The Canny Francophile

Beaucoup de gens dans ce monde s'efforcent de bonheur. Etre heureux ne signifie pas que tout est parfait. Cela signifie que vous avez décidé d'aller au-delà des imperfections. Je crois aussi que sans tristesse il n'y a pas de bonheur. Alors la prochaine fois vous vous sentez déprimé, rappelez-vous que le soleil brille toujours, même si les nuages sont toujours là.  

The guillotine Mayonnaise The Bic Pen Bicycles The Statue of Liberty (USA) Hot air balloons The bikini Stethoscopes Braille Sewing Machine

French Proficiency Test Having not spoken French in a few years now , I thought I'd give this test a try. How much French grammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension do you know? See if you can beat my personal score of 75% (113 points out of 150)!! To get started, click on the link above. One of the potential professions that I was interested in learning more about during my student years was becoming an interpreter.... I did well in French & Linguistics but, sadly not so well in the interpreting module at university.     There are basically two types of interpreting; consecutive and simultaneous and it was the latter that I found extremely challenging.    (Generally you sit in a booth and convert the language as it is spoken to you). Are there many fluent speakers of French (learnt as a 2nd or 3rd language) out there?    I admit I had achieved near native fluency when I lived in France, but ...

I do miss France a lot. In fact I dream of the day I will go back...it's hard to explain in words but I feel 'whole' as a person when I'm there.   My boyfriend cannot understand for the life of me , my fascination with France (and I'm sure a lot of readers will be able to identify with me).         My experience as a student in Strasbourg left a long lasting impression on me. I had stayed in this wonderful city for 11 months during the 3rd year of my French degree course in 1996. I am forever grateful for my experience  -  I totally fell in love with the town and felt deep sadness when the time had come to leave. Je me demandais toujours ou mes amis coreens que je connaissais a Strasbourg sont maintenant.....mon meilleur ami Eun Jin, dont le parfum prefere etait Jean Paul Gaultier Classique...qui a toujours parle de son futur mari.....!  Quels souvenirs!!      Quand je pense a ces ...

Un grand boujour pour mon amie Catherine qui vit a Lille!  J'espere que tout va bien pour toi.....et tu as recu ma lettre, sans doute...   

Croissants/baguettes Pain au chocolat The river Seine The amazing architecture of the Eiffel Tower Good French weather Strasbourg (my memories of Alsace are as fresh in my mind as they were 14 years ago) Street cafes The Champs-Elysees   The language Helene Segara Le FNAC (music/bookshop) Sephora (beautician's paradise)

We were in Paris in 1994 (night view of the Arc De Triomphe) Fountains at Versailles Palace, Paris -1994 View of Versailles Gardens, Paris - 1994 Inside of Versailles Palace, Paris - 1994 View from the top of the Grande Arche de la Defense 1994 was the year in which my sister and I visited Paris for the very first time. We stayed for 2 weeks, and on the final day of our holiday we saw the final leg of the Tour de France on the Ave. Champs-Elysees. In total to date I have visited Paris 6 times.   Who can resist this beautiful capital of the nicest & friendliest country in the world?