by Jeanne Kore Salvato | Dec 7, 2023 | Uncategorized
ou may be wondering why I am bringing up the holidays already. Have we gone the way of Halloween in the States? Even though it takes place on 31 October, the mere specter of Halloween on the horizon causes decorations to be brought out after the Fourth of July....
by Jeanne Kore Salvato | Nov 23, 2023 | Uncategorized
ne of the fun things about being an expat in France is when French people tell you what’s what in America. Now, let it be said right away that French people know American geography quite well. When asked, what is the capital of New York State, the American...
by Jeanne Kore Salvato | Nov 9, 2023 | Uncategorized
ien, nothing, is a fascinating word. It came to my attention recently in a clip of a French paradoy of a politician, and then in an Édith Piaf song. (Her first name is said [Ay deet] and last name is pronounced [Pea-afh].) Before we get to those examples, let’s...
by Jeanne Kore Salvato | Oct 23, 2023 | Uncategorized
rench movies are interesting ways of thinking about French culture. We looked at one recently, Between Two Worlds, with Juliette Binoche. An explicit theme, one that is highly valued (although not always practiced) is one of questioning oneself, se remetre en...
by Jeanne Kore Salvato | Oct 12, 2023 | Uncategorized
ot long ago I stumbled upon the French essayist Montaigne, a real meanderer of the mind, if ever there was one. Even his sense of humor reflects all that wandering. He opines, “My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened.” ...
by Jeanne Kore Salvato | Sep 27, 2023 | Uncategorized
There’s a French expression « se remettre en question. » It’s tricky to translate literally, but if you did, it would come out like this: to re-put yourself in question. Which does not help a lot! On an on-line forum, a French speaker offered this...