Lessons Learn From Real French People.

On Saturday night, I went out with our new French friend and her boyfriend. He is in a band called “Cocoon.” (You can find out more about this band at www.myspace.com/listentococoon) Cassidy and I were surprised to learn that he writes all his music in English, and we asked him why. He said that English is more beautiful and melodic than French. I quickly explained that in the U.S., there is this notion that English sounds boxy, while French sounds romantic and beautiful. But then they both explained that there are tone changes even in regular conversation in English that are not in French. Our voices go up and down depending on the context of what we are saying. It never occurred to me, but French is much more monotonous than English. I love my own language more and more every day.

However, the most popular topic of discussion when we meet new people is obesity. If the people have been to America, they understand how fattening our food is, and also understand how good it is. So, they understand how Americans get so fat, but they are sort of mystified why we don’t simply eat healthier. I have had two people who talked about how sick they got when they moved to the U.S. because they were not used to so much fat in their diet. Being here makes me all the more determined to be healthy when I move back to the states. It is harder, but I think I can do it. Unfortunately, for the time being, I am having difficulty maintaining my weight here, because there is nothing to do in the evenings and the weekends other than eat. Oh well, I'll figure it out eventually.