Happy Thanksgiving

Or, with a french accent, appy sanksgeeveeng!

Today feels like Friday to me, as I had my Thanksgiving celebration yesterday on my normal day off. Today I had 2 classes and ate some leftovers for dinner. I didn't feel too bummed though, because yesterday was a blast.

The day started with some light cleaning and rearranging to welcome guests. Then, around 12:30 I started cooking. It was meant to be a potluck, but I supplied (some) turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans. I had bought 2 turkey thighs at the supermarket and found a recipe to braise them "until the meat falls off the bones." It actually wasn't too complicated. First, you brown the thighs in a pan, then you add celery and onions and cook them for a little longer. Next you transfer into a pot with about an inch of water or stock. I added a bouillon gel to give it a little more flavor. Let it simmer for an hour and a half, and it's pretty much done. I used the left over juices to reduce down and turn into gravy. I have to tell you I am pretty proud that I pulled off this dish (as well as mashed potatoes) because I'm not at all experienced in cooking!

Around 4 people started showing up and we started trying to get things ready around 5ish. Tom and Lauren brought some turkey breast to contribute, so Tom and I were bickering while deciding how to cook them. At one point I left the kitchen and heard a Boom! and a scream. When I went back in, the sweet potato pie that they were trying to warm on the burner (only stovetop, rememb?) had broken the dish. I intervened b/c I thought it was about to catch fire. But, half of the casserole was salvaged, and Sandra had brought two. It wouldn't have been Thanksgiving without the comical mishap, right?

We finally sat down around 6 to eat. We had [almost] all of the Thanksgiving fixins: Turkey (breast, braised thighs, roasted thigh), mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, sweet potato casserole, bread, dried cranberries, wine for those who partake, coke (america!) and water. As we sat down in my apartment, we reflected on how great it is to get together and share a Thanksgiving meal with friends.

As we were finishing eating, a few latecomers came, bringing our total of the evening to 16 people! With the table cleared, we made room for course number two: dessert! Let me tell you, these ladies were so impressive. We had homemade apple and pumpkin pie! It was delicious! Plus, many people had brought other forms of sweets so we had tons to go around.

The night waned and ended around 9pm. It was super successful and I'm very grateful to my friends who came to celebrate Thanksgiving with me.

Left to right: Moi, Julien*, Valerie, Hessina*, MariCarmen*, Jenny*, Marylene*, Margaux*, Tom. next row: Oana, Lauren, Kelly, Sandra, Shannon, Connor, and Emily.
*those celebrating their first Thanksgiving. Countries of origin: France, Spain, Colombia and England :)

Last, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to list some of my blessings:
-a loving Family and friends
-the opportunity to be in France this year
-12 hour work weeks!
-my diploma
-America :)
and many other things I take for granted.

English Pronunciation

Yesterday during lunch, this one teacher, Nicolas, called me over to the computer to show me something. He teaches Italian, but may speak some English, I'm not really sure. Anyways, he showed me this poem which was written to show all the difficulties in English pronunciation. At first, he wanted Jenny (who is Columbian, and doesn't speak english) to try, but then had me read some of the lines. I thought I'd post it so you can appreciate what others go through to learn our language.

The Chaos

Excerpt taken from "The Chaos" by G. Noist Trenité

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.

Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.

Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.

Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.

Finally, which rhymes with enough -
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

ps. This is just an excerpt, as I noted. The whole 274 line poem can be found here: http://www.spellingsociety.org/journals/j17/caos.php

Fashion!

Today I officially retired a nice lesson that I am proud of. Seeing as Paris is the capital of fashion and teenagers are always interested, I centered an English lesson around fashion. I am especially proud because my lesson was rather popular, and even went over well in my class today which was six 20 year old boys.

Lesson: Fashion

1. First, I would put the terms Fashion Icon and Fashion Victim on the board. I ask the students if they know what the terms mean, and then ask them to come up with a definition of each word.
Then, I use characteristics that I've found online to enhance the definition of Fashion victim: they wear unflattering trends, go "overboard" on trends, wear has-been trends, and wear age-inappropriate clothes. I kind of explain each of these (unflattering, overboard) and ask them for their own examples.

2. Then, I ask them for celebrities who fit these 2 descriptions, and write those in the respective columns. Then, I have pictures of some celebrities and ask them to help me categorize them. I was always amused, b/c they don't always have the same opinion. The celebs are: Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, The Beckhams (David and Victoria), Pete Wentz, Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama and Rihanna. I think I came up with a few more victims than icons, but whatevs.

3. Then, I ask them to help me write advice on How to Avoid Being a Fashion Victim. This didn't always go as planned, but was important b/c it made them invent in English.

4. Next, I ask them where they get ideas for fashion, and ask them to be specific. Magazines, brands, etc.

5. Lastly, I have them weigh the advantages and disadvantages of being a fashion model. And, I usually finish by asking them to state their opinon: "If a modeling job was offered to you tomorrow, would you take it?" For the most part, I would say 80% of my students said no. I wonder what their american counterparts would say? Would they be so strongly against it too?

There you go, that's my 55 minute lesson plan for fashion, just to give you an idea of what I do. Feel free to use/adapt this plan for yourselves (if you have the outlet).
ps. I always felt the need to be semi well-dressed when I taught this lesson, so my students wouldn't ask themselves why I'm trying to teach them about fashion (haha).

Storytime: now with illustrations!

Last night was a crazy night. It started with a puddle in the bathroom floor at 10pm and ended with a plumber asking me for 800E right then so he could come fix it in the morning. I panicked, but eventually he had to leave since I had nothing. Things got straightened out when I went to see the agency tomorrow and they should be here any minute to replace the hot water heater that blew its lid.



To make me feel better, I engaged in my favorite hobbies today; sunset watching and pet store window shopping. I will never get tired of beautiful sunsets, especially on the promenade.



Also, this pet store is about 2 blocks from my apt. I stop by almost daily and coo over the puppies. Something about this summer with my favorite maltze-poo Bailey and all the adorable little French doggies has converted me. I've always wanted a cat of my own, and I still do, but I think I might get a dog too. Plus, in France it's much more socially acceptable for people to have little dogs, which is not always the case in America. I'm also looking to start a fund called "Franny wants a puppy." I have barely enough money to feed myself, but with help from you I can buy and feed a puppy! Totally a worthy cause!

American Vibes

So, last night another assistant had a little Halloween costume party for those of us still in town. I was on the way there with Sandra and got the usual French guys on motorbikes yelling random things in English. This time took me a little by surprise though, as they yelled "Hello ladies... blah blah.... TEXAS!" (really? texas?!) Even on Halloween dressed in all black and wearing heavy makeup, I gave off American vibes.

This brings me to my point. Some of us, but ESPECIALLY me, give of a strictly American vibe. No French person has ever or probably will ever mistake me for French. And, usually I just blame it on the red hair, but that can't be all. So, In the next 6 months, I'll be trying to nail down all the different aspects that makes French people talk to us in English first.

I was given another clue last night. At the party, one of the French guys was talking to Sandra and said "Whyyyy do all the american girls wear ponytails in their hair?!" Aha. I had never really noticed, but I think women here rarely wear their hair up, and if it is, it's more than a ponytail.

Also, I'm told that smiling in general, while walking around, is rather American. Apparently in France we don't let people know we're happy. And, it can be hard to talk to people. Luckily, I think a lot of young french people are more open to making friends and talking to you, especially if you're english or american.

Oh, and I may have mentioned this before, but the French don't wear colors. Sandra and I were discussing, b/c we're both pale and look better when you pair colors with our skintones, but the French wear black, white, beige, black and more black. Not so many colors. Never pink or yellow or green or anything "loud". I can't wait to break out my red winter coat and pink scarf... hah.

Recap: American vibes are: smiling, ponytails, pale skin/red hair, wearing colors...