Soaking up the last of Summer

It's the same story every year: summer flies by much too fast! Just a couple of weeks ago, I spent the day at Payson Lakes, paddling a canoe, soaking up some sunshine and laughing with friends. There were no schedules. No set time to jump out of bed and no time to leave. Everything was fun and relaxed. This is my first summer in nine years that I did not get on a plane and fly anywhere. It has been quite interesting. I wondered if I would be sad to skip my routine few weeks out of the country, but surprisingly, there are quite a few awesome things to do right close to home. And now I have decided that I can put some of that saved cash towards new school outfits! Yes! Shopping!

Speaking of which, official meetings for school start in one week! I can't believe it! I haven't been in my new classroom to set it up yet and I am going to have students, sitting in desks and ready to learn French in just two weeks! None of these kids know me yet. This is exciting yet a bit scary. As long as I remember to bring in my regular first-day Nutella and crackers, I should be okay, right? I am actually really looking forward to going back to a routine and getting my students all set to speak French, to love French and to dream in French! (You can always hope:) )

So this past week, I participated in a French seminar at the U of U. It was quite interesting. We talked about French stereotypes and where they came from. Do the French smoke more than Americans? Yes! I am not a fan of smoke and it was always tough for me, being seated next to smokers when I visited cafes in Paris--the smoke just carried right into my food! Cough. cough. Another interesting thing is French swimsuits. Did you know that many French pools will not allow men in if they are wearing knee-length board shorts? This is hard for us Americans to imagine as most guys here don't go to a regular pool in a Speedo. The reason, as my French teacher pointed out, is that they want to keep their pools clean and they don't know if those guys wore their shorts all over the city before deciding to jump in their pool. Hmmm... I just remember taking students to France in 2007 and trying to shush their reaction when they saw our guide come out to our pool in a red-striped Speedo. Different culture, kids.

Another stereotype is that French women eat cheese, chocolate, pastries and butter, yet they don't get fat! Is this true? The professor told us that she wrote her thesis on this subject. Yes, French women are still statistically less overweight than American women, but the obesity rate is slowly going up. This fact could coincide with greasy fastfood joints constantly opening up all over France--something that many of them would rather boycott. But chicken nuggets are so tasty! The reason that French women might be in overall better shape is because they focus on quality of food whereas Americans, in general, prefer quantity. A few bites of any fresh dessert can only do good, n'est-ce pas? Also, the French walk much more than we Americans do. Many even bring their shopping bags on wheels to the grocery store and take them home in the metro. I don't think I could live without my car for a minute.