have that the likes of Papa Hemingway (pictured above) would have written in.  I'll allow you to develop your own ideas for the metaphorical meaning(s) of the new title.  Still haven't finished with all the changes... not sure what they might be, but for now, this is the new look of the blog.  Enjoy.