London – An English Holiday

Marty and I just arrived back to Toulouse after a 4-day stay in London. First, I must tell you that English is a wonderful language. In London we luxuriated in our ability to understand everything people told us. We were giddy with the power of being able to be understood by everyone we spoke to. We were no longer babbling idiots with blank stares of incomprehension affixed on our faces. We were fluent, and we knew it. We ruled.

As soon as we stepped on the British-run plane that tense feeling of not knowing if we were going to understand what was going on slipped away. For me, it was the first time since we arrived in France in August that I completely relaxed. I casually made phone calls without having to prepare my sentences in advance. Strangers approaching me on the street were no longer a source of anxiety. I knew I would understand their question, even if I didn’t know the answer. I breezily chatted with the people I encountered. I recognized accents and knew if people were native English speakers. I could handle all the accents I encountered with grace and agility. I knew what was going on. I walked with a new confidence. I lost that frightened look. I could communicate! I love London.

We didn’t go to London for an English holiday. In fact, I didn’t really want to go to London because I didn’t want to interrupt my French studies. We went to London because the French sent us there. No, they didn’t send us there in order to give themselves a respite from our bad French. No, they sent us there to pick up my visa. Why, you might ask, must I go to London to pick up my visa for France? Good question.

Last summer, I steadfastly researched the visa requirements for Marty and me to live in France. As Americans, we can visit France for three months without a visa, but in order to stay for a year and to get a residency permit, we need a visa. We dutifully completed long-stay visa forms, and I contacted the French consulate in Boston requesting clarification about what type of visa I should apply for. They assured me (in writing) that I did not require a visa and that Marty’s visa would cover both of us. The idea of going to France as “the wife” was a bit irksome and a little suspicious to me, so I accompanied Marty to the French Consulate with my own visa application completed and ready to submit. No, they assured me again in Boston that I didn’t need a visa. I could get my residency permit from the Prefecture in Toulouse with just Marty’s visa. I swallowed my pride and accepted the verdict. I was going to France as “the wife.”

The Prefecture in Toulouse, however, had different ideas about my identity. When I went to pick up the paperwork for our residency permits they immediately told me that I needed a visa. I was prepared. I instantly pulled out the letter from the French Consulate in Boston saying that I didn’t need a visa. Non, said the Prefecture, you need a visa to get a residency permit. An international crisis ensued. The Secretary General of Marty’s institute began a diplomatic negotiation between the Prefecture in Toulouse and Mrs. Boeuf in Boston on my behalf (yes, you read it correctly, that would be Mrs. Beef). Of course, we don’t really know who is right in this diplomatic quagmire, but our bets are with the Consulate in Boston because they appear to be far more competent than the Prefecture in Toulouse. Power prevails, however, and the Prefecture ultimately has the power to issue residency permits. If they say I need a visa, they win. The end result is that Mrs. Beef did us a favor and sent my visa to London, thereby saving me a trip to Boston.

Hmmn, you may be thinking, why didn’t they really do me a favor and send my visa to Toulouse? I asked this question many times myself. Apparently visas have to be issued outside of the country, and they aren’t actually valid until you cross the border of the country and have your passport stamped. London was deemed the best choice because it is actually quite cheap to fly to London from Toulouse, and, as previously noted, we have a linguistic advantage in London. Actually, nobody asked us if we wanted to go to London, it was, as they say, a “fait accompli” by the time we learned of it.

(As an aside, flights between Toulouse and London can be as cheap as .01 cents if you book in advance. It is a mystery how an airline can profitably offer seats this cheaply, but we must accept the inscrutability of airline economics. In the end, you end up paying about $30 in airport fees and taxes, even with a .01 fair. For those of you considering visiting us, if you find a cheap flight to London or simply want to include London in your journey, you may want to book London/Toulouse as a separate flight. Contact me for details.)

In any case, London was an unexpected treat. We stayed with Marty’s old friend and University of Chicago roommate Tim, who recently moved to London. It was fun for me to finally meet Tim, whom I had heard of many times before. Tim is also a great restaurant aficionado, so we ate well. Tim took us on a night tour of London which included a marvelous ride on London’s Eye. The Eye is a giant Ferris wheel that, instead of traditional Ferris wheel seats, has plastic capsules that you stand in to get amazing views of London. The wheel takes 30 minutes to complete a full revolution, during which you simply look and enjoy. The Eye was recently voted the world’s best tourist attraction in a Pringle’s poll, and there are plans for other cities to build similar Ferris wheels. (One has to wonder why Pringles is interested in tourist attractions; perhaps they are looking for new shapes to mold their chips.) You can see live webcam video taken from the Eye at http://www.camvista.com/england/london/bale.php3.

We also met Lamin, a Gambian student currently studying just outside of London. I knew Lamin when I lived with him and his family in Gambia when he was about eight years old. He hadn’t visited London before, so we had a great time enjoying his enthusiasm for places like Buckingham Palace and the House of Parliament. Like most of the Gambian children I knew, Lamin has retained his exuberance and effervescence into adulthood.

Our trip was obviously somewhat enchanted because we managed to get third row, center seats for The Producers at half price. Watching this somewhat raunchy musical by Mel Brooks in an elegant British theater was great fun. To my surprise, they sold ice cream in the theater during intermission. When I expressed my surprise that they allowed food in the theater, the young woman selling the ice cream said that it wouldn’t be theater without ice cream. The people behind us literally had bags of candy that they inhaled before the show. So much for stuffy Brits; another stereotype goes up in flames.

We also spent a few hours wandering around the British Natural History Museum. The building itself is simply incredible and must be seen. Its architectural details include fish, birds, reptiles, monkeys and other creatures featured in stone. We also marveled at Herrod’s Christmas windows which combined video of the latest James Bond movie, Casino Royale, with mannequins dressed in stunning outfits that we don’t normally encounter in our Birkenstock-clad social circle.

London has a dark side, however. We were stunned by the prices. London is officially ranked as one of the most expensive cities in the world, and we believe them. We found the prices to be two to three times what we would expect to pay in Toulouse. Our first three-stop hop on the “Tube” cost us $6 each – we should have walked. (Tim helpfully directed us to the Oyster cards, which allow you to travel the subway at half price.) The pound is worth approximately $2, so the prices don’t look too bad in pounds. It’s only when you convert them to dollars that you feel the hit, so you can ease the pain by making believe the price is dollars and not pounds.

We came back to sunshine in Toulouse this morning. The linguistic tension has returned to my body and the feelings of inadequacy have resurfaced. Tomorrow I return to school and face the French jungle again. For at least a few days, however, I was king.

You Know You're in France When...

You know you're in France when the sculptures in the art museum are missing noses. (They whacked them off during the French Revolution to express their anger.)

Everything You Need to Know About French Prisons

I had been saving this little nugget of French trivia for some larger blog piece, but I was overcome this evening with an overwhelming desire to share it with you. (In other words, I'm tired of writing my capstone and desperately seeking distractions other than those offered by the refrigerator.) In any case, here we go (drumroll please):

French prisoners are given a choice between wine and beer at lunch.

Aren’t you glad you know this? This is a great conversation starter. I guarantee that if you drop this tidbit at a party, people will take note. Their imaginations will churn, and they will simply have to respond. Undoubtedly, they will start wondering if perhaps they are living in the wrong country; unless they are Republicans, in which case they will be quite sure that they are living in the right country (oops, until last week’s elections that is). My bet is that no matter their political persuasion, they’ll bite and you’ll be off and running toward new conversational horizons.

You may be wondering how I have this insider information, but I’m not going to tell you because I’m sure your imagination will come up with far more exciting possibilities than my reality can offer. Suffice it to say that the source was reliable enough that you can move forward confidently in any cocktail party or water cooler conversations you may have. Just remember, you heard it here first. Please report back if you get any interesting responses, if you find it effective in attracting members of the opposite sex (or same sex depending on your preferences), or if you learn any other interesting trivia in response. I’m trusting you to use this information responsibly. Be good.

Why I Don’t Have Time to Write This Post

This will just be a quick posting to tell you that I am busy writing my capstone paper this week and can’t spend much time on the blog. My capstone paper is a ~50 page report of a research project that I started working on this summer. I’ve been looking into the question of whether land trust mergers result in more effective organizations. This topic was suggested to me by the Land Trust Alliance, an umbrella organization of land trusts that works on issues affecting land trusts and land conservation.

Initially, I thought the topic seemed rather dry, but it’s actually been fascinating. It turns out that bringing small, all-volunteer based organizations together to form a larger, more professional organization can be a very painful and emotionally charged experience. Most of the project has involved interviewing people involved with a particular merger of three land trusts on the west coast (U.S.). People have been very open with me about their frustrations and passions. Their passion and commitment for land conservation and/or their original land trust is impressive and humbling.

In case you are curious, I think the answer is yes, land trust mergers often do result in more effective organizations. Some of the people involved in one of the three original land trusts in my case study, however, have been very alienated by the merger. They regret the loss of local control of the organization and resent what they perceive to be top-down management. I have found it is fascinating to hear different versions of the same story. Everyone seems so reasonable when they tell their side of the story. Fortunately, I don’t need to make any judgments about who is right and who is wrong; I can just listen and report. I also did a web-based survey of other land trusts that underwent mergers to determine if they had similar experiences (some of them did).

I was very interested and absorbed by my capstone this past summer when I was frantically trying to complete all my interviews before we left for France. It has been hard for me to get interested in it here, however, as it is difficult to compete with the attraction of learning French. I have to admit that I am completely obsessed with learning French (more on this after I turn in my capstone paper).

For those of you who don’t know, Marty is arriving in New Hampshire today after spending a week in California. To help ease his transition from France, say “Bonjour”, give him some bisous (kisses) and stuff him with brie and pastries. If you throw in some red wine, he may even demonstrate his French for you. (Warning: usually his French is accompanied by lots of grand, sweeping hand gestures, so don't stand too close.)

Resources for Learning French

I know a couple of you are interested in improving your French, so I thought you might find the following resources useful:

French.About.com - This web site has tons of resources for Anglophones trying to learn French including listening exercises, word of the day, verb conjugation, pronunciation tips, etc. You can also sign up to receive emails with French lessons, etc - click on the stay up to date link to signup for these newsletters.

Radio French International includes audio of French news in "facile" (easy) French. You can both listen and read the broadcasts.

French in Action is a series of videos that teach French through Pierre Capretz's immersion method. If you are in the U.S. or Canada, you can access them for free online. Unfortunately, I can't access them when I am here. I haven't gone through all of them, but I think they're highly regarded. My French speaking group in Durham thought they were worthwhile.

Rosetta Stone is software that I purchased quite a long time ago. It has many components for learning vocabulary, reading writing, etc. , but my favorite one involves repeating what a native speaker says. The software records and then plays back what you said and rates the quality of your pronunciation. I find that I will repeat a phrase 15 times if necessary to try to improve my rating. It offers far more pronunciation practice than you will ever get in a classroom and allows you to experiment with French sounds.

It’s All in a Name (Street Names, that is)

I love the street names in France. The French don’t settle for innocuous, banal names like maple drive or pleasant view road. No, the French street names are suffused with history and culture. They recognize historical events, great scientists, and influential politicians, writers and artists.

While naturally there is a preponderance of French celebrities in these street names, the more nationalistic among you will be happy to learn that the Americans get their due here as well. One of the popular hangouts in the center of Toulouse is Place Wilson, named after our own Woodrow Wilson. Nearby you can find the Allée President Roosevelt and the Rue de John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

There is also an Avenue des États-Unis (that’s United States for those of you who neglected to take French in high school). Bus #10 always catches my attention because it has a big sign indicating that it goes to États-Unis. I take comfort in knowing that if I get homesick I can always catch Bus 10.

In any case, I have decided to learn about France through its street names and thought I might share with you some of what I’ve learned. I will start with the Allée Jean Jaurés. I cross this boulevard every day on my way to and from school. It is a big one, so, assuming that there is a correlation between importance and street width, I imagine that Jean Jaurés was a particularly important fellow.

If nothing else, Jean Jaurés is apparently a popular chap among those who name streets in France. In fact, if the number of streets named after a person is a measure of importance, then this guy is big time. I learned that there is even a line in the French movie Maitresse where a person looking at a map of Paris complains that "There are too many avenues named after Jean Jaures."

So who was Monsieur Jaurés? According to Wikipedia, Jean Jaurés (1859-1914) was a French Socialist and eloquent statesman. He was killed just before World War I by a French nationalist who wanted France to go to war with Germany. Jaurés took a pacifistic position during the pre-war period and advocated the use of diplomacy to address the growing tensions between France and Germany. He also tried to organize strikes in both France and Germany in order to force the governments to retreat from their aggressive positions.

Apparently Jaurés’ anti-war position was unpopular among the French who saw a war with Germany as an opportunity to revenge France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). The French lost the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to the Germans as a result of this war, and they saw another war with Germany as a way to get them back. Jean Jaurés, while obviously not popular among the pre-WWI hawks, seems to have redeemed himself among those who name the streets.

One of the more interesting things I learned about Jean Jaurés was that he supported Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish French military officer who was wrongly convicted of espionage. The Dreyfus affair, in addition to revealing French anti-semitism, was a factor in the increasingly negative views of the Catholic Church in France. (Unlike Jaurés, the Church took an anti-Dreyfus position.) In 1905, France passed a law separating church and state.

In the same year, Dreyfus was officially exonerated. Interestingly, as late as 1985 the Minister of Defense refused to display a statue of Dreyfus that was commissioned by President Francois Mitterand. In fact, it wasn’t until 1995 that the army officially recognized Dreyfus’s innocence.

The French don’t only recognize great figures in history, they have also found an ingenious way to help the many among us who cannot remember important dates in history. For example, to get to our apartment by car, you must take rue de 8 mai 1945, which acknowledges the Allies’ victory in Europe. Less obvious is the short rue de 2 mai 1944 that is in Toulouse. This one took me a long time to research. There are not any obvious major events like V-E Day that took place on May 2, 1944. (I’m assuming, perhaps wrongly, that the fact that the Boston Red Sox lost to the Washington Senators on May 2, 1944 may not be so notable in France as to merit a street name.) Even the History Place site on World War II events had nothing listed for May 2, 1944.

I got so desperate to find out what happened on May 2, 1944 that I resorted to searching in French. It was on the French web site, Vers la Victoire (Towards Victory), that I think I found the answer. On May 2, 1944 the managers at two steelworks in Ancizes (a city halfway between Paris and Toulouse) cooperated with the French Resistance and closed the steel factories. Also notable on May 2, 1944 was an agreement reached between Spain and the Allies that Spain would restrict exports of wolframite to Germany. Wolframite, a source of tungsten, was strategically important during WWII because it provided the metal for tank armor.

I look forward to learning more French history through the street names. I am particularly curious about rue du FourBastard. (No, that’s not a translation or a typo, it’s the actual name. If you don’t believe me, you can find it yourself on GoogleEarth.) Given that in Toulouse there are 26 streets named after people with the first name of Charles, 38 Andres and 41 Pierres, it’s going to take me a while.