Bonjour mes amis! (Hello my friends!)

My name is Michael and I hope to educate and to entertain you through my posts. Before we begin, let me tell you a little about myself. I’ll wait while you grab your beret and pour yourself a glass of rouge (red wine).

Thanks to my wonderful parents, I grew up in a multi-cultural household. Because my father was French and my mother a California girl, I had the benefit of being exposed at an early age to a fair dose of Euro-American culture, if there is such a thing.

At the tender age of eight, my parents made the decision to move to France. My father’s family lived over there and they wanted to send me ahead to live with my aunt and uncle for a few months. This would give me an opportunity to learn the French language and become accustomed to the French mode de vie (lifestyle). Not knowing how I would react to the news of being sent to a foreign country so far away from them, my mother sat me down and the conversation went a little like this:

“Michael, your father and I have decided to move to France and we want to send you to live with your aunt and uncle for a few months.”

“Sure, Mom. When do I leave?”

That’s pretty much how it went. I didn’t realize the drastic change that was soon to befall me, but I was excited at the prospect of leaving everything behind and beginning a new life in a country far, far away.

For the next five years, I lived in cities such as Villeneuve/Lot (near the city of Agen in the Lot-et-Garonne), Grenoble (home of the 1968 winter Olympics) and Marseille (one of the largest cities in France). I was immersed in the French language and culture and became known as “Le Petit Américain” (the Little American) in the French schools I attended.

Twenty-five years later, I look back on those days with great fondness. I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to experience a culture from within, especially one as amazing and complex as that of the French.

Learning French or, as many like to call it, le language de l’amour (the language of love) was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. I still often think in French and I am unable to do math in my head without counting in French.

The French language has since become a strong part of my identity and the French culture is still something I am deeply passionate about. I can truly say I am a Francophile through and through. If you read this blog, I am sure you share some of this passion and I hope my posts will help you gain a better understanding and cultivate a higher appreciation for the French language.

Je suis ravi d’être parmi vous… (I am thrilled to be among you)

Vive la France! (Long live France!)

-Michael