Well, I spent a little time trying to figure out how to start this thing they call Blog. I've dipped my toe (very briefly) in the pool of blogging (wrote ever-so-rarely when I moved to Louisiana for grad school), but wasn't so successful in remembering to keep it up. (Also, grad school? Not really that great of a time to start a new activity that includes writing, extracurricular style.) I also wrote a brief blog over my Spring Break trip to Paris in March 2012 (with 34 high school students, no joke), but let's be honest, that was for the students' parents, not for any personal motive. However, I figure a stay in France will prove interesting enough to merit a return to the world of blogging, even if temporarily.
Basically, I'm going to start this blog by going back to the beginning: my decision to spend a school year in France. This means that this inaugural post will NOT be very exciting. I feel a little guilty about that, but hey, I really feel like you need to know the background before you get to the good stuff (i.e., eight months worth of adventures/my (hopefully) hilarious commentary). So, voilà, here we are!
If you're reading this blog, you probably know me, and therefore you probably know all this, and you can probably skip a lot of this initial post.* But just in case you've stumbled upon this without knowing me, here's a little bit of my story: I started learning French when I was 15 years old. It was my sophomore year in high school, and it came time to pick my foreign language. As I'd lived in Texas my entire life, Spanish didn't appeal to me because I was so used to hearing it so often (for the record, I would now love to be able to speak Spanish), and so I chose French. I vividly remember my amazing teacher (shout out MH!) teaching us the word quelque chose, which means "something." That a word so mundane in my own native tongue could be transformed into something beautiful in its novelty inspired me, and I was hooked. Three years later when it came time to pick my major in college, my parents' encouragement to pick something I loved (shout out mom & dad!) resulted in my choice of French (English minor, btdubbs) and my subsequent Bachelor's and Master's degrees in French (and teaching career).
Of course, someone who chose to dedicate her educational and then professional life to the study of the French language will have spent significant time in France, n'est-ce pas? Guess what? Nope! I finished my undergrad in three years, and as my time at Tech with my friends was already shortened, I opted against spending a semester or two abroad (I instead spent two summers in Quebec, as well as some summer time in London and Paris). Then in grad school, once I was financially independent, I realized that while it would be enjoyable as well as professionally advantageous to spend time in France, I should probably get the heck out of school and start MAKING money instead of continuing to increase my student loan debt, so I finished in my two years and got back to Texas. After that, I started my career as a high school French teacher, and figured that as I was officially a "grown up," maybe my shot at being adventurous and living abroad had passed. However, at the wise old age of 24 (and in the midst of a very difficult year, during which being a "grown up" officially sucked) I realized, well, forget "grown up"-ness. (What's the rush, anyway!?) If I don't do this now, I may never. I mean really, up to this point I've spent a mere four weeks in France, mostly in Paris. I HAVE to go do this. So now all my belongings are in storage, my tiny dog is comfortably settled in with my parents (as is my 12-year-old car, which threatens to die at any point, really), and I await the day (September 17th) that I get on a plane (or three) and start my grande aventure. France, get ready. Readers, get ready.* Katy, get ready?
*Regardless of whether or not you finished this post, please, be sure to come back for more. I promise my future posts will be stronger on both the brevity and the entertainment fronts. It'll be fun. Believe me. :)
OH! Before I forget. I was clicking around on my stats and views (how does one get views before one even writes a post?!), and it turns out, I have not only already had viewers, but I have had a viewer in RUSSIA! (Does anyone else think it's weird they track that?!) So, here's to you, Random Russian Reader, who somehow found me before I posted anything. You'll always have a special place in my heart.
Basically, I'm going to start this blog by going back to the beginning: my decision to spend a school year in France. This means that this inaugural post will NOT be very exciting. I feel a little guilty about that, but hey, I really feel like you need to know the background before you get to the good stuff (i.e., eight months worth of adventures/my (hopefully) hilarious commentary). So, voilà, here we are!
If you're reading this blog, you probably know me, and therefore you probably know all this, and you can probably skip a lot of this initial post.* But just in case you've stumbled upon this without knowing me, here's a little bit of my story: I started learning French when I was 15 years old. It was my sophomore year in high school, and it came time to pick my foreign language. As I'd lived in Texas my entire life, Spanish didn't appeal to me because I was so used to hearing it so often (for the record, I would now love to be able to speak Spanish), and so I chose French. I vividly remember my amazing teacher (shout out MH!) teaching us the word quelque chose, which means "something." That a word so mundane in my own native tongue could be transformed into something beautiful in its novelty inspired me, and I was hooked. Three years later when it came time to pick my major in college, my parents' encouragement to pick something I loved (shout out mom & dad!) resulted in my choice of French (English minor, btdubbs) and my subsequent Bachelor's and Master's degrees in French (and teaching career).
Of course, someone who chose to dedicate her educational and then professional life to the study of the French language will have spent significant time in France, n'est-ce pas? Guess what? Nope! I finished my undergrad in three years, and as my time at Tech with my friends was already shortened, I opted against spending a semester or two abroad (I instead spent two summers in Quebec, as well as some summer time in London and Paris). Then in grad school, once I was financially independent, I realized that while it would be enjoyable as well as professionally advantageous to spend time in France, I should probably get the heck out of school and start MAKING money instead of continuing to increase my student loan debt, so I finished in my two years and got back to Texas. After that, I started my career as a high school French teacher, and figured that as I was officially a "grown up," maybe my shot at being adventurous and living abroad had passed. However, at the wise old age of 24 (and in the midst of a very difficult year, during which being a "grown up" officially sucked) I realized, well, forget "grown up"-ness. (What's the rush, anyway!?) If I don't do this now, I may never. I mean really, up to this point I've spent a mere four weeks in France, mostly in Paris. I HAVE to go do this. So now all my belongings are in storage, my tiny dog is comfortably settled in with my parents (as is my 12-year-old car, which threatens to die at any point, really), and I await the day (September 17th) that I get on a plane (or three) and start my grande aventure. France, get ready. Readers, get ready.* Katy, get ready?
*Regardless of whether or not you finished this post, please, be sure to come back for more. I promise my future posts will be stronger on both the brevity and the entertainment fronts. It'll be fun. Believe me. :)
OH! Before I forget. I was clicking around on my stats and views (how does one get views before one even writes a post?!), and it turns out, I have not only already had viewers, but I have had a viewer in RUSSIA! (Does anyone else think it's weird they track that?!) So, here's to you, Random Russian Reader, who somehow found me before I posted anything. You'll always have a special place in my heart.
i've known you since you were born and the mental image of you licking your elbow gave me a laughing start to my morning! you're going to be famous with this--i promise! (a master degree in biblical studies makes me a prophetess. . .) i'm leaving this anonymous so you can guess who i am. (hint: i am NOT from Russia. BUT wouldn't it be creepy to find out that someone in Russia has known you since you were born and you didn't even know it?!)
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