Sunday, March 30, 2014

Magical Adventures of the Extreme Right

I totally dig around on the internet for cool French stuff. All the time!

Back in January, I came across this comic strip by Odieux Connard that I loved. It really spoke to some of the political discussions I'd been having- and especially around the holidays, the question of wether or not to talk politics with family was real relevant to me.

So I translated it and sent my copy to OC. First time ever doing something like that! I send him my text at around 1am Chicago time. By 8am, he's replaced the original french version with my copy! So excellent! I totally gave a happy little shout when I got that email! ;)

Here's the english version: Jean Jack and the Extreme Right


Woo! What do you think?

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Long time no see!

Hi everyone!

So I'm still an avid Francophile, but I moved back to Chicago. It was supposed to be temporary!

I came back in Spring 2011 to work at my previous job- a travel company. They're always busy in the summer. But as the months ticked by, I realized that I missed the security of being able to work full time. And I missed being home! I thought an eventual degree in Mandarin would lead me to China- even farther from my beloved Chicago (and Mom and Pop). Plus, I'd made the progress I was hoping to make in my French- after 2 years abroad I was feeling pretty competent.

So in November 2011 I went back to Lyon for a couple weeks, got my stuff, said some tearful goodbyes, and came home. I stuck around the travel company until finding a new job working for a business publication. It was supposed to involve lots of French, but turned out to be French-optional. So I stayed there for a year and then moved on.

Since then, I've invested heavily in music as a career, which has been seriously very rewarding! I now work for a major institution on the Chicago music scene. But I miss French! I miss speaking in French, reading in French, picking up free newspapers and thumbing through them on the tram... IN FRENCH!

This lack of Fracophonia has led me back to this blog. I need to share my love of French culture! There are so many fun ways to keep up on your French- TV, radio, blogs, books, meet-up groups! I also want to talk about some of the challenges foreign language speakers face. I think. We shall see!

Stay tuned for what's next in the French speaking world! And thank you for reading ;)