Hablo Ingles?

[hypatia42]

I'm going to France. Paris in fact. Its way more sudden than my last international trip... any international trip I've had. The Honey is a trooper and has taken it all in stride. I guess that's what comes of going where the company tells you to. He's even gotten good at saying no if he feels the request in unreasonable. But this is a project that we both agreed would be the opportunity of a lifetime and don't want to give it up.

That said, I have never been to France, never dreamed of going there, know nothing of the language, or what to do while there. I'm getting a lot of false sympathy about my nervousness but I'm dealing ok. A million tiny violins can break a string... all at once... WHAT? It could happen.

So I bought a book. Even though this book is printed in English I'm not understanding most of what is says so far. I'm hoping that the background on the places that they are talking about will come eventually or I am going to have to sit in front of the computer with the book and start looking things up. I don't know what blah place is compared to blaah place compared to blaan(which apparently in French still sounds like blah because they don't pronounce the last consonant) so its hard to keep track.

There will be coping and it will be fine. I'm a little off center from all the uncertainty going on in my life right now. I'm sure I will have a lovely time.

And yes I know that the subject line is in Spanish not French. I know *some* Spanish.

Comments

[cudubh.livejournal.com]

http://frenchecole.libsyn.com/

Free lessons, the woman teaches children in England and aimed at the beginner. Plus if you want I have the Berlitz lessons on MP3 format.

[hypatia42.livejournal.com]

That would be awesome.

Movies?

[catpaw67.livejournal.com]

*setting aside my now-useless tiny violins* Would you consider watching a couple of movies to help whet your appetite, perhaps? For example, Sabrina (either the classic with Bogie and Hepburn or the remake) might be fun. French Kiss is fluffy but fun. Amelie is adorable. Last Tango in Paris is profoundly disturbing and wonderful in its own way. Charade is a fab suspense flick. And, not to belabor the divine Hepburn, but Paris When It Sizzles is a fun movie, too.

All of these are out on DVD and might begin to give you a feel for the city.

Next I'll post on food and wine...

Re: Movies?

[hypatia42.livejournal.com]

I've seen the first three. Though I was watching the characters instead of the setting. I honestly did not know that Amelie was set in Paris, might've been me not paying attention though.

Movies are not a bad idea but its hard to find movies about an area instead of about people.

Re: Movies?

[siha-chan.livejournal.com]

Oh I just thought of another!

Moulin Rouge!

that's all :)

Food and wine?

[catpaw67.livejournal.com]

Paris is considered by many to be the capital of food and wine in the western world. (This would be the main cause for the before-mentioned playing of diminutive stringed instruments, at least by me.) You can take tours, like with this outfit: http://www.edible-paris.com/ Or you can find your own culinary way. There are incredible markets -- http://www.parisdigest.com/shopping/marketstreets.htm . You can eat at fabulously expensive and famous restaurants -- http://www.alain-ducasse.com/public_us/plaza_athenee/fr_cuisine.htm You can find great food in tiny bistros on just about every corner.

And then there's wine. I know I don't need to go on about this. Here's a pretty good site: http://www.drvino.com/pariswineshopsbars.php

OK, I'll shut up for now. :-D

Re: Food and wine?

[jasminewind.livejournal.com]

There is a square in Arr 5 or 6 that has (or had when I was their 15 years ago and 15 years before that when my father was there) several excellent morroccan restaurants. Really great, really cheap couscous and meat dishes. I will dig through my brain and my maps and stuff to give you more info if you want.

[tigira.livejournal.com]

Parlez vous anglais?

I'm trying to remember the book that I used to help with phrases. Honestly, it was enough that I was able to be not completely useless within a week or two of drilling.

I second using the movies - Paris has a lot to it. There's also a rhythm of everyday life that is just yummy. See, most homes only have small refrigerators, so grocery shopping happens daily - and on foot at small neighborhood markets.

So, besides the historical and artsy stuff (of which there's plenty), there's a lot to be said to just the way of life and watching people while having a cup of yummy coffee (for me, cafe au lait, sil vous plait).

I understand being thrown off balance - but I trust that you will come back to your usual self and enjoy the ride.

[theladyshannon.livejournal.com]

It would make The Princess's day if she got a postcard or something from Paris. Ever since watching Sabrina she has wanted to go to Paris. Any chance of that happenin?

[hypatia42.livejournal.com]

I tried emailing you regarding this. I need your address to make this happen. I would love to. I like sending things to kids that make them smile.

[jasminewind.livejournal.com]

Paris is a confusingly laid out city, French is a wierd language and their culture is very different from ours. All these things add to my sympathies for what will surely be a mind-spinning aclimation process.

But you are right it is going to be lovely. I'm so jealous! When do you go?

[hypatia42.livejournal.com]

Leaving this Friday.

[sherwood21.livejournal.com]

You can go through the Chunnel and go to England if you want! Except they speak British there, and sometimes those people are hard to understand.

[castalusoria.livejournal.com]

From a "seeing things" perspective-- many museums are closed on either Mondays or Tuesdays. Now that France is on the Euro, some of the challenges I had there will be diminished, which is good!

How long do you expect to be there? A good friend of mine lived in Paris for a while, teaching English as a Second Language, I'd be happy to put you in touch with her.

[castalusoria.livejournal.com]

Oh-- I second the vote for "Amelie." Besides the delightful cuteness of the movie, there are a lot of "living in Paris" elements. There's a whole lot filmed in and around the Montmartre neighborhoods, including the gardens on the hillside that lead up to Sacre-Coeur. (BTW, I loved Sacre-Coeur-- it was the most peaceful and moving I've ever felt in a Christian site, and I've been to many many; considering I'm a non-Christian, I thought that was significant. If, late in life, I head in a Christian direction and wanted to retire as a non, I'd want to do it at Sacre-Coeur.) Note: parts of the neighborhoods near Sacre-Coeur are considered unsafe after dark. I was there in early November, and dark was a consideration.

Here's a link to some of what's in Amelie:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4546527_enjoy-amelies-paris.html

[castalusoria.livejournal.com]

Oy, this is going to get long.

Some of the best images I shot in Paris were in Cimitiere Pere-Lachaise. Gorgeous statuary; I wandered for hours in there.

http://www.pere-lachaise.com/perelachaise.php?lang=en

Ideas for getting rail passes for day trips out of the city upon request-- they're cheaper if you buy multi-day passes, IIRC.

In Paris

[krkhst.livejournal.com]

most everyone speaks English. And if you do try to speak French you will merely cause them to internally roll their eyes and bleed from the ears as we "butcher" the language....

[willowoak.livejournal.com]

I lived outside of Paris, in a town called Chaville (it's closer to Versailles, but on the rail line to Paris), for a year. When I went there, I had had three years of high school French.

I was a fille au pair and lived with a family and took French classes at one of the local schools.

My experience of France and the French is "be polite." Attempt to use whatever French phrases you can, and ask nicely if they speak English. In the entire year I was there, I only encountered one jerk...and he was a bureaucrat, it was his job to make things difficult for me. :-)

Public transportation there is great...see this map of the Metro. http://paris.osac.gov/page.cfm?pageID=1378 It will all make much more sense when you're there. If you're going to be there for a period of time, you'll want to invest in a Carte Orange (which is now apparently a purple Navigo), but it's a transportation pass -- you can get them in weekly and monthly incremements. Here's the Wiki link on the Carte/Navigo...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carte_orange

There's a LOT to see and do in Paris. If nothing else, walking around it is just amazing. There're museums, parks, carousels, and cafes.

Have fun!