tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351248680996117852024-03-13T11:55:25.857+01:00Uh Oh SpaghettiosFranco-American mishaps and misunderstandings in Northern FranceRebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.comBlogger492125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-49619510688561163372019-12-12T14:31:00.000+01:002019-12-12T14:31:07.073+01:00Where'd 2019 go ? It hasn't been a year yet. So that means my blog is not dead. Yet.<br />
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It's been a long few months full of navigating the CPAM, French health care and learning a lot about physical therapy.<br />
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I started 2019 laid up with a new hip (resurfacing actually). When I was 12, I got hit by a car. At the time, I remember a doctor saying to me "one day you'll have arthritis." As a 12 year old, "one day" means when you're really old...not 35 when my pain actually started. I was always athletic, started running track and field in high school, I ran cross country at college. And after college, running was my solace. I ran a marathon, a dozen half marathons, running through two pregnancies...and then I started getting odd pains. I was in and out of physical therapy for years with various back and knee pains. But as they came and went, my mind kept going back to that doctor in 1987.<br />
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So in fall 2017, after various stints of not running, cutting back on activity, and constant low grade pain, I took matters into my own hands and went to see a rheumatologist. He sent me for a scan, confirmed I had some arthritis but that we could do cortisone injections and I'd be fine. He also said to stop running. After crying a little, he said well I could run if I could get through the pain.<br />
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The scan showed a more severe amount of damage to my hip than they suspected. I had a torn labrum, osteoarthritis and a torn ligament. The cortisone injection was a flop because it made me feel WORSE. I went back to the rheumatologist, who by this point started understanding that I wasn't just giving up. He sent me for 2 more injections neither of which had much benefit. By this point, there were days when I couldn't put on my own shoes, I was walking with a visible limp and the pain was waking me at night.<br />
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Before evening waiting for results for the second scan, I had an appointment with the hip surgeon. When I saw him in July 2018, I hadn't run in 7 months and couldn't walk for more than a few feet before my hip started to seize. He told me I was too young for a total hip replacement and that I was too small for resurfacing. Due to a crazy law in France, resurfacing is only from a certain femur size in order to prevent inexperienced surgeons from doing the operation.<br />
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By now it was summer vacation and I had accepted that I would maybe never run again. But it was ok if I could still go for long power walks. One day, I came in from a 5k walk in the woods limping like never before. that's when my hip starting "sticking". I spent the next 3 weeks of vacation in excruciating pain. My husband was washing my feet. I couldn't sit cause my hip would stick. I couldn't stand because it hurt. And I couldn't sleep.<br />
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When I got home, I said that's it. I've lived a month in excruciating pain and I'm not doing this anymore. One sleepless night, I contacted a surgeon over the border in Belgium about hip resurfacing. Rereading that first email still makes me cry. Long story short, he confirmed I was the perfect candidate, the hip surgeon in France told me that going to Belgium for surgery was the best option for me, and so in November 2019 I was the owner of a newly resurfaced hip.<br />
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I've spent the last year learning to walk and run again (more about that running thing later). But mostly, fighting social security so they would pay for my surgery.<br />
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The biggest lesson I've learned this past year is about advocacy. If you do not advocate for yourself in France, and probably anywhere, no one else will. But what about the people who don't have the tools or the knowledge or the confidence to advocate for themselves? What do they do ?<br />
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So in this time of Thanksgiving, I have a whole bunch of people to thank starting with my friend Sean who first told me about resurfacing, my kids and husband for supporting me through all this , the surgeon at CHR (Prof. Migaud) for being honest with me, and also netflix for keeping me entertained during some very long days and nights....<br />
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Ideas for future blog posts :<br />
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<ol>
<li>how to deal with the CPAM</li>
<li>a brief lesson on resurfacing </li>
<li>learning to run again </li>
<li>and of course my kids and their little bilingual minds ! </li>
</ol>
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<br />Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-89233082250143743042019-01-07T14:13:00.001+01:002019-01-07T14:13:48.529+01:002019: a new beginning It's been over a year since I've posted on my blog. It's not dead but maybe it should be.<br />
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This blog started as a way of venting about the French, living in France, and being an expat. It then turned into a way of documenting my kids' bilingual progress. That part, for me, was the most important part. Thanks to this blog, I'll be able to remember what my kids' first words were (without confusing them) and I'll be able to tell them what growing up bilingually was like so they can, hopefully, raise their own bilingual kids one day.<br />
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So, since I've decided this blog isn't dead, here's an update on what's happened the past year or so.<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>I got a new hip.</b> I guess my blog could have been a really good resource for anyone else suffering from hip pain, about how to navigate the medical scene in France, about osteo-arthritis, about hip resurfacing. But I missed the boat. If you do come by this blog and do want to know anything about it, I can still let you know. Or maybe I'll post about hip resurfacing another time. Goals...</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><b>Brexit</b>. Well that just sucks. And then the orange man sucks even more (or as my son calls him Dumb-old Trump). So yeah, you know my political views. So what ?</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li><b>Suzanne</b>: my daughter is 12 1/2 going on 18. I didn't know that teenage eye-rolling was universal but I can confirm that it is. The mood swings are terrible and the attitude. And my daughter is still nice, which means there are lots of kids who are so much worse than this. Suzanne is fully bilingual. She's in 5e (7th grade) at the international section at a local middle school here in Lille. I HATE the French education system with a passion. All she does is work. She's at school from 8am to 5pm. And when she comes home, she has homework. Everyone I speak to says the system is not set up for kids, that kids don't get a chance to be kids, but then why doesn't the system change. It's sometimes painful for me to see how much she has to do. At 12 1/2, Suzanne is more bilingual that I ever could have imagined. She doesn't love reading (neither did I and now I can't live without books) but she devours mangas and graphic novels. She prefers speaking and reading in English, has a perfect little American accent and her language is peppered with lovely little teenage inflections (like OMG, obvi...!). She's an avid and talented artist. She's funny and sensitive, sweet and creative, and also a pain in the butt. Suzanne has never struggled with being bilingual. She's always thought it was cool, and she's seems to be perfectly balanced in French and English. She even says she prefers English which is reflected in her choice of friends. The advantage to the international section, besides the additional English work which to be honest is still extremely French, is that she has American and British friends. That's the absolute best way to learn English. Her english is so good to begin with thanks to our regular Wednesday play dates with her first friend, Matilda who no longer lives in Lille. I couldn't be prouder of her, even if sometimes I just want to tape her mouth shut. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Max</b>: my son is now 9 1/2 and in CM1 (4th grade). He's a geek and proud of it. Max is that dorky little boy who went from knowing everything about super heroes to legos and now is obsessed with Yu-Gi-Oh cards. When Max has nothing to do, besides complaining that he's bored over and over and over, he can be found building Yu-Gi-Oh holders out of cardboard boxes or building crazy lego vehicles. Max's language is extremely precise in both French and English. The other day, he told me that he'd asked me "thrice", a word he'd leaned in a book. He continues to speak with an accent when he speaks English. It's not really a French accent but it's something. When he was little, he sounded almost German which we thought was due to over-pronunciation. Now we just attribute it to his Max-ness. Max is also in the international program at school which means he does 3 hours of English in school with other bilingual and non-bilingual kids. Unlike Suzanne, Max doesn't have a language preference. He just talks all the time to whoever will listen, in whichever language is available. Max loves reading, but is also a huge fan of audio books. He just finished listening to Harry Potter in English, but doesn't want to read the books. What was amazing though was that he was able to LISTEN in Harry Potter in ENGLISH while simultaneously READING a minecraft book in FRENCH. That just blows my mind.</li>
</ul>
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So there you have it. A little intro to 2019 and hopefully a push to get my back to my blog just for myself really. </div>
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<br />Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-90954995702275851502017-11-16T16:22:00.000+01:002017-11-16T16:23:35.935+01:006 months later....I didn't mean for 6 months to go by, but that's what happened. This blog started as a way for me to document my kids' voyage through bilingualism and by not writing, I'm missing out on so much and I don't want to forget.<br />
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So here goes.<br />
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<b>Suzanne (aka Suz aka bear) is 11 1/2. </b>Suzanne was an early talker; speaking English and French before she could even walk. She started collège in the international section in a public school here in Lille. She's amazing. And totally annoying. But mostly amazing. I think the annoying part if par for the course. We're lucky to have the international section in the Lille school system. Her experience in grammar school was amazing. The English teacher there challenged her, often using her as an assistant to valorize her bilingual-ness. And it worked. Suzanne has gone through the first semester of <i>collège </i>with flying colors. The problem is that the English is too easy - and this is where we come up against the wall of French education. The literature teacher doesn't get what being bilingual means and rather than teaching up to the kids, she teaches down. I know that not all of the kids are bilingual, but they all had to take a test to get into the international section. Therefore, they all have a certain ability. So the teacher could be offering them short books rather than focusing on the Gruffalo - a wonderful book, for a 6 year old. But I digress. <i>Collège </i>remains frightening for me. Imagine an American middle school experience - awkwardness and hormones and all - but without any of the fun. That's French school. And it kind of sucks. But since she doesn't know anything different, it's all good. And, she's made an American friend. She's had lots of English speaking friends in the best, but it's her first American friend. And she's loving it...they talk about pop tarts, Halloween and Costco. Suzanne is an artist, she's intelligent, kind and creative. If she doesn't have a pencil in her hand, or a book by her night table, she's lost. Unless there's a cat...then she drops everything to cuddle with the cat.<br />
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On the way to school one morning - she has to be there at 7:55 most days so we bring her to make sure she actually gets there - I asked her if she wanted me to leave her on the corner so the other kids wouldn't see me. She said, "mom, why would I be embarrassed of you? you're my mother...". Then she added something that made me so proud to be her mother, "those other kids should be embarrassed because their parents aren't as cool as mine." Let's hope those awful hormone surges don't overtake the sweetness.<br />
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<b>Max (aka beastie aka monkey) is 8. </b>I struggled with Max to speak English, but when he finally started, he came up with complicated words. He continues to be structured and complicated. He also changed schools this year, starting the international section of the public grammar school. Max is one of those "smart kids" so sometimes it's a little hard for him. But something clicked last year and he decided that he didn't have time for kids who weren't nice to him, mocked him for crying, and didn't understand his lego and pokemon obsession. So my little boy went out and got himself new friends who accept him for who he is (it was borderline harassment for a while there...). At his new school, it's like he's always been there. He came home the first day with a few friends, including 2 bilingual English kids. Max is a mega reader now. It started out slowly, he knew how to read but refused for a while (that's also how he learned to speak). Max has a slightly obsessive personality and over the summer he started reading series of books. I handed him a Magi Tree House one day, but he wasn't interested. Once we got started, he read it alone in English and he was off. He read 30+ Magic Tree House over the summer but had to stop because we couldn't find #44. When we were in the car over the summer, I explained the Civil War to the kids in light of what happened in Charlottesville. And Max piped up in the back seat, "I know about the Civil War from Magic Tree House number....".<br />
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So there you have it, my bilingual experiment is on going.<br />
As for me, the kids and I still only speak English together. I try to help Suzanne with her homework in French but she finds it hard and lapses into English which is funny. And they both correct me now which is humbling...Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-81859358539081801262017-06-29T10:25:00.000+02:002017-06-29T10:25:17.387+02:00Readers ! Oh dear, as my daughter would say with a fake British accent....it's been 6 months since my last post!<br />
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But I just had to share my joy ! What joy and pride the mother of a bilingual child feels when they catch not one but BOTH children reading in the minority language!<br />
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Reading for both kids has been a challenge.<br />
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For Max, almost 8, it's been more of a laziness thing. He's known how to read since he was 5. He taught himself to read in English at the same time. But he just simply refused to acknowledge that he actually knew how to read. Until about 6 months ago when he got hooked on a series of French books, <a href="https://www.pocketjeunesse.fr/livres/collection-912-ans/1_les_cites_dor_saison_2_poche_levasion-9782266243292-3/">Les Mystérieuses Cité d'Or</a>. Max is an organized little dude and likes to know the next step. So I think he finds it reassuring to read series.<i> I finish book 1 and then there's book 2. </i>So I was surprised when he kept resisting the<a href="https://www.magictreehouse.com/"> Magic Tree House</a>...but then I began reading him one a couple days ago. He finished alone in bed last night and this morning went to the book case, took out the next 5 books in the series, and brought 2 to school "just in case I get bored".<br />
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So after finding Max in his bed reading in English alone, I went down to see Suzanne (now 11) who was reading Percy Jackson in ENGLISH on her kindle. I was like, WHAAAAT???? And I had to high five myself and then high five my husband.<br />
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Suzanne is not a "reader". She loves books, but doesn't have the patience or the confidence. I think she believes she isn't a good reader because that's what they tell her at school. But I remember being that same kid. I was in the lower level reading group because I was a slow reader. The message that sends to you is "you don't read well" so you end up not wanting to read.<br />
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When we gave Suzanne a kindle for her birthday, the purpose was twofold. First, she wanted to be able to play her music in her room which meant an internet connection but we didn't want to give her an ipod or other. Second, we thought hey she can download books. So my husband found her Percy Jackson in English. This past year at school, she studied and loved Greek mythology. And now she can't put Percy down! She doesn't understand all the words, but I tell my kids that that's ok. For instance, she asked me what a "card came" is. It turns out she didn't understand "report card came". So there are cultural limits but who cares! My kids are readers. In French. In English!<br />
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Next year, Max will begin at Sophie Germain in the international section where Suzanne has been the past 3 years. Suzanne will be starting collège, French middle school, which I am extremely traumatized about (but that's for another post). She'll be in the section britanique doing 3 extra hours of English a week. I am really pleased with the system so far, considering it's public school. But I petrified...<br />
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Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-1549411115507334652017-01-23T14:02:00.001+01:002017-01-23T14:02:11.225+01:00Key lime pie <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
While my daughter and I were marching through the streets of Paris for women's rights, we (and the cat) were on Les Carnets de Julie, presenting my no bake key lime pie. The kids were amazing, so was the cat. And the pie is delicious. If you're interested in the recipe, please send me a message. It's inspired by the no bake pie in my cookbook. And don't forget that my cookbook, Let's Cook with the Zazoo! is a fun way to learn English while having fun ! <iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lqbhlMbaU50/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lqbhlMbaU50?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-7424249274853800632016-06-21T11:50:00.000+02:002016-06-21T11:50:21.028+02:00bilingual ado ramblingsSuzanne just turned 10 but has long entered the tween years. I used this blog to document her bilingual development - from waleau (water + eau) to assit (assis+sit) - so I should also start to document what a bilingual tween/ado.<br />
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Suzanne is a artist. She's constantly doodling and drawing so her desk is a disaster piled high with papers, crayons, markers, pens and an easel that's always about to topple over. On Sunday, I began helping her clean her room (only fair because I'd just helped Max put his legos away). As I came across paper upon paper, I started to complain.<br />
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Me: Suzanne, your room is a mess. You know, I love your drawings, but you don't have to keep every single piece of paper.<br />
Suzanne: Mom, you're not helping me.<br />
Me: Ok, fine I'll stop helping you clean your room.<br />
Suzanne: I didn't ask you to help me...et puis, tu peux arrêter de malement complimenter mes choses.<br />
Me: I don't understand what you mean...(pondering malement and wondering if I should be angry because she's got attitude or smile because she's being verbally creative)<br />
Suzanne: Tu comprendras quand tu comprendras mieux le français (You'll understand when you understand French better).<br />
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Bam! And so it begins...Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-33524427223600169842016-04-12T11:25:00.000+02:002016-04-12T11:25:08.025+02:00What a difference a year makes. Holy moly! It's been almost a year...I've been thinking about posting but never got around to it. Something to do with lack of time...<br />
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A lot has happened this year in the life of my bilingual children.<br />
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Suzanne will be turning 10 in 6 weeks. When I began this blog, she was barely speaking. And now, she's a fully bilingual young lady. She's thriving in the environment of the bilingual class at school. I can't say enough for positive reinforcement, of which there is not enough in the French school system. Her English teacher this year is amazing and I've told her as much. She's positive, full of energy and since Suzanne's English is better than the other kids in her class, she uses Suzanne as a helper. So that positive energy is really giving Suzanne confidence, something all little girls could use a little more of. (As a reminder, Suzanne is in the international section of a public school so she has 3 hours of English a week. This doesn't seem like much, but is so much more than she'd get at a traditional public school). The main issue right now is hormones and social issues. I've spent so long telling Suzanne that difference is good that she actually believe it. Yes! And now she's starting to learn to stand up for herself. I'm proud of the person she is becoming. But I'm not looking forward to the bumpy road ahead ie puberty.<br />
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Max has been more of a challenge. My little boy is turning 7 this summer. He's always been a bit anxious. But it turns out he's what the French call <i>précoce</i>, which in English is gifted. We've been doing a lot of reading up on what that means and basically he's wired differently than other people so his brain goes at light speed ALL THE TIME. That's why he's had issues in school in the past; that's also why he's always been sensitive (physically and emotionally) and that also why he was bored at school. As soon as we got the results, we went to speak to his teacher along with the principal of the school. His teacher was also Suzanne's 1st grade teacher whom, you may remember, was not the most skilled in dealing with child psychology. So when the principal offered to take Max into her triple level class we said YES! I'm happy to report that he is now thriving at school. There are still many social challenges, mostly because he prefers to be one on one and because he gets so emotional that some friends just don't want to deal with him. But he seems to be feeling fairly good with himself. He even read 2 chapters of a book in English. For the past year and a half, he's resisted reading, claiming he doesn't know how. But I know he does. And then the other night, I read a chapter of Little Bear and told him it was time for bed. So he asked if he could read alone. He spent the next 10 minutes alone in his bed reading out loud in English. I was amazed. I hope that we can keep up his self-confidence because it's going to be a rough road ahead. The French school system doesn't adapt to difference...I realized last week that there are no handicapped kids in either of the kids' schools. So where are they all ????<br />
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In other news, I got my wallet stolen on a business trip to Germany. And I've spent the last month trying to deal with the frustrations of French administration. A good example is when the city hall called me to say the Préfecture needed a certain document to process my ID card; but the Préfecture didn't even ask for said document when they took my driver's licence request. Some things never change....<br />
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I will try to be more diligent with my blog. I'm working on a new cookbook at the moment. I think the old one wore me out. And the last year has been full of introspection, including a <i>bilan de compétences , </i>which was actually fairly emotionally exhausting. As I tell my kids, I won't promise but I'll try to get back here more often.Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-3780863533380515892015-04-20T14:16:00.001+02:002015-04-20T14:43:05.689+02:00Presenting: Let's Cook! with the Zazoo<b>This is my book!!!</b><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BotuKlnQy-0/VTT0J2bJjFI/AAAAAAAAA3E/IQh3XyCo9VU/s1600/cookbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BotuKlnQy-0/VTT0J2bJjFI/AAAAAAAAA3E/IQh3XyCo9VU/s1600/cookbook.jpg" height="400" width="350" /></a></div>
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It's the book I wrote with the people from Little Bilingues. For those who have stumbled on this very dormant blog (and for those who know me), a lot of this blog has been about exploring my children's budding bilingualism. Using my kids as guinea pigs, along with the kids I have in my cooking workshops here in Lille, I developed a bunch of kid friendly recipes. The cookbook, <a href="http://www.littlebilingues.com/cookbook.html" target="_blank">Let's Cook with the Zazoo!</a> is a fun way to help kids learn English through cooking. The book is geared towards parents and their kids as well as teachers, schools...pretty much anyone who wants their kids to learn English in a different way. It's real hands on learning.<br />
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If you don't know Little Bilingues, take a look. There are cute books and lots of activities, all of them aimed at helping kids learn French or English, depending on your need.<br />
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If you would like to know more about the cookbook, you can leave a post here or contact <a href="http://www.littlebilingues.com/" target="_blank">Little Bilingues </a>directly. Say I sent you :)Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-10249558090396507522015-01-26T13:42:00.000+01:002015-01-26T13:42:02.440+01:00OPOL still lives November...has it been THAT long since my last post? Oh my...<br />
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I love this blog and want to keep it up, but my brain can only do so many things at once. And right now it's working on a cookbook for kids. I'm working with LittleBilingues, publishers of bilingual books for kids, to make an English cookbook to help kids learn English. It's so much fun! and a lot of work! and requires a lot of brain power...<br />
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But back to what I love about this blog...documenting my kids' bilingual adventures, both for posterity but also for anyone who may be raising their kids bilingual and needs some advice or a push or some inspiration... <br />
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<b>Suzanne is turning 9 in May</b>. NINE! She has entered the second half of her first year in<i> Section Internationale. </i>She loves Thursdays most because she learns in French, Dutch (30 minutes a week) and English (3 hours a week). The older she gets, the more I realize that English as Suzanne's first language was not a fluke. She has always preferred English, even though I am working and the majority of her time has always been in French. But as she gets older, socializes almost only in French and starts to appreciate reading more and more (she's always loved books. In fact, <i>book </i>was one of her first words!), I realize that the girl is just really good in languages. Her English capacity is beyond my wildest dreams. I never imagined that she'd be so fluent without spending more time in an English speaking environment, needless to say I never imagined she'd teach her self to read in English! At any given time, she's working on at least 3 books...mostly in English! I think changing schools and integrating the <i>section internationale</i> was good for her self confidence for many reasons. But mostly, she realized that she speaks English really well and it's not bad for a kids to be the best at something! (to see stories on Suzanne's linguistic progress over the years, click here).<br />
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<b>Max is 5 1/2 already</b>...and he continues to be all boy. In the past year, he has discovered legos. And just as legos require a certain amount of structure and analysis, he applies the same logic to reading. Max can read better than Suzanne did at the same age because he likes systems. He's a very intelligent little boy with a lot of energy. Personally, I think he's bored in school...he's punished a lot because he likes to talk...A LOT. Max likes to understand things. And then he likes to explain the things he's understood to anyone who will listen to him. He knows everything you could possibly want to know about super heroes and is very proud to know all their names in both French and English. You may remember that Max's English was a struggle for a while. But now it's solid. He continues to have a cute little accent, but like his sister, he speaks only English to me. And he uses such precise language in both French and English, which is part and parcel of his personality. The other day, he said, "Mom, I managed to ...something something." and that's exactly what he meant. He <i><b>managed </b></i>to do it. He didn't just do it.<br />
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<a href="http://spaghetti-o.blogspot.fr/2012/02/bilingual-siblings-different-story.html" target="_blank">This post from 2012</a> documented how each of the kids deals with bilingualism, fitting it into their own personal rules and order. And looking back at it, it all still holds true! I had some cool insight back then (when I had time to think about all this more!)<br />
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Some general observations I'd like to share, after all these years of strict<b> OPOL</b>:<br />
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<ul>
<li>the hard work continues to pay off! The system is so ingrained in their minds, that they have trouble speaking French to me when their friends are there</li>
<li>I am no longer scared of them speaking French to me because I know it's not a permanent thing.</li>
<li>authenticity is important to the kids. When they tell me what happened during the day, and what so and so said, they tell me in French because that's what the kid said! For them, it would be artificial to translate from French to English. </li>
<li> correcting them is frustrating. I was always so scared of them not speaking correctly, that I got in the habit of correcting them mid-sentence. This is a huge point of frustration for my daughter. I'm trying to stop it, and just let her go on, and correct after, but old habits die hard...</li>
<li>homework is challenging. At first, I did my daughter's homework in English. But I'm finding that sometimes, when it's a stressful topic like math, then I have to switch into French. And it's ok! It doesn't impinge on our English speaking at all. </li>
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Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-9600812471861703952014-11-06T23:51:00.001+01:002014-11-06T23:51:02.965+01:00HomeThis isn't really home anymore. It's the first time in my almost 18 years abroad that coming "home" no longer feels like "home." My room is now my old room. My house is now my parents' house or grandma and bopi's house. My town is now my hometown. Even my running route isn't mine anymore because I can't run anymore! <div><br></div><div>The streets are different; the stores are different; the people are different. I no longer need to "worry" about running into people from high school. I'll no longer see my friends' parents because most of them moved away. And I'll no longer see my old school teachers because they're all retired. </div><div><br></div><div>It's taken almost 18 years for home to no longer be home. But is france home? It doesn't feel like it most of the time. I feel foreign and different. But, that's how I feel at home...</div><div>.</div>Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-17195814548356690262014-10-07T16:58:00.000+02:002014-10-07T16:58:04.780+02:00Happy on the insideOne month into the new school, and Suzanne has never been happier! This morning while she ate breakfast she said, " I'm so lucky! Today I have Dutch, English and my class picture!". I knew Suzanne wasn't at her best last year. But neither my husband nor I realized how sad Suzanne was. Until we saw how happy she is now!<br />
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Suzanne entered CE2 (French 3rd grade) and changed schools so should could be in <i>section internationale</i>. In Lille, that means either the private schools or Sophie Germain, a public school in the center of Lille. She left all her friends behind. But, it's been an empowering experience for her for a couple of reasons.<br />
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She rides her bike to school on most days - with us along side of course! But that makes her feel confident and proud. She's made tons of new friends. Which also is a major confidence builder. And, last but not least, she is the best English speaker in her class. But she's far from being overconfident and full of herself about it. She's just happy...and I didn't realize the social pressure was so heavy for her at her old school. I don't really take it as a parenting failure, but look at it as Suzanne's strength of character : she was putting up with a lot and got through it! Every child needs a secret garden so I don't blame her for not telling us how sad she was.<br />
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She says that only 2 other kids in the English class speak fluent English. But I can already see what she's learning. In the first week alone, she learned how to write the date in English. In my quest to get my kids to speak, I overlooked such a small thing like the date. She can speak almost perfectly, but doesn't know the date! She's learned how to write the numbers up to 20, write the colors, and she's also doing art in English. It's really an amazing opportunity!<br />
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Let the bilingual adventure continue!<br />
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<br />Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-34274367663230969462014-08-25T14:10:00.001+02:002014-08-25T14:10:17.783+02:00Max at 5They say that you are more lacks with your second kid. I'd say it's both true and not true. When Suzanne was learning to speak and developing her bilingual-ness, I posted regularly. I feel like Max has slipped through the cracks. Of course, one kid is less work than two so I'll cut myself some slack.<br />
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On that note, Max turned 5. I had some tough times with Max's language acquisition : he was slower to speak than his sister, when he did speak it was mostly in French, he would speak French as the community language in the US and UK. But one thing Max has always been meticulous, precise and very funny little person.<br />
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Where Suzanne was always comfortable with English and communicated at any cost, mixing words, making up words...Max is Max. When he speaks English, he speaks English. French is French, with only some exceptions. If he doesn't know how to say something, he either finds a different way or says he needs to tell me a secret. It's not that he's ashamed of not knowing, but he wants it to be perfect. This personality trait carries through to everything he does : he likes numbers, is obsessed with superheroes and knows everything about them and is a whiz at legos. For his birthday, we got him legos for 7-14 year olds; he put the vehicles together almost alone, using the booklet. He calls himself a "master builder" like in the Lego Movie.<br />
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His meticulous, almost engineer like thinking crosses over into his communication; he wants to understand why and how. He makes very few language mistakes, but sometimes mixes up his grammar in both languages. Despite his precision, he has an accent. Whereas Suzanne mostly sounds like a mini version of me (light East Coast American accent), Max sounds a little French, a little Germanic and a little American. None of that seems to keep him from speaking. He's been called a <i>piplette </i>(a nice way to say he never stops talking) by many.<br />
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Suzanne, now 8 years old, continues to speak to him mostly in English except when they've spent time together in an all French environment like school or at the grandparents'. English continues to be more present in the house than French and we still do not stray from OPOL. <br />
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Reading though has become less and less present which is a weakness. Suzanne's vocabulary and syntax were great because I read to her so much. But with the past couple years being rather nuts (with my cookie business, my english classes and my steady job), reading has become less important. On the other hand, we still have an English speaking babysitter once a week which helps reinforce that English isn't only limited to Mom and her family and friends.<br />
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Recent Max-isms include he and his sister fighting over whether it's called <i>mozzarella </i>or <i>mozzarelle. </i>He also recently invented a new French word: <i>bicyclable, </i>a fairly obvious term in French to mean the bike lanes (ie <i>piste cyclable</i>).<br />
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My kids' bilingualism continues to astound me. But even if they weren't bilingual, they'd still be these amazingly smart, intelligent and sensitive little people whom I love with all my heart.<br />
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Happy birthday Max !<br />
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<br />Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-78747089556881339792014-08-13T14:12:00.001+02:002014-08-13T14:12:49.382+02:00two months later....In an effort to avoid writing this post, I left comments for other bloggers whose blogs I haven't visited in a long time. This blog used to be my lifeline...but now it's been over 2 months since my last post ! I'm starting to think that maybe it means I'm finally settling into my expat life, mother of 2 bilingual children, etc etc.<br />
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Lots has happened in two months. I'll try to go through it little by little in a logical way...and maybe I'll even save some for a separate post.<br />
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The school year came to an end with the most wonderful experience I've ever had in the French school system. I got a thank you. An actual, meaningful and wholehearted thank you and a beautiful bouquet. Since my kids started school, I've gone into their classes every year to do English. Last year's teacher didn't even say a simple merci so I was understandably peeved. It's not for the glory that I do it but still...so this year's experience was much better. The kids and teacher were great. That was in November. At the kids' end of year performance (the most amazing kids' performance I've ever seen - the kids did synchronized swimming in the school's gym. it was hysterical!), the teacher said she wanted to thank a few people and I was one of them. I was so touched. Madame D restored my faith (and hope) in the teachers my children will face in the future.<br />
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Then in July, I celebrated 17 years in France. That's almost half my life and a very long time for someone who first came to spend 3 months here. I realize that the longer I stay here, the more American I feel but the less American I become. what I mean is that I cling to certain things and to my American identity, yet I'm so detached from American society that I can no longer relate to all things American. Do you know what I mean? And I think it's the American part of me that's kept me afloat this year because it's been a tough one (or two).<br />
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I didn't talk about it at all on the blog, but I've been fighting depression the past couple years (more life a mid-life crystallization than a mid-life crisis) and this year I finally got my head above water and I was swimming really hard! In fact, I overdid it this year. My goal this year is strike a balance between family, school, friends, work, volunteering, teaching, exercising...oh wait, I think I already lost.<br />
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And on that note, I'll end this post. I actually want to give an update on my bilingual children. But if I do that now, I may not post for another 2 months.Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-30264079211294986192014-06-03T23:27:00.001+02:002014-06-03T23:27:52.229+02:00Big kids or little adults?It's been a while...a long while. The time that used to go into inspiration for this blog is now pouring into creating interesting classes for little kids and baking cookies. And more cookies. And more cookies. And although I'm happy to have the outlet and passion and creative energy flowing, I do miss my blog. <div><br></div><div>But the one thing I don't want is this blog to turn into some mundane American expat in France here is a funny pile of dog shit kind of blog. And I feel like that's all I'm living at the moment. Hey, someone peed on my garage again. Hey, the shop assistant was an asshole again. Hey, I just don't understand the French and how that neo-nazi racist xenophone could have been elected to the European Parliament! And so on and so forth....</div><div><br></div><div>But there is stuff going on that I want to write about. And I want to get feedback if there's still anyone out there who still looks at my lonely little blog. </div><div><br></div><div>See, my daughter just turned 8. And it turns out that little kids are mean in all languages. Raising a kid is hard. Being different is hard. I've been a kid but I was a kid like everyone else. I wasn't a half American- half French mix growing up bilingually. And to top it off, my mother didn't show up at school wheeling strange things to eat and speaking a strange language to all my friends. And flat out embarrassing me because she didn't get it. Oh wait, that sounds like stuff my mom did without the extra language. So maybe Suzanne's life isn't so different from mine!</div><div><br></div><div>My dear English friend and I have a theory about our kids - they are just different. They are less harsh, more fun and definitely less cut throat than their French counterparts. Maybe it's their anglosaxone sides. And maybe it's just me and my friend....but whichever it is, it can't be easy to be different. Not visibly different like with a huge scar or a birth mark but just different in the way you talk and think. I've realized that language forms your thinking pattern. Look at my daughter for instance when she asks for something in French - she uses English structure. The way you form your sentences must form your brain and personality and vice versa. </div><div><br></div><div>So what do you say to your 8 year old when she comes home saying Alice says they aren't friends anymore or niki calls her a <i>machine a manger</i> or when nino makes fun of her for just learning how to ride a bike? How do you make your kid strong without always putting emphasis on the difference that is being bicultural and bilingual? My first reaction is always to say, well does he speak English? Has she ever lived in a different country for 2 months? But I realize that maybe that's not the right way to go about it. Maybe the emphasis shouldn't be on "be proud of your difference" and "never forget how special you are" but rather "people are mean in all languages" and "you are a wonderful person and I love you more than anything". </div><div><br></div><div>Meanness is universal. And I wish I could take back the mean things I did to people who were below me in the pecking order. I wish I could appologize for taking out my own social frustration on people who were geekier than I was. And I hope I can teach my daughter - and son- to be graceful in the face of teasing and just absorb it like a sponge but spit it right out without leaving a trace. I wish French kids weren't mean but they are. Kids are kids. And kids are little adults - or are adults just big kids? - and kids are mean. </div>Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-65665780884034629772014-03-25T10:18:00.004+01:002014-03-25T10:18:52.596+01:00My mother's tongueTwo months....has it really been that long? I have been forsaking this blog, although I do think about it often. But my brain power goes to many other activities at the moment like baking, teaching and generally trying to stay sane...<br />
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That said, here's a little update on my Franco-American adventures.<br />
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<b>Suzanne </b>(almost 8!) has a space in the bilingual section of the public school. At first, we were worried that it wouldn't happen, that she wouldn't want to go, that the level of English wouldn't be good. But, although it's an experimental programme, we are convinced. Last week, Suzanne and I sat in on a class and she came away smiling (albeit nervous and scared too!). She is both excited at the thought of learning more in English, being with other bilingual kids, and going to a new school. But she's also nervous about leaving her friends and starting a new school. One great thing is that she already has a friend who will be in the same class as her. As the minority language parent, I came away from last week's meeting at the school with a big smile on my face and the rare feeling that parents get when you KNOW you have made a good parenting decision. Not only will it be good for Suzanne to learn to read and write English (at the moment she is teaching herself), but it will be good for her to be around other bilingual kids so she can be proud (she is already but she's also different) and it will help her self-confidence which is pretty low at times. As for the school, I am happy that the kids are all mixed together and the bilinguals are taken out 3 hours a week. So it's the best of the public school education with a twist. And, as a non-French person constantly grappling and fighting with the rigid French structure, I find it an added bonus that the school will be less "French" and more open. The thing that has perturbed me the most since my kids started school is how rigid and strict it is. The <i>classe bilingue</i> provides a different point of view and way of educating the kids because they share experiences with schools in England. Yay! She's come a long way since the word lists I used to post on this blog 7 years ago...<b>.for more information on the bilingual french-English class in Lille, you can leave a message. </b><br />
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<b>Max </b>(4 1/2) is all boy, is into superheros, star wars and collecting sticks. He is now solidly bilingual, which was a main issue for his first 18 months. He continues to mix up his grammar between French and English equally. In some way it's reassuring that his French is speckled with English because it means the English is ingrained in his head. Max always preferred French whereas Suzanne preferred English. At the moment, he is having trouble with "jusqu'à" for example - I'm getting taller. I am <i>jusqu'à</i> your chest. And he does similar things in French using English structure like <i>Ou est-ce qu'on va à</i>? Literally, where are we going to? My husband and I are often too immune to these slip ups that we have to remind each other to make the correction in the other's language. Max continues to express himself in an extremely precise way, in black and white terms with no shades of grey. The fact that he is bilingual seems to help him because he gets frustrated quickly. His two languages allow him to express his frustration and relieve some of the tension that builds up in his brain.<br />
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<b>So after almost 8 years of strict OPOL child rearing, what are my thoughts? </b>Recently, I had an interesting discussion with a Slovak friend who was impressed with how bilingual my kids are. And I really attribute it to how strict I was for the first couple of years. The kids continue to only speak English to me and I find that I have to remind them to speak French in front of their French since speaking French to me is just so unnatural (and vice versa).<br />
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All in all, I'm really proud of their progress and proud of how my husband and I persisted. I see other people who weren't so strict and the results are glaringly different. There is also another factor that I'm considering more and more : I see that male friends who speak the minority language don't have as much success as female friends. <b>It's not called a mother tongue for nothing.</b>Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-43049293866333932472014-01-28T12:26:00.002+01:002014-01-28T12:26:25.424+01:00What it feels like to be made fun of by a 7 year oldI think about this blog often, I really do. But I just don't get those early morning flashes of inspiration I used to get. Those flashes now go to my new venture which I will write more about some other time.<br />
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That said, I have a lot to report about my bilingual babies who are no longer babies, but are real people now! They are sometimes annoying people, sometimes funny people, but they are always my favorite people.<br />
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The bilingual barriers are breaking down while other ones are built up. It's still a constant battle, but an enjoyable one that I no longer worry about losing. I'm not ready to say yet that I won, but I can definitely say that I am on the winner's team :)<br />
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Suzanne is now 7 1/2 years old and full of surprises. When she opens her mouth to speak English, she sounds like a small version of me, New Jersey drawl and all. Although her English speaking has never been a problem, she was very daunted by reading in French so I didn't try to teach her to read of write in English. But now, she has taught herself. Much of it is based on French phonetics, but she's doing it and we owe a lot of thanks to the magazine, I love English for Kids which we started getting at the public library. She loves reading the magazine while listening to the CDs at the same time.<br />
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Max is 4 1/2. His Germanic accent in both of his languages has evolved. He now speaks with a perfect little French accent in both French and English. My husband and I have various theories about why this is : maybe he's copying his father (who doesn't have a French accent in English), maybe he's lazy, maybe he doesn't have good ears, or maybe he's more focused on the precision of the word choice than on the actual pronunciation.<br />
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The hardest part at the moment is making the time to read to them in English. Nightly reading in English has always been a keystone for me and the kids. But with homework, later working hours, and the kids growing up, it's getting harder and harder to find the time. This is more of a weak point in Max's English education than Suzanne's since she got a solid 5 years of it while Max only had 3.<br />
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Another point that is becoming increasingly difficult for me is homework. I struggle about how to do homework with Suzanne : English or French? I am a real OPOL purist and speaking French to my kids just seems wrong. But I've had to adapt. For example, when Suzanne has math homework, I can't very well say "eighty-five + thirty = one hundred and fifteen" when she's still trying to figure out the difference between "quatre-vingt-cinq" and "quatre-vingt quinze" (85 and 95, respectively). BUT (and there's always a but), when I do her homework with her, she comments on my accent which she finds very amusing. So it's hard to keep your concentration and authority in a foreign language when your 7 year old is making fun of you...Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-2896800848194810502014-01-20T14:44:00.000+01:002014-01-20T14:44:29.200+01:00MLK day 2014Every year on MLK day, I find myself reflecting on how to teach my children about American culture what it means to ME be an American. And it's no coincidence if MLKday provides me with an annual time for reflection. <div>
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I didn't realize it until recently, but MLK day was a national holiday in 1984. I was 9 years old when we first started celebrating it as a national holiday. I was in 4th grade so MLK day was always part of my life. </div>
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Over the past few years, I've tried to explain <a href="http://spaghetti-o.blogspot.fr/2011/01/le-king-et-suzanne.html">Martin Luther King Jr</a> (2011) to my daughter and also to her <a href="http://spaghetti-o.blogspot.fr/2013/01/mlk-as-seen-by-french-first-graders.html">entire class</a>. But it loses a lot of the relevance and importance when they 1) live in a country where past historical atrocities are still brushed under the rug, 2)there never was any segregation and 3) it's just not part of the culture. </div>
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So this year for MLK day, I will once again talk to my kids about the importance of accepting difference and being kind to everyone. And I'll also read them this book and hope they get why it's an important part of being American. </div>
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Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-19586663530557477872013-12-30T10:01:00.001+01:002013-12-30T20:34:59.464+01:00If you're 'appy and you know it eat a cookieI could have written this article...but I didn't. Pamela Druckerman did. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/28/opinion/druckerman-an-american-story.html?_r=0">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/28/opinion/druckerman-an-american-story.html?_r=0</a><div><br></div><div>It's some reflections after going into her child's French classroom for a lesson on america and being American. </div><div><br></div><div>Over the past 2 months, I went into both of my kids' classrooms once a week. For the little ones, I read silly stories like red hat, green hat by Sandra boynton and taught them silly songs in English like go away big green monster. </div><div><br></div><div>For the ce1 (2nd grade) I tried to focus a little on American culture and history for the first couple lessons. Then I decided to just go with it. One lazy day, I went in with an empty jar and some paper cookies and we played "who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?" </div><div><br></div><div>At first, I was a little worried because the kids weren't participating and I felt like a big dope in front of thirty kids singing by myself. Bu once they got going, they were awesome. They were actually having FUN ans SMILING, two things I do not necessarily associate with French school. </div><div><br></div><div>And you know what? Suzanne's usually very good but strict teacher loved it! She loved it so much that she kept the jar and is going to do it with the class on a regular basis. And as she says in her article, there's something to be said for the fun quotient of Americans school that just doesn't exist in france. I'm not saying that's American school is all good, because it's not. But somehow, French school children forget to be children. And that's just sad....</div><div><br></div><div>At the end of my last lesson, the kids each got a fresh cookie. And you know what? They all said pleas and thank you. That just shows that you can learn and have fun at the same time. </div><div><br></div><div>But I'll also add that ms. Druckerman's article does not reflect the excessive kumbaya spirit in many American schools or the fact that French kids score higher than American. So they are doing something very right...as an American in France raising two Franco-American kids, I honestly do regret my kids not having the quintessential American school experience: the school bus, the lunch box, recess...but at the same time, I can give them all the good American-ness at home but I can't give them the quality education they are getting at their little school in Lille, France. </div>Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-91639478361422286202013-12-17T14:30:00.002+01:002013-12-17T14:30:46.572+01:00Tu-ing me softlyI have one of those faces. When I don't smile, I look mean or unapproachable or cold. People often interpret my lack of smile as aloofness or cockiness. But they usually don't realize that I'm actually a quiet and shy observer. <div>
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Of course I wouldn't expect my kids' teachers to know this about me. And I couldn't expect my kids' teachers to know that this is exacerbated by my "American-ness" ie being a little "too" brusque and a little "too" direct. </div>
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When I went into my daughter's CP class last year, I didn't expect much. But I did expect a thank you from the teacher. Which I NEVER got. Yes, that's right. She never said thank you. I took that as a personal attack on my lessons, even though I got positive feedback from parents and kids alike. OBVIOUSLY, I'm imagined her saying bad things about me and what a snob I was ! </div>
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So this year, I was understandably hesitant when I offered to go into the CE1 class (the teacher is the <i>directrice</i>) . And when she accepted very heartily, I was relieved. Maybe I had done a good job last year?! And when she asked the entire class to say "thank you" after the first lesson, I was touched. And when her inspector attended my second lesson and gave positive feedback, I was gleaming. And I was vindicated. </div>
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Then last Saturday at the school's Christmas party, I was behind the snack bar and last year's teacher came up. She used the informal <i>tu </i>form with me, called me by my first name, and told the woman next to her how delicious my cookies were and had I made any for the bake sale because they wer eoh so delicious. I instantly smelled an ass-kisser. But beyond the self-satisfaction I've gotten with knowing I did a good job at my daughter's school, I'm just totally and thoroughly confused about the whole <i>tu </i>versus <i>vous </i>thing. Every time I think I've understood, I realize that I don't understand anything! And I can't bring myself to <i>tu </i>her because, well, I'm still holding a grudge for one...</div>
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But WHY is she <i>tu</i>-ing me all of a sudden? Is it because she realizes my dedication to the school, because she now understands I'm not just some crazy American, does she see me as an equal, does she think she'll gain something from me, or is she just actually a nice person who's smile-less face and shy demeanor are wrongly interpreted as aloof over-confidence? </div>
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I may never know....</div>
Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-53418635676617495382013-12-09T14:21:00.000+01:002013-12-09T14:21:31.714+01:00Saturday with Maria and Tony - an American taleWhen I was a kid, my sister and I would visit our grandparents in Florida where we loved catching chameleons (among other things like going to the pool and eating Mallomars). One time, my sister decided to bring some back. She named them Tony and Maria.<br />
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That has absolutely nothing to do with this post except that last Saturday, I took Suzanne to see West Side Story (in English!) in Roubaix, France. I've seen the movie dozens of times - I grew up, practically drowning in show tunes and Broadway musicals ! - but I don't think I've ever seen the stage production of it. And I was not disappointed.<br />
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The reason I bought the tickets was one day last year, Suzanne came home from school humming a song she'd learned in English class. It was a song from a "TV show with two <i>bandes </i>in NY". It wasn't until one of her friends started singing ,"I want to be in American" that I realized what it was....So when the tickets went on sale last spring, I got them.<br />
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What was interesting on Saturday was not so much the show - because it was good - but was the discussion we had on the way to the show. A friend of Suzanne's was going so his parents drove us to the theater. On the way, we had a conversation with he mother who is a child psychiatrist. She was talking about how many of her <i>maghrébin</i> patients don't speak any language because the parents speak a mix of French and Arabic and the kids mirror the mixed up language they hear at home. She was asking my friend B - Suzanne's fairy God mother, who is a bilingual French-English wonder - how she grew up with no accent. And the answer was : her parents were strict. And as B was talking about her experiences growing up bilingually, I realized I was sympathizing with her parents because raising a child in such a strict way is incredibly hard. It takes incredible will, strength and a lot of auto-derision to be able to speak a foreign language to a baby in the middle of a horde of French people.<br />
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And then the absolute hardest part of it all, seeing that your child is different in part because the language helps develop the kid's thinking pattern. So obviously, a bilingual child's language and thinking pattern will cross-fertilize both (or all) languages : the way they form sentences, their word choice and the way they interpret certain words are all influenced by their languages.<br />
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So just a shout out to all you OPOL parents who may possibly read this to keep it up! It's hard but even the child psychiatrist friend said it was the way to go.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Qy6wo2wpT2k" width="420"></iframe>Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-35821162333606156582013-11-04T15:07:00.001+01:002013-11-04T15:07:16.636+01:00Second language literacy
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This
post from <a href="http://bilingualmonkeys.com/how-messages-in-the-minority-language-can-boost-literacy-and-much-more/?utm_source=Bilingual+Monkeys+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d15591c5c8-Newsletter11_3_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9c68f96b60-d15591c5c8-94220693">Bilingual Monkeys</a> really caught my eye. Adam is an American father
raising his kids bilingually in Japan with his Japanese wife. As I go through
his blog posts, it constantly reassures me that my strict approach to my
children’s bilingualism is the biggest ingredient in their bilingual success. Adam
has also been really strict, maybe even more strict than I am! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve
mentioned previously, that I chose not to introduce reading in English until my
daughter, Suzanne, had mastered French reading. This does not mean that I do
not read to her in English or teach her sight words or answer her English
spelling questions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It simply means that
I have not taught her about spelling and grammar and punctuation. I have not
taught her that bout “th” or “sh” or the difference between “see” and “sea”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But since she is an inquisitive little girl,
she went and looked for it herself. In her own words, “I have a lot of questions
in my head and I need to ask them”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So
during our recent trip back to New Jersey for Halloween and fall, I told
Suzanne I would bring her to a bookstore to get her some English books. But
during the week leading up to the big bookstore trip, Suzanne surprised me by
reading signs all around her, asking me about words she’d seen in magazines and
even reading entire books (easy readers) to herself! She wrote notes to her
father and her grandparents in English; she played restaurant with her
grandmother and wrote out full menus. And when we got back to France yesterday,
she asked me why the word butter has a “t” in it when we pronounce it “budder”.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I
am so thoroughly impressed with my little girl and her reading abilities in
French. And even more impressed with her self-taught reading in English! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although Suzanne is much more fluid in French reading, her English reading is coming along. As for her speaking, you would never be able to guess English was her "weaker" language just from speaking to her. Where her little brother has a slight French accent (not sure if this is an improvement over the Germanic accent he used to have), Suzanne's English is all me (ie a toned down NJ). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This week, we will be meeting with the director of Ecole Sophie Germain, the public school in Lille which hosts the bilingual class my daughter will be going into next year (3rd grade/CE2). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">PS If you haven't yet visited Bilingual Monkeys, you should do so. It's a fun and inspiring site for bilingual parents. </span></div>
Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-77141726522632895942013-10-18T11:47:00.001+02:002013-10-18T11:47:20.494+02:00The wrong planetExplaining geography and world travel to a 4 year old is not easy. And explaining jet lag and time zones is an even harder task. While a kid can maybe understand that the world is so big that you have to take an airplane to cross the ocean, I hasten to say that the concept of a large sphere we live on spiraling through space, and facing the sun at different times all over the world is nearly impossible to conceptualize. My kids more or less understand that sometimes it's night in France and papa is sleeping while it's day in New Jersey and the grandparents are at work. But they do not understand why that means they wake up at 4 am and get to watch hours of tv until the sun rises and we can finally go outside to play or grab some bagels.<div><br></div><div>And you can imagine what this does to a clever and slightly dramatic 4 year old boy. </div><div><br></div><div>Our first stop was in Montreal where we spent a couple hours running around in an environment that somehow felt like perfected balance to this bicultural mom: a mix of English, French and American where everyone said "hello, bonjour" leaving the door open to speak either language. </div><div><br></div><div>Then arriving in New Jersey, the kids just took up like they'd never left. They wanted to go swimming and to day camp and to go eat ice cream. But we ended up at my favorite diner, where max and Suzanne were half asleep in the middle of the day. But since they couldn't sleep, I took them to the playground. And while we were walking home, max told me he wasn't on the right planet. </div><div><br></div><div>"Mommy, I'm not on the right planet. That's why I'm sick."</div><div>"Max, you're not sick. You're just very tired because your body thinks it's nighttime but it's daytime in New Jersey."</div><div>"But mommy, I'm not on the right planet! I'm very sick!"</div><div>"....um...max, what planet are you on?"</div><div>"I should be in France....I'm sick like E.T. Phone home. He was on the wrong planet."</div><div>I just burst out laughing. Because, really, what can you say when your 4 year equates himself to long fingered alien with a glowing light in the middle of his chest? </div><div><br></div><div>But still, the question remains. How can you explain the world to kids? </div><div><br></div>Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-38382059684612535702013-09-30T13:47:00.001+02:002013-09-30T13:48:35.830+02:00No doubt bilingualism I have doubts about lots of things in life; I second guess myself; I ruminate; I repeat....<br />
<br />
But one thing I no longer have doubts about is how I'm raising my children bilingually. I purposely said "I" and not "we" because, although my husband is wonderful and supportive, he has admitted himself that I am the one doing the work since all he has to do is speak French (and use some extra brain power to cut through <i>franglais </i>from time to time).<br />
<br />
Over the weekend we got together with a couple of bilingual families, all of us with 7 year old daughters who just entered 2nd grade in the French school system. This timely gathering (which ended with a lot of empty bottles of wine and beer) had a purpose : the discuss the pros and cons of putting our girls in the <i>c<a href="http://www.ac-lille.fr/actus/parcours-international.cfm">lasse bilingue</a></i><a href="http://www.ac-lille.fr/actus/parcours-international.cfm"> at <i>Ecole Sophie Germain</i></a> as of next September. What exceptional about this class is that the kids are mostly real bilinguals, learning together in a public school (which we fully support!), with 5 extra hours of English per week. In the end, what's pushing us toward the <i>classe bilingue</i> is not so much the extra English (since it's not that much in the end) but the additional social benefit that our daughter will gain by being with other kids "like her". By this, I mean other kids with a <b>dual culture, dual language and all the complications and complexities that go with it. </b>And, let's be honest here, kids with a certain something different that makes them not as French as the others.<br />
<br />
I see this difference every morning when I drop my kids off. I give Suzanne a kiss and say, "have a good day!" while I hear most of the French parents saying, "travaille bien" to their kids. It's not the same thing. The way I speak - both in terms of word choice and structure - has effected Suzanne and Max's thinking patterns in a way that monolingual French kids can't understand. I'm not debasing my monolingual peers; I'm just saying that my kids are different and I want them to be PROUD of that difference because it's not easy being different (take it from this ex-spaz).<br />
<br />
So if you have read my updates on my kids' bilingualism over the past 5 years, you'll know that this is truly a success story that I am very proud of. I am proud of my kids for being so incredibly smart and patient. I am proud of my husband for being so supportive of all the language and cultural choices he's helped me with. And I am proud of myself for sticking it out through the tough times (when <a href="http://spaghetti-o.blogspot.fr/2011/09/max-speaksa-lot.html">Max would only speak French </a>and when<a href="http://spaghetti-o.blogspot.fr/2007/08/mommy-mama-mamou.html"> Suzanne called me <i>maman</i></a>).<br />
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<br />Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-88244003414136920362013-09-04T07:33:00.001+02:002013-09-04T07:36:08.526+02:00Cafe colorie: cafe for kids in LilleSeems I have been seriously neglecting my blog...but I'll tell you why: I've been working on a project, a project that brings together everything i love...a project that won't make me rich but may make me happy. A project that, well, ok I'll just tell you...<div><br></div><div>I'll be doing some kids' English classes at the cafe colorie, cafe for kids, in the center of Lille. I'm really excited to work with them. But a little scared too. It means I am currently struggling with my self confidence and the French system because I have to set myself up as an Auto-entrepreneur so I can have official status and teach lessons and make money from it! This is a first little step towards doing what I love...and it has meant a lot of sucking up my pride, talking myself up to anyone and everyone who will listen and just basically doing tons of self promotion. I even started a Facebook page to get attention at the Braderie during which I sold cookies. </div><div><br></div><div>What we do for love....cafe colorie, 17 rue des ponts de comines, Lille. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-WrJxVl_4WeY/UibGPFkpasI/AAAAAAAAAzw/aLn4YG8o-dw/s640/blogger-image-1339009381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-WrJxVl_4WeY/UibGPFkpasI/AAAAAAAAAzw/aLn4YG8o-dw/s640/blogger-image-1339009381.jpg"></a></div></div>Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35124868099611785.post-92130197651273486252013-08-21T10:29:00.004+02:002013-08-21T10:29:58.372+02:00Am I bilingual?The Meriam Webster dictionary defines bilingual as "using or able to use two languages especially with equal fluency". According to this definition, I am bilingual. <br />
<br />
According to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages">Common European Framework</a>, I am level C2, proficient user, in French because I can:<br />
<ul>
<li> understand with ease virtually everything heard or read.</li>
<li> summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation.</li>
<li>express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations.</li>
</ul>
<span class="vi"></span><br />
<span class="vi">The people in my French neighborhood think I'm bilingual. </span><span class="vi">Yet, I would never call myself that. Yes, my children are bilingual because they have grown up speaking two different languages. But not me. I learned French at school in New Jersey, came to France to study, did a Masters in France and started my life here. I now speak English most of the time : at home (where we are OPOL), at work where the working language is English, and socially where my closest friends are native English speakers.</span><br />
<span class="vi"></span><br />
<span class="vi">When I first came to France in 1996 until I started my current job in 2003, I spoke French 75% of the time. When I started my current job, the amount of time I spoke French per day dropped to about 30%. And since my first child was born in 2006, the amount of English I speak per day has climbed to the point where there are days I don't utter a single word of French. It even got to the point where I barely hear French, except for the French half of our family conversations (ie when my husband speaks to the kids or me).</span><br />
<span class="vi"></span><br />
<span class="vi">But during our vacation this summer - we stayed in France and didn't see any English speakers - I noticed a few phenomenons:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span class="vi">I am so used to our family's linguistic gymnastics that I do not realize that I speak English to people who I should be speaking French to</span></li>
<li><span class="vi">After having a couple weeks in a Franco-French environment, my English became "tainted" and I had trouble finding some English words and mixed them up with french expressions.</span></li>
<li>And finally, reading in French came back quickly. After a hiatus of too many years to count, I picked up a book in French and began reading it. Although it was slow going for the first hundred pages. After a while, I was reading in the same way I read in English. And just like in English, there were certain words I don't know the precise definition of but I could read in the context.</li>
</ul>
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So am I bilingual? I don't know. I'm more bilingual that most Americans. But I have an accent, I make mistakes in French and my kids are constantly correcting me. I still can't pronounce words like <em>soleil</em> (sun) and <em>bouilloire</em> (electric kettle) but I can read 600 page books in French. <br />
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So what is bilingualism? Do you consider yourself bilingual? <br />
<span class="vi"></span><br />
<span class="vi"></span><br />
<span class="vi"></span>Rebhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15768568719894187436noreply@blogger.com5