Patriotism and Mortagne au Perche

“To travel is to take a journey into yourself.” -Danny Kaye

Patriotism and a perfect society...

    Although my last post may sound somewhat unpatriotic, I can assure you that I am quite the opposite. Having been so many different places around the world, I have a whole different level of love and respect for the USA and Texas than I ever did growing up. I live in a fantastic country with great leaders, incredible citizens, and amazing human rights and freedoms that are not to be taken for granted. I don’t think we are perfect but I don’t think anyone else is either. My favorite books span the entire spectrum on what it means to be a “perfect society”... everything from The Giver by Lois Lowry, to 1984 by George Orwell, to Discours sur l’origine et les fondements de l’inégalité parmi les hommes (1755) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. I don’t think a perfect society is possible but that does not mean we shouldn’t all try to get along.

Mortagne au Perche...

    In 2011-2012, when I taught English for the French Ministry of Education for a year, I lived in a small town of 3500 people in lower Normandy. I was the only American in Mortagne au Perche -an awesomely small, rural town about a 2 hour train ride southwest of Paris- and the only American most in Mortagne have ever really gotten to know. Some of my best friends in the world like Emmanuel, Aurelie, Basille, Tatan, Claude, and Marine still live there or in nearby towns. :) Salut mes amis! I’m arriving in Paris 2 weeks before orientation at AUP in August to get settled and go see them! I cannot wait! 

Do French people really not like us?

    People like to crack jokes that French people hate Americans but that is just not the case at all in my experience. The French like most things about us... the language, the movie stars, the music artists, the television, the slang, the big city lifestyle, the cars, the sports, and especially the food. Of the 8 classes I taught at Lycée Jean Monnet, I had one class of sophomore-age students who were always excited to see me and so much fun to teach. Our last day of class that year before I came home to Dallas, I made them real American cheeseburgers and we jammed out to American music. We had a blast and it’s a memory I will carry with me always.

An American in Paris...    

    I am extremely proud to be an American who has been given this incredible opportunity to study for my Masters in Global Communication at the American University of Paris. It’s truly an honor to represent myself, my family, and my country on such an international stage. That’s what being an international student is all about. A unique, once-in-a-lifetime chance to share not just a week, but a whole year of my life (and with that, my languages, knowledge, history, and culture) with students and professors representing over 90 different countries from around the globe. So am I excited to go be part of this amazing melting pot in Paris? Yes!! Yes I am. :)