Voyage to the Heart of Paname
When a French person tells you’re they’re going to “Paname,” they don’t mean the country. For reasons that are in dispute, Paname is a slang word for Paris. While Charlie and I didn’t travel to Panama-the-country by mistake, we enjoyed seeking out the many French...
Guest Post: Finding a Nuisance-Free House in France
Ahhh, the infinite joys of French. The irregular verbs! The exceptions to every règle! The rarely used (but aptly named) imperfect subjunctive! And, as Anne explored here in August, the veritable feast of words that strike native English speakers as vague,...
Guest Post: A Forgotten French Cultural Icon
When preparing for my French citizenship interview, I had to learn all the major symbols of the Republic. La Marseillaise. Marianne and the Phrygian cap. The Gallic Rooster. One could even throw in the Fleur-de-lis. Or the Eiffel Tower. No matter which list I studied,...
The Long Tail of World War II
I’ve written before about how Paris is filled with war memorials, especially for World War II. I was reminded recently that stories also bring that war home to Europeans. At a time when horrible violence is rising anew on this side of the planet, war memories have...
My Triumphal Return to Paris
France is buzzing during the fall rentrée. King Charles and Queen Camilla spent two days in Paris in a blur of ceremony and bonhomie. The Rugby World Cup is being played everywhere. It’s Fashion Week. Museums are busting with popular exhibitions, and Pope Francis was...
Normally, Nothing is Lost in Translation
“Every sensible and rigorous theory of language shows that a perfect translation is an impossible dream. In spite of this, people translate.” – Umberto Eco, “Experiences in Translation” Now, they tell us, AI will take over translation from people. Tourists in Paris...
Guest Post: How I Learned to Love French Health Care
Thank you so much, Karen Karbo, for letting me repost this piece from Karbohemia Confidential -- AS May 15 marked the four-year anniversary of our move to France, and one sign of our continuing intégration was my willingness to go under the knife. Americans often cite...
Composting the American Way
Is compost about birth or is it about death? This is just one of the questions I have been pondering as I try to adapt to the American way of compost. In Paris, composting your food waste has recently gotten very easy. You put it in a little brown container, walk to...
Dreaming in Italian
To learn a language, you need to learn the culture of the country. I’ve certainly found that to be true with French and France. But when I decided to learn Italian, it all seemed rather intimidating. Unlike in France, Italian cuisine, dialects, traditions and...
Guest Post: A French Easter Egg Hunt
Thank you, Chris O’Brien, for this lovely tale from French Crossroads. The big news in France this week was that I found eggs with white shells. Living abroad means constantly trying to find the right balance between embracing a new culture and holding tight to the...