Archive by Author
L’Ascension (French Film) Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jan 8, 2018
My husband and I found a cute French comedy on Netflix the other night, called L’Ascension. It tells the story of a man who will do anything for love. L’Ascension (The Climb) tells the story of Samy (played by the comedian Ahmed Sylla), a young man who lives in La Courneuve, a banlieue of Paris. He is…
Le réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre (New Year’s Eve) Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Dec 29, 2017
The new year (le nouvel an) is fast approaching. After a less than stellar 2017, I for one will be saying vive 2018! In France, as elsewhere, New Year’s Eve (called le réveillon du jour de l’an) is typically celebrated with friends. It’s common to celebrate the new year with champagne and fireworks. But did…
Paris 2024! Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Dec 18, 2017
Some of you may know that the Summer Olympic Games will be held in Paris in 2024. This is exciting news for the city; although it has hosted the Olympic Games (les Jeux olympiques) two other times, the last time was nearly 100 years ago in 1924 and the 2024 Games will also celebrate this…
A New (Ancient) French Verb: Dorveiller Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Dec 14, 2017
Have you ever learned something that has completely changed the way you look at the world? I recently found out that, up until the Industrial Revolution, people around the world usually slept in segmented sleep. But what is segmented sleep, and what does it have to do with French and French verbs? Read on below!…
French Musician: Vianney Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Dec 4, 2017
Over the past few years, a new musical sensation has emerged in France. His name is Vianney and, at the age of twenty-four, he was one of the youngest French artists to ever be awarded artiste interprète of the year at the 2016 Victoires de la Musique. Vianney’s first single was “Je te déteste,” which…
Buying a House (in French) Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Nov 27, 2017
My husband and I recently bought our first house. It has been a welcome distraction, especially since we lost someone very important to us this year and we were getting lost in our grief. But it has also been chaotic, time-consuming, and a little scary, too! There are lots of things that I wasn’t familiar…
Coeur de Pirate (And A Goncourt Announcement) Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Nov 20, 2017
My husband is a big fan of Nouvelle Star, the French equivalent of the British show Pop Idol. It is similar in format to The X Factor and other music reality shows, where a jury of famous and/or influential people in the music industry vote on whether or not to allow musicians through to the next level, and eventually to…