There is a typical American stereotype floating around that French people are cold. The truth is, they're not. They're just as friendly as anybody on the planet - of course, it's unwise to generalize everybody on the planet, so why generalize everybody in France?
Maybe if you befriended one, you'd have someone cool to bring up in conversation. Why yes, Celine is spending the weekend on the cote d'azure with her boyfriend François, who will be taking her wine tasting on saturday. How exotic of you to have a european friend!
But how to approach making friends with a French person? Here are some tips to give you a fighting chance.
Number 1: Complain with them
You'll find this the second you get off the plane and into your Taxi. You cabby will start spurting about something, probably politics, and they're no avoiding falling into conversation. You see, in France, you don't randomly talk to people at bus stations or doctors' offices, something it took my mother a while to comprehend. It's only appropriate to initiate conversation if you're - pardon my language - bitching about something. Politics. The unreliable bus. The weather, sometimes. You'll instantly feel like you've known them forever.
Number 2: Be ready to have people laugh at you
Jokes in France tend to revolve around somebody, and, as a foreigner, you tend to be at the butt end of most of them. But that's ok - they mean no offense! I tend to get strange looks here in the US when I pull out my French humor. No, I'm not insulting you! The French will often joke about their own country's short comings (agree but say nothing!) and about American Stereotypes (agree with strong emphasis!). It's very important you adopt self deprecating humor. Being able to joke about yourself and your shortcomings shows that you're not trying to put yourself on some kind of pedestal, which the french seem to assume a lot of American.
Number 3: Try everything, no excuses
Food will seem weird. Experiences will seem daunting. Just roll with it. Remember that the French have a lot less diagnoses of people with allergies (Gluten allergies are almost unheard of - almost) or ADHD, for example. If you make up an excuse to get out of something, make sure it's a good one. Instead, just roll with it.
Number 4: your accent will speak louder than you
I can't tell you how many times I've had to say the word "hamburger" to my French friends, to hear them burst into guffaws. For some reason, they love it. If you enter a shop, and someone hears you speaking english, they will try their english out on you. Complain about things together, compliment their triumph.
Number 5: Tone it down
The French seem cold to Americans, while American seem off the walls to the French. It's just a matter of opinion. But, truth is, Americans are loud. We have a tendency to be loud. Our country wants us to be loud. If you're speaking with a french person, tone it down, of you WILL freak them out. Speak as if no one else is around. Calm down, stay casual. Stop waving your arms around if you're excited. Tone. It. Down.
There 5 tips will help you approach, and eventually, befriend a French person. Bonus tip: don't go crazy if they don't know of a certain product or pop culture reference. A stereotype of Americans is that they think everything revolves around them: so when a French person sees someone going crazy over some american product of no consequence, this only serves to re-enforce the stereotype. Again, tone it down.
Bon Courage a tous!
December 4, 2013
December 3, 2013
On Stars
What is the Sun? Yes, it's a big ball of burning gasses... it's also a Star.
I can't tell you how many times I've have to tell that - not to five years olds - but to thirty year olds. A startling statistic is that somewhere close to 55% of the US adult population has no idea that the Sun is a star. So I'm going to talk about the sun a little bit, if you don't mind.
And yes, these are tailored to any and all ages.
FUN SUN FACTS!
Did you know that the sun is so huge, that 1,300,000 earths could fit right inside of it, snuggly. It's so huge that 99.9% of all the mass of our solar system is just the sun! That's pretty big! Have a look at the scale!
Did you know that light from the sun, going at light speed, takes about 8 minutes to reach us? That means, if the sun were to "go out", we wouldn't know for 8 full minutes! Saturn is even further away from the sun - sunlight takes over an hour to reach it!
Did you know that our sun is 4.5 billion years old? Our sun is middle aged, and will burn for over 5 billion more.
Did you know that the sun is about 5,778K hot on its photosphere? (that's the part of the sun you can see, though I don't recommend looking right at it!) That's almost 10,000 degrees fahrenheit!
Most importantly - did you know our sun is a star? Just like all those other stars that fill the night sky, the sun is a star, only it is our Star, the center of our little stella neighborhood, of our solar system. The stars up there are suns to, only there are the suns to different planets, they have their own solar systems, their our neighborhoods. All of those solar systems together are in one gigantic stellar city - the milky way galaxy. It's made up of billions of stars, billions of suns!
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Did you know that not every star is the same? There can be a lot of different colors! Just think of fire, how the red bit of the flame is safer than the yellow, which is hot, or the blue, which is much, much hotter. Stars burn differently, so they will be a different color.
Blue stars are the hottest; their motto seems to be "live fast, die young:" they burn up quicker than other stars, which is why they tend to be the youngest in the night sky. The Pleiades Star Cluster is only 25 million years old... that means it wasn't even around back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth!
Check out this awesome music video which explains the birth of stars... in a catchy song.
Ok, I'm sorry, I just had to. Stars are awesome. Our sun is awesome. And not just because I say so - I mean, these are huge gigantic nuclear fusion factories that hang around in space, giving us light and enabling us to live, which them BOOM die in a cosmic eruption, sending atoms this way and that, until they form together in a specific way on a specific plane to form...
You.
You are made of starstuff. Don't you every forget that!
December 1, 2013
November 30, 2013
Suddenly... Christmas
It's the day after thanksgiving, and suddenly, the world has turned upside down from being thankful for what they have, to asking for more things. Overnight, bright lights have been hauled up around roofs and Santas have appeared on every street corner.
And my family took me to a christmas farm.
And my family took me to a christmas farm.
As a French girl, I don't get all the fanfare. I can't go anywhere without being told christmas is right around the corner. It's over the top! It's so excessive! Sure, christmas is a time of celebration, but it seems as though people are celebrating for all the wrong reasons. No wonder French people lecture me about american consumerism.
November 29, 2013
Why are French Children so Independent?
Ever since I've arrived in the US, people keep fussing over me. They get worried about things like me ridding the metro or bus by myself, or making my own dinner. It was surprising for me: never before had anyone worried me like that. I keep being called brave for spending a year abroad, and people keep telling me that they themselves would never be able to do such a thing.
I'm very surprised by all this. Back home, I'm used to people being less than casually concerned with my activities. And living abroad is no real problem for me, nor for any of my friends, who are now studying in at least five different countries, and yes, that is not counting the one they call home, France. It has led me to a shocking discovery: American kids, or at least a majority of American kids, are not independent.
I have thought long and hard about why this is, and have come up with a short list of things that could possibly be part of the puzzle. So here is why French Children are so Independent.
(Note: these are generalizations, and majorities: I am aware there are exceptions both with the french and the Americans. I have seen very capable Americans and very useless French. But for the most part, this is what I've found.)
1. Parents allow them the freedom to fail
In the US, I have found parents to be very protective of their children, not allowing them to try new things because they are afraid to see their kid get disappointed. Not the case in France.
The French see failure as an integral part of life, and remind their children that failure is unavoidable, which is evident in their grading system through school. As a child grows up, the main function of a parent is to provide a "cadre", or a framework for the child to live in. Americans find this very hard to grasp, seeing as how strict and controlling this appears: but the French believe that a child knowing his limitations will allow him to blossom. As a parent, your duty is to make sure your child knows his role in society and and to give him the ability to test these limits. Kids will be polite and calm, come when called, clean up their toys. Tantrums are rare. Actually, I have never seen a French kid throw one, though I am certain they must happen somewhere
In the US, I see parents lose it when their four year old finds a knife. In France, I have made apple pie with a four year old who was not afraid of cutlery. Knowing his limits has enabled kids to have advanced skills compared to their US counterparts.
2. School limits parental interaction
In the US, the school experience with the child is something his mother or even father is a huge part of. They help with events, they bring food on special occasions, they help with homework, an they talk with teachers if they have a problem with what is being taught.
Not so in France.
In France, there is a clear distinction between school and parents. Home life and School life never cross over. Not even for lunch - children go eat at a cafeteria all through kindergarden and up, with full sets of Cutlery. There is no finger food. I once got reprimanded for eating a chicken drumstick with my fingers, as my father had shown me. Nope. Knife and fork.
A friend of the family's once brought valentines' day cookies to school with her daughter on february 14th. She was kindly escorted out of the school, and reminded that valentines' day is a couples holiday, and children celebrate what they will outside the confines of their education.
Education is sacred in France, tried and trusted, and parents should not intervene, except during student council meetings (once a term) when they can bring a few points to the attention of the school board. Other than that, they have no connection to the school whatsoever. Some may never set food inside the doors. And they can say what they will about the reading list, they are not going to be able to change it. I read dangerous liaisons in 8th grade, my mother was worried, but could not say anything. It was a good book.
School is all about the student. Every child had a cahier de liasion or, later on, a carnet de correspondance, which is a physical link between the school and the parent. Hour changes, school trips, disciplinary action, tardy slips and absentee notes are all kept together, for the parents to check out. My mother never touched mine.
And then there is homework. Parents can try to help, but rarely do. If kids need help at school, usually their older sibling is the one to provide it, because of how specific teachers are about methodology. I haven't had homework help since I was six.
Parents are kept at a distance from their child's school, on the fringes of their school life. This enables them to join society on their own, without interference.
3. Sleep-aways
In first grade, I spent ten days in the mountains with my teachers and school friends. I didn't see or talk to my parents in all that time.
Classe verte (Green class) are week long field trips organized by the school so that the children can discover part of France by themselves. In first grade, I went to the Ecrins park (a little like a national park) to see the alps, see how cheese was made, meet some beekeepers, and much more. I got the flu and a temperature of 106, which lasted for two days, and my parents didn't know until I got back. In second grade I went to the beach to lean how to sail and kayak; in third, how to ski; in fourth, we went to the mountains to mountain bike; in fifth, to the Basque region, to learn about marine biology. They were awesome trips, and helped kids learn to distance themselves from their parents.
4. Freedom of movement
You may think than an American child has much more freedom; they have time (school ends at 3) they have a car and the ability to drive (at 16), they have jobs and can pay for things. But the French children are a lot more free than their american counterparts. Why?
We have a bus; a train; and blurred european boundaries.
With my friends, we often joked how we could go to London for the day, and our parents wouldn't even notice. You pay 100 euros for an unlimited yearly bus pass; and trains are cheep and frequent, so that if, say, you wanted to go for a day at the beach on a whim, you hop on a bus, reach the bus station, pay 3 euros for a ticket to the coast, hop on the train, hop off, grab a soda and a baguette at a bakery, walk down to the beach and relax for the day. No hassle.
And most parents encourage this, because of how much fun they will have with their friends. And it's not like we don't have a phone.
(Sidebar here: you kids will never be independent if you get those tracker apps. Come on.)
5. You grow up, you work accordingly
I was 8 when I started doing my own laundry, cooking for myself, and cleaning my room with a vacuum cleaner. Today, I see kids in the US only learning to do this when they are getting ready for college. I mean, what?
In France, you get old enough to stick clothing in a washing machine, you are going to be sticking clothing in the washing machine. That's just how it is.
6. Teens left to their own devices
French children do not act out, because they have nothing to act out against. I have never seen anyone go through a phase - well, I saw a goth once, but I think he was in his twenties - to rebel against their parents. Why would they? Their parents are not holding them back!
Once you reach the age of 18 and are legally allowed to drink, you've already passed the age where you've tried some, abused some, and gotten used to it. So like in the US when you turn 21, the eighteenth is a booze fiesta; and then you calm down, have a bit of beer or rosé at a few parties, you drink moderately and you don't over indulge. You've grown up knowing you could. Why revolt?
After this, you graduate, and you are a fully formed adult. There is a huge difference between american 18 year olds and french 18 year olds, comparable to americans after college graduation. Not to say that they are mature - just that they have all the skills they need to move out, get their own place, take care of bills, insurance and taxes, or travel. Of course, there are many American teenagers who are capable of this. but it seems as though most are still babied, even through college.
I am not used to the fuss. People (very kind people!) send me care packages, and I wonder what I did to deserve them. I speak to my parents once a week, to the surprise of many, who assume I have to see them every day. I can't tell you how happy some family members were that I mentioned missing them, because at least they could relate to home sickness.
I have trouble making friends with teenagers my age here in the US, because we lack so many shared experiences. Their school experience is all about success, events, shared with their parents. I find it easier to relate with college students, college seniors, even, who have gotten this freedom, and enjoy discussing travel plans.
Plus, I haven't had a beer in months and it's annoying as heck. And when I mention cider int his country, all I get is sweetened apple juice!
I'm very surprised by all this. Back home, I'm used to people being less than casually concerned with my activities. And living abroad is no real problem for me, nor for any of my friends, who are now studying in at least five different countries, and yes, that is not counting the one they call home, France. It has led me to a shocking discovery: American kids, or at least a majority of American kids, are not independent.
I have thought long and hard about why this is, and have come up with a short list of things that could possibly be part of the puzzle. So here is why French Children are so Independent.
(Note: these are generalizations, and majorities: I am aware there are exceptions both with the french and the Americans. I have seen very capable Americans and very useless French. But for the most part, this is what I've found.)
1. Parents allow them the freedom to fail
In the US, I have found parents to be very protective of their children, not allowing them to try new things because they are afraid to see their kid get disappointed. Not the case in France.
The French see failure as an integral part of life, and remind their children that failure is unavoidable, which is evident in their grading system through school. As a child grows up, the main function of a parent is to provide a "cadre", or a framework for the child to live in. Americans find this very hard to grasp, seeing as how strict and controlling this appears: but the French believe that a child knowing his limitations will allow him to blossom. As a parent, your duty is to make sure your child knows his role in society and and to give him the ability to test these limits. Kids will be polite and calm, come when called, clean up their toys. Tantrums are rare. Actually, I have never seen a French kid throw one, though I am certain they must happen somewhere
In the US, I see parents lose it when their four year old finds a knife. In France, I have made apple pie with a four year old who was not afraid of cutlery. Knowing his limits has enabled kids to have advanced skills compared to their US counterparts.
2. School limits parental interaction
In the US, the school experience with the child is something his mother or even father is a huge part of. They help with events, they bring food on special occasions, they help with homework, an they talk with teachers if they have a problem with what is being taught.
Not so in France.
In France, there is a clear distinction between school and parents. Home life and School life never cross over. Not even for lunch - children go eat at a cafeteria all through kindergarden and up, with full sets of Cutlery. There is no finger food. I once got reprimanded for eating a chicken drumstick with my fingers, as my father had shown me. Nope. Knife and fork.
A friend of the family's once brought valentines' day cookies to school with her daughter on february 14th. She was kindly escorted out of the school, and reminded that valentines' day is a couples holiday, and children celebrate what they will outside the confines of their education.
Education is sacred in France, tried and trusted, and parents should not intervene, except during student council meetings (once a term) when they can bring a few points to the attention of the school board. Other than that, they have no connection to the school whatsoever. Some may never set food inside the doors. And they can say what they will about the reading list, they are not going to be able to change it. I read dangerous liaisons in 8th grade, my mother was worried, but could not say anything. It was a good book.
School is all about the student. Every child had a cahier de liasion or, later on, a carnet de correspondance, which is a physical link between the school and the parent. Hour changes, school trips, disciplinary action, tardy slips and absentee notes are all kept together, for the parents to check out. My mother never touched mine.
And then there is homework. Parents can try to help, but rarely do. If kids need help at school, usually their older sibling is the one to provide it, because of how specific teachers are about methodology. I haven't had homework help since I was six.
Parents are kept at a distance from their child's school, on the fringes of their school life. This enables them to join society on their own, without interference.
3. Sleep-aways
In first grade, I spent ten days in the mountains with my teachers and school friends. I didn't see or talk to my parents in all that time.
Classe verte (Green class) are week long field trips organized by the school so that the children can discover part of France by themselves. In first grade, I went to the Ecrins park (a little like a national park) to see the alps, see how cheese was made, meet some beekeepers, and much more. I got the flu and a temperature of 106, which lasted for two days, and my parents didn't know until I got back. In second grade I went to the beach to lean how to sail and kayak; in third, how to ski; in fourth, we went to the mountains to mountain bike; in fifth, to the Basque region, to learn about marine biology. They were awesome trips, and helped kids learn to distance themselves from their parents.
4. Freedom of movement
You may think than an American child has much more freedom; they have time (school ends at 3) they have a car and the ability to drive (at 16), they have jobs and can pay for things. But the French children are a lot more free than their american counterparts. Why?
We have a bus; a train; and blurred european boundaries.
With my friends, we often joked how we could go to London for the day, and our parents wouldn't even notice. You pay 100 euros for an unlimited yearly bus pass; and trains are cheep and frequent, so that if, say, you wanted to go for a day at the beach on a whim, you hop on a bus, reach the bus station, pay 3 euros for a ticket to the coast, hop on the train, hop off, grab a soda and a baguette at a bakery, walk down to the beach and relax for the day. No hassle.
And most parents encourage this, because of how much fun they will have with their friends. And it's not like we don't have a phone.
(Sidebar here: you kids will never be independent if you get those tracker apps. Come on.)
5. You grow up, you work accordingly
I was 8 when I started doing my own laundry, cooking for myself, and cleaning my room with a vacuum cleaner. Today, I see kids in the US only learning to do this when they are getting ready for college. I mean, what?
In France, you get old enough to stick clothing in a washing machine, you are going to be sticking clothing in the washing machine. That's just how it is.
6. Teens left to their own devices
French children do not act out, because they have nothing to act out against. I have never seen anyone go through a phase - well, I saw a goth once, but I think he was in his twenties - to rebel against their parents. Why would they? Their parents are not holding them back!
Once you reach the age of 18 and are legally allowed to drink, you've already passed the age where you've tried some, abused some, and gotten used to it. So like in the US when you turn 21, the eighteenth is a booze fiesta; and then you calm down, have a bit of beer or rosé at a few parties, you drink moderately and you don't over indulge. You've grown up knowing you could. Why revolt?
After this, you graduate, and you are a fully formed adult. There is a huge difference between american 18 year olds and french 18 year olds, comparable to americans after college graduation. Not to say that they are mature - just that they have all the skills they need to move out, get their own place, take care of bills, insurance and taxes, or travel. Of course, there are many American teenagers who are capable of this. but it seems as though most are still babied, even through college.
I am not used to the fuss. People (very kind people!) send me care packages, and I wonder what I did to deserve them. I speak to my parents once a week, to the surprise of many, who assume I have to see them every day. I can't tell you how happy some family members were that I mentioned missing them, because at least they could relate to home sickness.
I have trouble making friends with teenagers my age here in the US, because we lack so many shared experiences. Their school experience is all about success, events, shared with their parents. I find it easier to relate with college students, college seniors, even, who have gotten this freedom, and enjoy discussing travel plans.
Plus, I haven't had a beer in months and it's annoying as heck. And when I mention cider int his country, all I get is sweetened apple juice!
November 25, 2013
20 Signs that you're a TCK
Sometimes, being a third country kid is the best thing on the world. Other times... it feels like the worst. Being in any case, here are some signs that you're a TCK.
1. You've become a master mathematician by trying to calculate when your friends in other countries are available for skype.
Or just figuring out how to message them, actually. You leave a message for then on faebook when you go to sleep, and wake up to a response sitting in your message box. Like elves left it during the night.
2. You have sounds from every continent on your playlist, mostly sent to you by friends who think it's the tops, which makes for an entertaining car trip.
I have French rap and K-pop, Israeli rock and spanish pop, to name a few. When you shuffle my ipod, you shuffle the world.
3. Speaking of car trips, you are the absolute best at keeping yourself entertained on ten hour long trips, being by car or boat or plane.
You know how long of a book you need for the trip, how much video and how much music. Car games? You're the boss.
4. A birthday tradition is seeing how many languages you can sing the song in. And, calculating what time to have the party so your friends can skype in.
Blowing out the candles becomes a game of patience.
5. You actually use Facebook as a way of staying in touch with all your friends who have left. Because good-bye is never really good-bye...
6. Even so, you've said more good-byes than you'd ever want to say. And it hurts every time.
7. You tend to use the correct pronunciation of words, so people think you're presumptuous.
"What was that?" Oh, I'm sorry, let me add an accent for you. Noooooow it makes sense.
8. You don't speak English with your friends, or English; you speak Frenglish and everyone gets what you mean. Because sometimes, one language has a word that just fits better.
The english language has just beautiful descriptive words. Splash, fling, I just love saying them. How many different words for throw do you have? More than the french do, for sure.
9. One of your friends speaks seven languages, and all it does it make you jealous because it puts your 2 (and a half!) to shame.
WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO BRILLIANT?
10. Fast food is like a strange exotic experience for you.
11. You get culture shock every time you step into a supermarket, no matter which country you're in.
12. You can still remember a time that there were no oreos in your country. You laughed when a friends ran up to you with a pack of "amazing cookies!" they had just bought at a local store, before crying for joy.
Oreo day. June 3rd, 2010. Ah, I can see it clearly now...
13. You dread the question "where are you from" because THERE NEVER IS A SIMPLE ANSWER!
Yes, i'm from France; my english is good because I'm american; no, I was not born in the states.... every. single. time.
14. You know that fitting into a country isn't just about speaking their language, but also how you present yourself. Your demeanor changes every time you speak a different tongue.
It has often been said that the French as cold people: they are not, they are just more reserved to strangers. They think American's are a little 'too much', over the top. It's all a question on perspective.
15. You know how to calculate how long someone will take to answer "how are you doing?" because it's entirely cultural.
Because in the US.... they will actually tell you.
16. When you grandparents freak out about you taking the metro by yourself, you smile and remind them you've flow across entire continents alone.
17. Your extended family always says 'welcome home' to you, no matter how many times you remind them that your home is 'across the pond'.
18. Vacation? what vacation? you mean going from door to door under your grandmother's wing, as she shows you off to family you haven't seen for two or three years, yet who somehow know everything about you? I may need a vacation from my vacation.
Speak French for the man! Was my grandmother's whenever my sister and i went to visit her. I didn't know half the people I met, but they sure knew me.
19. Planning a trip? Let's call so and so and see if she'll be available to hang out once we get there!
They always know the best places to eat, too!
20. The day you finally knew what it was like to be the one leaving home; and had to say good-bye for probably the last time.
Are you a TCK? is there anything I left out? let me know in the comments!
Sarah
1. You've become a master mathematician by trying to calculate when your friends in other countries are available for skype.
Or just figuring out how to message them, actually. You leave a message for then on faebook when you go to sleep, and wake up to a response sitting in your message box. Like elves left it during the night.
2. You have sounds from every continent on your playlist, mostly sent to you by friends who think it's the tops, which makes for an entertaining car trip.
I have French rap and K-pop, Israeli rock and spanish pop, to name a few. When you shuffle my ipod, you shuffle the world.
3. Speaking of car trips, you are the absolute best at keeping yourself entertained on ten hour long trips, being by car or boat or plane.
You know how long of a book you need for the trip, how much video and how much music. Car games? You're the boss.
4. A birthday tradition is seeing how many languages you can sing the song in. And, calculating what time to have the party so your friends can skype in.
Blowing out the candles becomes a game of patience.
5. You actually use Facebook as a way of staying in touch with all your friends who have left. Because good-bye is never really good-bye...
6. Even so, you've said more good-byes than you'd ever want to say. And it hurts every time.
7. You tend to use the correct pronunciation of words, so people think you're presumptuous.
"What was that?" Oh, I'm sorry, let me add an accent for you. Noooooow it makes sense.
8. You don't speak English with your friends, or English; you speak Frenglish and everyone gets what you mean. Because sometimes, one language has a word that just fits better.
The english language has just beautiful descriptive words. Splash, fling, I just love saying them. How many different words for throw do you have? More than the french do, for sure.
9. One of your friends speaks seven languages, and all it does it make you jealous because it puts your 2 (and a half!) to shame.
WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO BRILLIANT?
10. Fast food is like a strange exotic experience for you.
11. You get culture shock every time you step into a supermarket, no matter which country you're in.
12. You can still remember a time that there were no oreos in your country. You laughed when a friends ran up to you with a pack of "amazing cookies!" they had just bought at a local store, before crying for joy.
Oreo day. June 3rd, 2010. Ah, I can see it clearly now...
13. You dread the question "where are you from" because THERE NEVER IS A SIMPLE ANSWER!
Yes, i'm from France; my english is good because I'm american; no, I was not born in the states.... every. single. time.
14. You know that fitting into a country isn't just about speaking their language, but also how you present yourself. Your demeanor changes every time you speak a different tongue.
It has often been said that the French as cold people: they are not, they are just more reserved to strangers. They think American's are a little 'too much', over the top. It's all a question on perspective.
15. You know how to calculate how long someone will take to answer "how are you doing?" because it's entirely cultural.
Because in the US.... they will actually tell you.
16. When you grandparents freak out about you taking the metro by yourself, you smile and remind them you've flow across entire continents alone.
17. Your extended family always says 'welcome home' to you, no matter how many times you remind them that your home is 'across the pond'.
18. Vacation? what vacation? you mean going from door to door under your grandmother's wing, as she shows you off to family you haven't seen for two or three years, yet who somehow know everything about you? I may need a vacation from my vacation.
Speak French for the man! Was my grandmother's whenever my sister and i went to visit her. I didn't know half the people I met, but they sure knew me.
19. Planning a trip? Let's call so and so and see if she'll be available to hang out once we get there!
They always know the best places to eat, too!
20. The day you finally knew what it was like to be the one leaving home; and had to say good-bye for probably the last time.
Are you a TCK? is there anything I left out? let me know in the comments!
Sarah
November 24, 2013
Writer's Block
It is now the last week of NanoWrimo, and I find myself stuck in a rut
I'm actually only writing this post because I'm procrastinating. I know I need to get this first draft done, but I can't get myself to write another word. It's not that I don't have a plot, it's that I have no desire to continue.
Have I run down my creative well? I know what needs to happen next, so why can't I write it? And why the heck are my characters so terrible this time round?
These are the problems that plague my mind. I'm stuck. I can't move forward. I need to find something to do to take my mind off of it. Or bring my mind back to it. But what?
When I tell myself I'm doing serious writing, it's never as fun. With Jump, a series I've been working on for the past 3 years now, that has just reached a collective 1 million words, it was always effortless. maybe because I'm sure no one will ever read it - it's just for me. But writing this new book is tough - I have to create new characters and work with them, and it's hard going.
This is writer's block, 2013.
I'm actually only writing this post because I'm procrastinating. I know I need to get this first draft done, but I can't get myself to write another word. It's not that I don't have a plot, it's that I have no desire to continue.
Have I run down my creative well? I know what needs to happen next, so why can't I write it? And why the heck are my characters so terrible this time round?
These are the problems that plague my mind. I'm stuck. I can't move forward. I need to find something to do to take my mind off of it. Or bring my mind back to it. But what?
When I tell myself I'm doing serious writing, it's never as fun. With Jump, a series I've been working on for the past 3 years now, that has just reached a collective 1 million words, it was always effortless. maybe because I'm sure no one will ever read it - it's just for me. But writing this new book is tough - I have to create new characters and work with them, and it's hard going.
This is writer's block, 2013.
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