C'est simple....la France me manque

As I sit here and type I am slowly feeling my body going through the motions of having withdrawal symptoms - from what??!    From not having the joy and love that comes with being there. France I mean!!    Strangers pass you by say  'Salut!', acquaintances do their  'cheek - kissing'.... I miss Montmartre.... (did you know that the video from Savage Garden's 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' was filmed there?!).....baguettes, the crazy street drivers on the Champs - Elysees!

More update follows......

Vraiment desolee!!

Do please forgive me for not updating in a while...well, since my course is fast approaching I am starting to think how I can brush up on my grammar......in the meantime, I 'treated' myself to a couple of nice things last week.

Paris themed storage tin

Eiffel Tower design sticky post- its

French fabric

Last but not least, I found this little cutie tucked away, forgotten I'd had it!!

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Oh, the family & I went to see The Adventures of TinTin last week at the cinema which I believe to have first appeared in French.   Thoroughly enjoyed it!

A couple of my French friends Nathalie & Sophie who I keep in contact with have said I am most welcome to visit them. Sophie lives in Nantes - a part of France where I have never been to, likewise Natalie currently resides in Douarnenez........I can dream.......thanks girls!!!

Down memory lane? Sentimental thoughts.

Ernest Hemingway once wrote  '' If you are lucky to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a movable feast''.   I can identify with these words without a doubt,  although my 'Paris' was Strasbourg at the time...this city left such an incredible impression on me....with the regional Tarte Flambee meals that I had with my fellow students to the 'Palais Universitaire' where I was lucky enough to be enrolled for 10 months.
My fellow Korean students always met with me near the student halls of residence where they stayed in. (okay sorry I know this is supposed to be French related but most of my friends just happened to be Korean).   This corner cafe that we frequented had a very cute decorated 'wall of art' that was written/drawn on by people/vistors from all walks of life.  Eun Jin was my best friend, she used to ramble on about wanting to find the perfect spouse and get married and settle down.  She was only 23 then but the eldest of our group of friends. Then there was Soo Young, who really did look very young. She had long jet black hair.   Hyun Chung was a sweet friend - everytime I saw her she was either painting her nails or giving me hugs.  Then there was Bo-ryeong , I became more friendly with her 2 to 3 months before the end of the course and our friendships together.  She had agreed to meet up with my long term penpal in South Korea to pass a present onto her from me after leaving France for Korea.

It's ironic , because I went to France to learn French, then ended up forming a bond and longlasting friendships with such great girls from another side of the world....what did it all mean?  Perhaps it was an experience to reinforce my belief that France really is indeed such a special place. No matter which  part I went to I always felt welcomed.     I do tend to hope...can I go to Paris soon?

Mes etudes continuent.....

I took part in a couple of swaps recently (http://www.swap-bot.com/) and received some more lovely postcards of my favourite place - France!!

A big thank you to Catherine Sebillet and Jetske for sending me these!

Now for even more exciting news...

Well, it seems like I will be doing my advanced French course/module with the Open University after all.

These are my books that I have purchased for the course:

The dictionary weighs a tonne (almost).  The Mot a Mot is a very good compiled guide of idioms and useful sayings that any essay writer would benefit greatly from.    As a former student in the 1990's I still also have my old university textbooks and the absolutely essential 'Robert Micro' dictionary.  These are all my revision tools - can I brush up before Feb 2012?   I will strive to do it.

  Wish me luck!!!

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Mais non!

Change of plan - my intention to continue on studying French has been interrupted by the realisation that my current responsibilities/commitments come first with regards to my family and career - so,  I have decided to put this plan on hold for the time being.   I am disappointed but I know timing is everything, I am studying 2000% for my other language and doing very well in it, getting A's straight through....

This is not goodbye French, hello strange world. Rather it is hello to a fresh start and I hope readers will wish me luck in my endeavours!

'Surveillez cet espace!'

French blogs

Blogs I like to read and recommend!

http://french-housewife.com/

http://toutparis.blogspot.com/   

http://basicfrench.blogspot.com/

Practise your French!!

The BBC offers a very useful website on all aspects of learning French. (Click here)
As well as giving you opportunities to refresh your French grammar using quizzes and French TV, there are also reports you can listen to which will ultimately aim to give you the best training in the language.

In one newspaper, it was reported that the French need to 'cheer up' a bit more and to be less miserable.  I was surprised to hear this.  It said in the article that in a country which is considered the world's top holiday destination and enjoying a quality of life envied by so many, you'd think otherwise but apparently there is so much pessimism  amongst the people.  According to a survey only 37% of the French actually like President Sarkozy.   His partner Carla Bruni has stated that the French are always 'negative', she added that ''they also are crazy about their own language, so every time there's something that's not in French, they get so mad about it."    Perhaps this unhappiness is just a reflection of the global recession that has hit so many of us recently.    Or, then again it could be so many factors...what do you think?

My current reading material...

Stephen Clarke has also written numerous other books on the French theme - I found 'Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French' quite fascinating & at times funny. Read it if you ever get a chance!

French studies....mmm

I have enrolled myself on an advanced French course with the Open University. (It wasn't an easy decision but I know it's the right one).  At times when I have received a letter in French in the post,  I have struggled a little to decipher the full meaning of the words...there was a time though I'd reached near fluent level, so I admit although it has become somewhat 'rusty', I still have it 'in me' somewhere, somehow - I hope!  (Just as you never forget being able to ride a bicycle or drive a car).

Let me share a couple more pictures taken in Paris many years ago....

        Does anyone know the name of this urban type pond of water?

         (it was taken I think between the Grande Arche de la Defense & the way to the Arc de Triomphe)

View of Montmartre from the top of the Sacre Coeur

A gigantic stick of rock?

The Eiffel tower

For me the ultimate symbol of 'Frenchness' no doubt is the very famous Eiffel Tower...

I joined a group on Flickr that showcases this incredible work of architecture;

Click here to see photos.