Everything I always taught that no one paid attention to.

As a French teacher,  we all have our pet peeves. Some of mine were using 'tu' all the time, trying to use English words when vocab was limited, and no subjunctive.   This blog post made me so happy!
http://www.blog.parisunraveled.com/do-you-make-these-6-french-mistakes/

All aboard the train to Babylon

In Penn Station, there are several spots where travelers wait to see what track their train leaves from.  It reminds me of bettors at the race track looking at the current race.  I almost expect some to scowl and throw down betting slips.   The minute a track is posted, half of the crowd starts down the hallway like kids late for class. 
Many are going to the beach and have Starbucks drinks in hand.  Gotta love public transport!
They called our train and everyone immediately turned to go down the stairs. And we still had to wait for the train while jockeying for the best spot to stand; is this where the doors will be?  We did pretty well, the doors have closed and we are on the way to Long Island!

La lune bleu

The blue moon as taken from our bsck terrace.  Such a gorgeous evening; I took the dog on a rare night excursion.  Our street is calm with houses lit up from the inside.  I love LA.

L'oeil comme un aigle - my eagle eye

Bonjour tout le monde!

In the past 5 weeks I have been working!  Ouais - I have been freelancing as a proofreader/editor for a French cruise company.  Now most of you will say that this is right up my alley, since I love travel and cruising.  But who knew that this job would spark my love of proofing and editing?  The work came to me in English already, and I would read the itinerary (programme, en francais) for grammar, syntax and American vocabulary usage.  Not much French there, but that was really OK.

Since there is a 9 hour time difference between France and CA, I would have my work in my email inbox in the morning, and I could work "at my leisure" during the day.  If it was late a night, I could even have an email conversation with one of my translators!  It was fun to learn about, sorta kinda, all the cities along the different rivers in Europe, and even a couple in Cambodia, Vietnam, Cyprus and Israel!  Now there are a ton of places that I want to visit.  I worked with three people whom I have never met, but who have become my friends.,

But that wasn't the huge surprise - I LOVE to proofread!  Little mistakes just jump out at me, whether or not I'm working.  I was in a conference call the other day, and pointed out that an event was listed as one date on one page, and another date on another page.  Then, I don't want to be a prissy prof, and don't worry mes amis, I will not point out your errors. 

Got papers or documents that you need to have someone proof it for style, grammar and stuff?  That would include high school seniors who need another eye on college application essays, AP free response essay practice (in English or in French), those who are looking to craft that perfect cover letter, or just want to write better.  The coolest thing is that you don't even have to be local - there is email and Pay Pal - and I am raisonnable in my rates. :)

A bientot!  Enjoy what is left of your summer.

Here and there in Paris

As seen from the roof 

Bonjour tout le monde,
I have the greatest time in Paris walking around and looking at all the wonderful buildings and monuments. One of my favorite places in Paris is the roof of the Galeries Lafayette. As you can see from this photo, the view is awesome.  I love the rooftops, the back of the Opera Garnier, and the Eiffel Tower.  No matter what the weather, I can find a beautiful view on the roof. In the summer, there is even ice cream!
There are all sorts of people up on the roof; tourists, weary shoppers, and folks just up there catching some rays.

On the roof of the Galeries Lafayette

So, there is this monument on the roof dedicated to Jules Vedrines, the aviator who landed a Caudron C3 airplane on the roof of the building!  He won 25,000 francs for the feat.  Evidently, he was also the first pilot to fly at more than 100 mph. I always wondered about the man behind the monument; as they all seemed to be in those days, he was quite the daredevil.

In the garden of the Qatar embassy

The other interesting thing that I saw in Paris was this giant candy wrapper - it is located in the courtyard garden of the Qatar Embassy.  The wrapper is painted in the colors of the country, and since it is located right at the end of the Champs-Elysees just across from the Arc de Triomphe, everyone can see the giant candy - and probably have pictures just like me!  I am sure that there is a story in there somewhere, but I can't remember even if there was one!

8 hours sleep in 2 days

Bonjour tout le monde!
I have just returned from a whirlwind trip to Denver, CO.  I was attending a meeting of GEAs (Global Education Ambassadors), who are basically experienced group leaders traveling with EF.  The trip didn't start out too well.  Those of us from the Los Angeles and Orange County - all three of us - were on a 7 pm flight on Frontier Airlines. In the middle of the afternoon, I looked at my phone, where there was a notification that the flight was delayed from 7pm to 9:18 pm.  I tried to call, but after a 20 minute wait, the very nice customer service lady could not tell me much.
At 7 pm, I met my flight buddies at the Starbucks in Terminal 3.  Our flight was delayed again, with a departure time of 9:40 pm.  That would put us into Denver just after midnight, and to the hotel about 40 minutes later.  The plane landed, we all got on the plane seated and ready to go...but we didn't.  The ground crew was understaffed and it took them almost an hour to load the plane.  Long story short - it was 3 am Denver time when I got into my room. Four hours later, I was up for breakfast.
But, of course when one starts like that, it can only go up, right?  YES!  We had a wonderful day of meetings, and I reconnected with a ton of EF people I have met over the (many) years but employees and other GEA folks.  There was great conversation about how to make the GEA program better and more effective, and I got some awesome ideas to use in my next recruiting efforts (and you will just have to wait for those!).
The most exciting thing was the evening drinks and dinner at the Clock Tower in downtown Denver (http://www.clocktowerevents.com).  The event was spread out over several floors in the very top of the tower - my legs and butt got quite the workout!  After arriving back  in my room, I repacked and set my alarm for 4:40 am and a 5:15 am hotel departure for the airport.  Four more hours...
I love to travel, and although it is a lot of work, I still love organized travel, both with students and adults.  I will continue to seek out the chance to do both, so watch out!
Oh yeah; the flight home was fun AND it was on time.  Better yet, my husband met me at the entrance to baggage claim.
Some photos of my adventure...

Behind the clock

Downtown Denver by night

Me and Lindsay, my EF tour consultant and bud

The clock tower from the ground.  We were in the blue and red colored sections!

What do I want to do when I grow up?

Bonjour tout le monde!
I still have several blog posts remaining from my trip to France and Italy, but today I'm talking about, well, me.  As many of you know, I left my teaching job of 32 years in June, 2012.  Of course during the summer, when we are supposed to be off, nothing is different.  I went out to lunch with friends, stayed up and got up late, went to Tahoe with my husband.
Then the first day of school came around. I woke up in a panicked sweat, wondering what on earth was I going to do?  People always have ideas; be a substitute, teach online, tutor, give conversation classes.  That was OK, but I was still a little depressed.
I did apply to be a substitute, but still haven't heard from the company.  Same thing with the independent teacher hunter company.  But still, a girl has to earn a living, right?  I signed up with a tutoring company and I got a nibble!  Then another one!  Suddenly, I was working almost every weekday.  Then when the school year ended it all went back to nothing.
I went to France and Italy with friends on a tour that I organized.  We had so much fun, and I learned all about life on an adult tour (who knew?  It was awesome!).  And I am working as an independent proofreading contractor - I had no idea that grammar could be so much fun.
So...things are slowly looking up.  When school resumes, I should have my students back, and perhaps more.  I need to figure out how to continue being a proofreader (in English, by the way; French works, too) or translator; and if you need French lessons, I'm your gal!
I am so blessed to have wonderful friends and family.  My next post will not be so sentimental but hopefully equally interesting.

And just in case, I sign off
Jacki Williams-Jones
Executive Language Coach -specializing in French and English lessons, grammar and proofreading.
Spread the word!