Archive for September, 2008
L’Hexagone Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 30, 2008
France is a country to love as no matter what you are looking for: mountains, beaches, rivers…you will find it all in France. The entire country is roughly 80% the size of Texas, so you have so much available geographically and you can can get to it all in very little time. It is bordered…
Falloir Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 30, 2008
The United States is famous in Europe for being prohibitive despite its status as a nation of freedom. I have tried again and again to explain to my French and other European friends that one’s freedom in the United States ends when their acts fringe upon another’s freedom. In any case, the French version of…
Americans and their Love-Hate Relationship with France Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 29, 2008
According to a March 2008 Gallup poll, Americans have a more positive attitude towards France than a few years back. 69% of Americans say they have a favorable view of France as opposed to only 57% in February 2007. Well, I for one, have always had a favorable view of France and I’ll give you some…
Gallic Pride Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 25, 2008
As I was quick to observe when I began living in Paris in 1997 as a young, impressionable university student, the French are very, very proud of their language, culture, history, wine, food, geography, women, clothing, music, brands, etc. etc. and did I mention their food and wine? After having already lived in Spain where…
Chez Maïté Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 24, 2008
When I was living in France for the second time in 2003 there was a Big Brother type show on television (Nice People) which I avidly watched and one of the guest housemates was a French cook named Maïté. Since I wasn’t eating there, I obviously fell in love with her personality as she’s bubbly, fun…
Ella, Elle L’a Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 23, 2008
One of the biggest hits on European radio this summer has been Belgian singer Kate Ryan’s version of France Gall’s 1987 song Ella, Elle L’a. The song is translated as ‘Ella, She’s Got It’ and is a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald who was one of the most influential jazz singers in the 20th century. Click…
The First Lady of France Sings to the President in the Middle of the Night Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 19, 2008
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy was born on December 23, 1967 in Turin, Italy. She moved to France with her family in 1973 and attended boarding school in Switzerland. She soon returned to Paris to study art and architecture, but left school at age 19 to become a model. One of her first major campaigns was for Guess…