As always, I look forward to, and enjoy reading your posts - my friend, who I have never met, who wears a necklace she likes when going to lead a shared reading group. (I hadn’t heard of shared reading groups, but now I have, I want to belong to one!)
On learning a language - I applaud your attempt to learn French.
We have a holiday home, which is not in a picturesque village either. It is on the most north-west tip of Ireland, in a Gaeltacht, which is an Irish speaking area. I have tried many times to learn Irish because it is a beautiful language and my best friend is a native speaker. Through conversations with her, I have discovered that a language really shapes how you think and feel. For example, she wouldn’t say ‘I am sad,’ instead it would be ‘a sadness has come upon me’ …and that would imply that it might just as easily leave.
Thank you for your kind words! And yes, "A sadness has come upon me" is a beautiful phrase, and it does say something very different than "I am sad", doesn't it. A sadness that can be lifted opposed to a sadness that I am. Something to think about.
This was so accurate, I can't even comment because it sounds like a therapy session when I try :) But I am going to process this and continue to make some changes
Love this Jorunn. I used to be pretty fluent in French but it’s so rusty now it’s frustrating. I can understand written French and enough speech to get by as long as it’s not spoken by a Parisian! But finding the words to reply is sooo hard. Practising last week on a half term trip to Paris - this included telling the cashier in Cos she had her curl routine down (surprisingly successful- she was delighted- as unlike the Irish I think French folks may be somewhat more reserved!). Also enjoy a bit of télématin to improve my listening!
This is such a lovely post <3 'Instead, I look in the mirror and it is blatantly clear that I project “Woman on her way to leading a shared reading group”.
And then I add a necklace, making the outfit more “Woman wearing her favourite necklace, on her way to leading a shared reading group”' I have felt this way many times. I am glad to know I am not alone.
As for France, I have heard and read several things about France and your experience rings true to what I've heard. I will say, I have found my interactions with non Parisian French women to be surprisingly not snooty and rather kind. Our first landlord was a French woman. One French woman heard me speaking French in a local coffee shop. She was so excited I thought she was going to pick me up in her arms and spin in circles. (My French is not good; I think she was homesick.)
I will sound a bit wicked, but I'm delighted to hear the French still smoke. Smoking is now viewed with disdain, yet how can it be France without smoking and cigarettes?
Yay! Let's celebrate simplicity and the joy of always allowing yourself to be exactly who you are! And about France, I have found people utterly non-snooty, quite the opposite. And smoking, yes. There is more smoking in France compared to Norway, anyway. In Norway, smokers are the new outcasts. Very often there are signs banning people from smoking even outside around the entrance of buildings! Which has lead to a lot of people starting to use snuff instead. Leasing to other kinds of cancers instead of lung cancer, but at least nobody has gotten cancer because of passive snuffing yet so at least they are harming only themselves.
I didn't mean to imply all French are snooty, so hopefully it didn't seem that way. I've heard varying experiences, mostly with Parisians. Having never been to France myself, all I have are books and blogs to go by. I have read about the major uptick in Scandinavian snus usage. (Snus usage is small but growing in the US, both imported and domestic brands.) In the US, several states have passed laws banning smoking within 15 feet of a building entrance. It's a different world than when I was younger, for sure.
I didn’t think you implied that! And yes, smoking habits have changes so very much. I remember when smoking was allowed in the smoking area of an aircraft!!!!! Shows my age.
oh good! I just wanted to be sure. I think sometimes the French get slapped with a lot of stereotypes and I didn't want to seem like I was doing that :} I don't remember smoking in airplanes, but I do remember the smoke and haze at our local coffee shop. I couldn't see the tables next to me because of it ha!
As always, I look forward to, and enjoy reading your posts - my friend, who I have never met, who wears a necklace she likes when going to lead a shared reading group. (I hadn’t heard of shared reading groups, but now I have, I want to belong to one!)
On learning a language - I applaud your attempt to learn French.
We have a holiday home, which is not in a picturesque village either. It is on the most north-west tip of Ireland, in a Gaeltacht, which is an Irish speaking area. I have tried many times to learn Irish because it is a beautiful language and my best friend is a native speaker. Through conversations with her, I have discovered that a language really shapes how you think and feel. For example, she wouldn’t say ‘I am sad,’ instead it would be ‘a sadness has come upon me’ …and that would imply that it might just as easily leave.
Anyway, I ramble….
Thank you for your kind words! And yes, "A sadness has come upon me" is a beautiful phrase, and it does say something very different than "I am sad", doesn't it. A sadness that can be lifted opposed to a sadness that I am. Something to think about.
So agree on the trickiness of Irish Sue! But so revealing even to understand a bit isn’t it
I agree, our friend/sister we've never met! I am going to look up shared reading
So nice to be friends/sisters here.
My French is limited to asking for six croissants, and receiving sixteen in said boulangerie
😂 French numbers are very, very difficult to learn, and equally hard to pronounce..... What on earth did you do with those sixteen croissants?
This was so accurate, I can't even comment because it sounds like a therapy session when I try :) But I am going to process this and continue to make some changes
❤️
Love this Jorunn. I used to be pretty fluent in French but it’s so rusty now it’s frustrating. I can understand written French and enough speech to get by as long as it’s not spoken by a Parisian! But finding the words to reply is sooo hard. Practising last week on a half term trip to Paris - this included telling the cashier in Cos she had her curl routine down (surprisingly successful- she was delighted- as unlike the Irish I think French folks may be somewhat more reserved!). Also enjoy a bit of télématin to improve my listening!
I have met some Irish folks when traveling and I find them delightfully open and friendly!
🩷 Sadness has come upon me
This is such a lovely post <3 'Instead, I look in the mirror and it is blatantly clear that I project “Woman on her way to leading a shared reading group”.
And then I add a necklace, making the outfit more “Woman wearing her favourite necklace, on her way to leading a shared reading group”' I have felt this way many times. I am glad to know I am not alone.
As for France, I have heard and read several things about France and your experience rings true to what I've heard. I will say, I have found my interactions with non Parisian French women to be surprisingly not snooty and rather kind. Our first landlord was a French woman. One French woman heard me speaking French in a local coffee shop. She was so excited I thought she was going to pick me up in her arms and spin in circles. (My French is not good; I think she was homesick.)
I will sound a bit wicked, but I'm delighted to hear the French still smoke. Smoking is now viewed with disdain, yet how can it be France without smoking and cigarettes?
Yay! Let's celebrate simplicity and the joy of always allowing yourself to be exactly who you are! And about France, I have found people utterly non-snooty, quite the opposite. And smoking, yes. There is more smoking in France compared to Norway, anyway. In Norway, smokers are the new outcasts. Very often there are signs banning people from smoking even outside around the entrance of buildings! Which has lead to a lot of people starting to use snuff instead. Leasing to other kinds of cancers instead of lung cancer, but at least nobody has gotten cancer because of passive snuffing yet so at least they are harming only themselves.
I didn't mean to imply all French are snooty, so hopefully it didn't seem that way. I've heard varying experiences, mostly with Parisians. Having never been to France myself, all I have are books and blogs to go by. I have read about the major uptick in Scandinavian snus usage. (Snus usage is small but growing in the US, both imported and domestic brands.) In the US, several states have passed laws banning smoking within 15 feet of a building entrance. It's a different world than when I was younger, for sure.
I didn’t think you implied that! And yes, smoking habits have changes so very much. I remember when smoking was allowed in the smoking area of an aircraft!!!!! Shows my age.
oh good! I just wanted to be sure. I think sometimes the French get slapped with a lot of stereotypes and I didn't want to seem like I was doing that :} I don't remember smoking in airplanes, but I do remember the smoke and haze at our local coffee shop. I couldn't see the tables next to me because of it ha!
I would love to be the first one, but in reality, I’m the 2nd one, and I’m ok with that.😁
I think a lot of us can relate to that!!!