Paris Picks: Paris From Home

We are now well into week three of lockdown life in Paris. The sun is shining brightly and the sky has never looked so blue. At least nature is at peace these surreal days, while we struggle to make sense of current affairs. For more on life in France, head over to HiP Paris where I share thoughts along with fellow ex-pats. Meanwhile, I trust and hope that you are all safe and sane at home. In an attempt to share a little bit of Paris with you until we’re able to travel again, here are my top ways of bringing the City of Light home to you.

What better way to dive into a culture than via the pages of a book? Privileged to know so many talented authors, here’s my selection of inspiring reading material to add to your Paris book or kindle collection.

Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (and Dark Chocolate) by Amy Thomas who also wrote Brooklyn in Love: A Delicious Memoir of Food, Family, and Finding Yourself for the New Yorkers

Seven Letters from Paris: A Memoir by Samantha Vérant who just published her latest book The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux

Bonjour Kale: A Memoir of Paris, Love, and Recipes by Kristen Beddard

Je T’Aime, Me Neither by April Lily Heise who also writes blog Je T’Aime, Me Neither

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious – and Perplexing – City by David Lebovitz whose brand new book Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Apéritifs, and Café Traditions of France, with 160 Recipes just launched

Paris Dreaming by Katrina Lawrence who shares more love for Paris on her site Paris For Dreamers

Don’t Be a Tourist in Paris: The Messy Nessy Chic Guide by Vanessa Grall who also wrote Don’t be a Tourist in New York: The Messy Nessy Chic Guide

When in French: Love in a Second Language by Lauren Collins

The Paris Journal by Nicole and Evan Robertson whose stunning literary art you can find at Obvious State

The New Paris by Lindsay Tramuta whose new book The New Parisienne: The Women & Ideas Shaping Paris you can now pre-order

The Seine: The River that Made Paris is Elaine Sciolino‘s latest book

Notre Dame de Paris: A Celebration of the Cathedral by Kathy Borrus

Paris in Stride: An Insider’s Walking Guide by Jessie Kanelos Weiner who also wrote New York By Foot

Paris On Air by Oliver Gee who runs podcast The Earful Tower all about life in Paris

Since most of us are at remaining safely at home these days, add a touch of Paris to your interiors by accessorizing. Square Modern is a favorite Parisian pillow brand that adds just the right pop of color. I myself decorate with these custom cushions, each made in Paris of designer remnant fabrics. Read more about founder Suzanne Flenard, here. As for your walls, leave it to photographer Rebecca Plotnick who has an impeccable eye for Paris.

In case you need help setting your table, whether it’s for one, two, four or more, Laura Calder is your gal. Her latest book The Inviting Life: An Inspirational Guide to Homemaking, Hosting and Opening the Door to Happiness teaches you everything you need to know about nesting in style.

In terms of dressing yourself, local designer Mari of Koshka Mashka is shipping orders directly from her Parisian atelier. Doing her part to keep us all safe, she’s including complimentary face masks with every order. If you’re in Paris contact her and she’ll happily give you a mask.

While we are nourishing our minds by reading and our homes by decorating and dining, let’s not forget our bodies. The founder of Broadway in Paris, Michael Pereira is now offering a dance class via Facebook Live every day at 5 pm Paris time. Ready for a little ballet or Broadway jazz? Read more about this inspiring dance professional, here. If you prefer an intense cardio class, head over to Instagram where you’ll find Paris-based fitness experts @StephNieman, @CaliforniaBarre, and @jujuontherOcks, each teaching classes in English.

Lastly, what better time to start those French classes? Babbel is currently running a promotion and offering three free months of lessons for all students. Bon courage!

La vie en français

In my continuing quest to perfect my French (some days I feel complete control and mastery of the language and others, less so), I have discovered a new platform. By connecting you with a local in your select country and city, airXpat assists anyone who is new, in settling in. In addition to language courses, they even help you find an apartment and deal with legal aspects. I know many fellow expats who could profit from these services! Curious to learn more, I connected to the site and quickly found a French teacher. What interested me most is that the lessons would take place around the city, a sort of cultural immersion while conjugating verbs.

At the suggestion of the teacher with whom I’d already had an initial assessment, my first meeting took place at Le Café Marly, set within the Louvre. I don’t think the location can get much more chic or French than this! Before the lesson even began, I was feeling confident and eager to learn. Once we met, I felt very much at ease, sipping café crème and speaking about all my favorite topics of travel, food and culture, in French bien sûr. 

As the hour lesson ended, I was clear on what I needed to do to improve my conversation skills and what I loved most about this city I call home. How could we not speak about our shared experience of living in Paris? I’m already looking forward to our next meeting, a new destination to explore and new vocabulary to learn. On y va!

living a language

Place des Vosges

I decided not to make resolutions this year but I did make intentions. You can’t break intentions, can you? One of them is to improve my French. I’ve been living in Paris for over 6 years, and of course I speak the language. On a daily basis I speak French with my manufacturer, fabric suppliers, yoga teachers, travel industry professionals, friends… and even my Italian on occasion. I get by perfectly well. But I want to improve. My goal is to speak French with the fluency with which I speak Polish, a language I learned as a child. (Thanks Mom!) After mastering French I plan to conquer Italian, which I’ve already started speaking, finding it much easier to understand and learn, already knowing French. In my efforts to speak like a Parisian, I’ve discovered an online course that has been helping me more than the many methods I’ve tried in the past. (And I’ve tried many!) Here’s a little taste…

 

Learning a language should be fun, which is why Frantastique proves to be so successful. Each lesson is short, humorous, and personalized to the student’s level. To share my love of the French language with you, and to better prepare for your next trip to Paris, here’s a month free with Frantastique. I’ll be learning along with you, so feel free to let me know how you’re doing. Enjoy living a language & good luck, or should I say bonne chance!

forever a student

I just finished an intense course at La Sorbonne. It was exactly what I needed, (and feared), to get back into the groove of speaking French. And simply, to provide a routine to my days. My life as of late is the dream of many, my Italian included. Early morning walks from the right bank to the left, gazing at a tranquil Seine, studying in a cafe in the Latin Quarter overlooked by the Pantheon (dream ends here), hours of phonetics classes making vocal sounds I did not know were possible, and many more hours of irregular verb conjugations combined with the seemingly infinite grammatical nuances of the French language. I learned ALOT. In a very short amount of time. I was focused. I studied. I made it a point to understand and after 4 long weeks of nearly 6 hours of French studies a day, I feel slightly more overwhelmed and much more fluent. It was all well worth it (though there were indeed moments of protest). And yes, all the rumors are true, La Sorbonne WILL make a good student out of you! I must add that this experience reigned supreme over my months at the Alliance Française. Perhaps I needed the discipline. Or perhaps this time I was ready to learn. 

As a reward for my diligence, or simply because we are both in need of a holiday, tomorrow we are flying to Corsica. This time to explore the North. Once again, to be lost in the magical Île de Beauté.

living a language

I have decided to take a break from studying French the traditional way (also known as taking classes), given that I can almost speak naturally in the present tense, delving occasionally into the past and future, excluding certain irregular verbs. I am doing my best to find ways to immerse myself in the culture and learn through speaking, observing, doing…in other words, learn by the act of ‘living’. So far it’s been quite a sensory adventure!

Listen. It’s interesting how much we actually do understand when we need to. I recently had my coffee read by a Turkish woman, an apparent expert in such matters. When someone is speaking to you about your life and relative ‘pursuits of happiness’ you listen! And somehow, I understood. I did have a friend with me to translate, in case I completely misunderstood my fate. It was surely an experience. Do I believe what she told me, (or what I think she told me)? That remains to be decided. What I do know is that surely this is the path that is assigned to me. But I did not need a ‘fortune teller’ to confirm that.

Watch. Since I don’t have a TV at home, and that seems to be a great way to learn French, I decided to try the French Cinema. (In my opinion one of the best in the world). My first film in French was Coco Avant Chanel. Thankfully Audrey Tautou is expressive enough to be understood without words! I was deeply moved by the scenes, by what I imagined was taking place, and as soon as the film was finished I read the history to better understand the story of this impressive woman. Was this experience a success? More or less, or less than more, but it was surely an attempt! Ironic that once upon a time I would only watch foreign (mostly French) films and now I am limited to Hollywood blockbusters, another motivation to learn French!

Read. I grew up reading the The New York Times and look forward to the day when I can read the French equivalent. Does it even exist? Meanwhile, whenever I pass a 20 Minutes journal, found in most metro stations, I pick it up, and attempt to read it. This seems to be the best way to learn a language, by understanding the literary construction. If it’s an interesting enough article, preferably about art, travel or the state of affairs in America, I will do my best to decipher this linguistic puzzle. This too is a great way to understand the people and culture, as the written word is taken quite seriously in France. Next on my reading list is Les Enfants Terribles by Jean Cocteau, my first (adult) French book….

Look. I spend a lot of time walking around the city, exploring, reading the signs on streets, in store windows… Everywhere I look I am learning, searching for words in my dictionary. To understand, for example, why the trendy Cambodian restaurant is closed on a Saturday night. ‘Partir voir la neige’ read the sign. Ah yes, the owners have ‘gone to see the snow’. (Only in France!)

Taste. This is surely a great way to learn a language, considering Paris is a gastronomic capital of the world. Taste the menu, to be certain of what you are eating, fearlessly of course. Coupled with a good glass or two of wine the conversation is sure to flow more smoothly!

Speak. As often as possible I express myself in French, rather creatively I might add, to whomever will listen. Simply leaving the house provides many opportunities in which to practice. My conversations with the woman at the local boulangerie are rather limited, as with the friendly man at the vegetable stand (though I am learning a lot about herbs!). I suspect it’s my hairdresser who notices my progress most of all. We almost speak as though we were friends, versus when I first arrived to Paris I would simply point and smile. Most of all I speak at home, with the most patient of teachers who has himself experienced what it feels like to live in a world of misunderstandings.

What great sensory experiences am I missing…

lessons learned in French class…

I am learning much more in my French class than the seemingly endless conjugations of irregular verbs. Namely, the geographical locations and vivid descriptions of ‘les DOM-TOM’, the French islands scattered within the world’s oceans. (Perhaps in Martinique there’s an extensive French program and I could add Creole to my language skills?) My last assignment, as the gods of fate would have it, was to write a travel article on NYC, ‘la ville extraordinaire!’. Needless to say I became very passionate about accurately depicting a place I know so well.

The greatest lessons learned are in observation of the many foreign lives each trying to make sense in a language not their own. One classmate in particular left an impression on me. This woman from Houston, Texas, with husband and kids in tow, decided to leave a very settled life and spend one year in Paris. Simply because she and her husband noticed how spoiled their children had become and decided it necessary to expand their outlook of the world while enhancing their appreciation of ‘home’. This was no easy task, uprooting three girls aged 2, 11 and 17, attending French schools, adjusting to a new culture (one which is not the most accepting of outsiders I might add). I applaud her for such a daring and challenging move. I am certain her children, at least the older girls, will learn valuable life lessons on this path less taken.

French 101

Today I began my French classes, a new chapter in my life as a student. When I finally decided that the most successful way to learn a language is to speak with people other than my local baker, butcher and pharmacist (though we were having some rather colorful conversations as of late), I was debated as to where to study. To quote an Italian I know well ‘there is no such thing as a bad school, only a bad student’. Could he be right?

In the end I chose the reputation of the Alliance Française over the prestige of the Sorbonne. Not to mention the myriad of independent language schools. I entered the classroom and felt well amidst the assortment of foreign faces, each with a unique story and all united in a common goal. The teacher, a young and vibrant woman originally from Bretagne, immediately shed any layers of fear as we began conversing with one another. The first lesson I learned as we dove into this advanced French course, is that my genealogy is far too complex to describe in great detail, in any language. The second lesson, a recurring one in my life in Paris, is humility.

the living language

Learning a language is not merely a lesson in the linguistic nuances of a culture, it is a lesson in humility. This I have learned quickly through my expansive collection of children’s books (Babar and Martine being my favorites). I have tried several times in my life to learn French. Convinced that I was once French, it should not be such a difficult task. Somehow all of my many attempts proved unsuccessful. Perhaps complete immersion is the only answer. So here I am, completely immersed. The entire city of Paris is my classroom.

I breath French air, drink French wine (often I must admit), listen to countless hours of French songs…I even sometimes adopt a French attitude which entails less speaking and more gesticulating. This is all in addition to my studies of course, my self-motivated, highly optimistic, “study-in-the-comfort-of-your-own-home” approach. Also known as Rosetta Stone. This method is as effective as I choose it to be. So far so good. I have almost devised a morning routine. Almost. More effective than computer courses or classes even, is speaking with my live-in tutor. He has gone through the travails of learning French, has many tips to share and much compassion to offer. Did I think it would be easy? Did I think I would inhale the sounds emanating from the voices surrounding me and thus gain proficiency? Maybe.