My French Journey

Me and Delphine in 1993

Me and Delphine in 2007 (no one told us that we must stay in the same position after 15 years!)

As you know, I'm a francophile. I have the gift of knowing languages and speaking them, French being my favorite. In my house there are over 100 Eiffel Towers in different shapes and sizes: wine charms, stir sticks, checker sets, paintings, statues, daggars, pants, shirts, keychains, and on the list goes. I've received really great Eiffels from lots of people. Many people have told me its impossible to think of France without making a tangent to me.

I started my French journey at birth. That might sounds like an exaggeration but I was born on Bastille day--France's national holiday. Our family always incorporated French words into English conversation so my language learning took place before formal instruction. My formal instruction started in 7th grade where we were made to sing "La Marseillaise" each Friday while waiting for the bell.

Moving on to high school, I continued studying the language and loved it so much. I finally found my niche! Then came the frosting on the gâteau. My junior year of high school, my parents read an ad looking for host families for French kids. My mom was really intrigued by this opportunity and signed us up. Delphine, was her name and she was the same age as me. It was good timing to host an exchange student because she became to me the embodiment of the French language. The great thing was we got along so well. She stayed all through the summer and we taught each other tricks about the other one's language.

Four years later, after continual communication, it was my turn to go to France as an exchange student in college. I was in a different city but when my program was done, Delphine's family hosted me for a few weeks. Her family showed me Paris and all it has to offer, castles, cathedrals and all sorts of things. It was the best way to see that region of France.

As technology got increasingly available in homes, our communication became more frequent and easier. We loved the fact that we had email and messengers at our disposal. The only issue was the time difference we had to work around. Another ten years would pass before we would see each other in person again. It was me again going to France for another study abroad program. Once again I was in a different region but once it was over, Delphine hosted me for a couple weeks.

Delphine and her family opened themselves to me which became some of my greatest tools of learning the language and the culture.