La Croque Madame [lah croak mahdam]: December 2014

30 December 2014

What you learn when you go to Paris

Bonjour tout le monde!

While I was looking over Facebook, I found this little article (there are others lilke this - perhaps you can create your own, or we can do it together!) about what Americans learn while in Paris...

http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/19-things-americans-learn-come-paris/

I like the one about gerunds - never thought about it before! Le parking and le footing are great examples.

When I was last in Paris, I learned that Parisians do like Starbucks. However, they tend to sit and drink, just like in a regular cafe. I think that only we Americans walk around with the cups. Yes, I have bought a Starbucks cup from Paris; I'm going to get another one, too, the next time I'm there! And remember, go to the bathroom before you leave the store! (If you are really stuck and are around the Opera district, go to the Galeries Lafayette, their bathrooms are clean and cheap)

I am always in a Paris frame of mind...

What is the most interesting thing that you have learned about being in Paris? Respond in the comments below.

Happy New Year!

22 December 2014

A year in review

Bonjour tout le monde!
And a very Merry Christmas to you (as well as Meilleurs Voeux).
At this time of year, there is always something that appears on Facebook which allows the user to have a few photos that fit into their template. I decided this year to do my own thing here - no template for me!
2014 started out with friends and family all here to celebrate Stanford's football team in the very last Rose Bowl as it was known. Stanford was in the very first and the last - losing each time. That stung, but having my dad, husband, daughter and son in law, plus my Stanford family including nieces and significant others; well, that is priceless. We also made a couple of trips to the Bay Area to visit, attend games, and otherwise spend time with my "twin" sisters Jan, and Teri (when she comes down from Oregon).

Tutoring is fun - I really enjoy working with my students. Right now, I have some weekly clients, which makes life really fun as I can see them make progress in French, and get to know the students well. I had to say goodbye to a couple of my steady students as they finished their high school French careers. After all, we saw each other every week for almost a year and a half, summers excepted. Some students decide that they have had enough, and drop the class; me, too. Ah, the life of a tutor...

I have not traveled enough this year, although I did make it to France once, with a wonderful group of women. We went to Nice, Avignon, stayed in Aix-en-Provence (where I had dinner with a former student), and finished up in Paris. I have been to the City of Lights innumerable times, but this time I took one of those "Hop on, Hop Off" buses. It was tons of fun, even for this experienced "Parisian"! Hopefully in 2015, there will be more travel to see both new and old friends, places and things.

I also got to help a very wonderful and awesome woman plan her 3 week trip to France - next time I go with Michael, we are going to try some of the things that I helped her do - dinner on the Seine, new and different museums, a couple of tours, plus walking the Parisian equivalent of the High Line.

Well, this isn't everything, but it's good enough for right now. I want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, filled with love, fun, friends and family. Whatever you wish for, may you recieve it in abundance.
Happy New Year!
PS - if you need tutoring in French, help with grammar and proofreading in English, or help planning that perfect trip to France, I'm available ! (see the pages on this blog)