Thursday, October 16, 2008
Merci, Quand Même
Thanks, anyways (although quand même has a plethora of meanings and applications that are not so obvious to the foreigner). Learning French is not easy. There are all of the ins and outs of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation not to mention regional dialects and slang. If these are not enough to confound a potential francophone for a lifetime there are those rules of, "You must say it like this, except in these other situations. There is no indicator or special reason why, you just do." Thanks, that really clears things up.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Quelle Chance!
What Luck! "Take an umbrella with you." he advised. This seemed like reasonable advice especially since he happened to be Belgian. How ironic! Here I was bundled up in my January garb, headed to Austin, Texas for an outbound seminar for my upcoming séjour (sojourn) in Belgium and who did I just happen to get placed next to on the plane? A Belgian!
Well, thank you ever so much, Monsieur Belgica. My umbrella braved the baggage handlers of four international airports only to be ripped to shreds in one week under the local downpour.
The daily déluge (flood, downpour) pitter pats over the tile clad rooftops, sprints down the wrought iron railings, dribbles over sturdy umbrellas and splatters onto the concrete sidewalks. Hasty rivulets swirl like urban rivers around cobblestones only to be sopped up by pant-hems trying to cross the street before the crosswalk signal ends. Allez! Allez! Allez! (Go!) The raindrops travel from sky to ground, to pantleg, to indoors. Night has fallen I find myself dripping in the foyer peeling off my socks like an unwelcome second skin and shake the persistent drops off of the umbrella. It has been another wonderful day.
Well, thank you ever so much, Monsieur Belgica. My umbrella braved the baggage handlers of four international airports only to be ripped to shreds in one week under the local downpour.
The daily déluge (flood, downpour) pitter pats over the tile clad rooftops, sprints down the wrought iron railings, dribbles over sturdy umbrellas and splatters onto the concrete sidewalks. Hasty rivulets swirl like urban rivers around cobblestones only to be sopped up by pant-hems trying to cross the street before the crosswalk signal ends. Allez! Allez! Allez! (Go!) The raindrops travel from sky to ground, to pantleg, to indoors. Night has fallen I find myself dripping in the foyer peeling off my socks like an unwelcome second skin and shake the persistent drops off of the umbrella. It has been another wonderful day.
En Route
On the way. Here we float, high above the world. Way down there rivers grace the land like unfurling ribbons. Rivers seem to follow the path of least resistance but upon further investigation one finds that it is actually the rivers that change the land.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
What the Heck?
It all began with a conversation with a friend, as good things often do. We balanced in our kayaks with the mountains nestling in for the evening while the crepuscular light hovered over the river’s surface in a sleepy rhythm. I’ve been thinking…I think you should!... Really?... Of course... I would love to – do you think it is a good idea?... Why not?... Well…
So, the essays and application slid in under the deadline, a couple interviews passed by, and I road-tripped out to the Washington-Oregon coast (which was awesome-thanks K.C.) last fall wondering where my future lay. Enter, phone call. Congratulations, Rotary Cultural Ambassadorial Scholar! Yaayyyy!
What the heck is that? Let’s start with the basics. Many of us recall Rotary as those old guys that ran the Rotary Basketball program that allowed for us to trip around a court in t-shirts and feet that were too big at our most awkward age. Rotary is much more than that, in fact, quite a lot more. Ahem. Rotary is an international community of business professionals who give humanitarian service and advance international understanding and goodwill. If that isn’t up my alley, I don’t know what is!
Rotary seeks to address issues of poverty, health, hunger, education, environment, and maintain high ethical standards. A current focus is to eradicate polio. They have given over $650 million and joined forces with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, etc… to create the world’s most extensive public-private health undertaking. As of 2006 the number of polio cases has reduced by 99 percent since Rotary started its work in 1985. Rotary formed the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in 1913, the first of many (sound familiar MT folk?) Albert Schweitzer, Winston Churchill, Charles Lindbergh, Sir Edmund Hillary (Rotarians climbed McKinley and Everest in 2004-5), Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Bob Hope, Margaret Thatcher, many kings and US Presidents have been Rotarians.
Great. So… what does this aforementioned collection of phenomenal people have to do with regular 20-something year old me? My scholarship is part of the world’s largest privately funded international scholarship program. People from 110 countries are traipsing around as ambassadors to further international understanding and friendly relations. It all boils down to me being here in Brussels, Belgium for a few months. I will be studying French, volunteering, and giving speeches/connecting with local Rotarians. Am I excited? You bet. Am I ready? Um… Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
So, the essays and application slid in under the deadline, a couple interviews passed by, and I road-tripped out to the Washington-Oregon coast (which was awesome-thanks K.C.) last fall wondering where my future lay. Enter, phone call. Congratulations, Rotary Cultural Ambassadorial Scholar! Yaayyyy!
What the heck is that? Let’s start with the basics. Many of us recall Rotary as those old guys that ran the Rotary Basketball program that allowed for us to trip around a court in t-shirts and feet that were too big at our most awkward age. Rotary is much more than that, in fact, quite a lot more. Ahem. Rotary is an international community of business professionals who give humanitarian service and advance international understanding and goodwill. If that isn’t up my alley, I don’t know what is!
Rotary seeks to address issues of poverty, health, hunger, education, environment, and maintain high ethical standards. A current focus is to eradicate polio. They have given over $650 million and joined forces with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, etc… to create the world’s most extensive public-private health undertaking. As of 2006 the number of polio cases has reduced by 99 percent since Rotary started its work in 1985. Rotary formed the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in 1913, the first of many (sound familiar MT folk?) Albert Schweitzer, Winston Churchill, Charles Lindbergh, Sir Edmund Hillary (Rotarians climbed McKinley and Everest in 2004-5), Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Bob Hope, Margaret Thatcher, many kings and US Presidents have been Rotarians.Great. So… what does this aforementioned collection of phenomenal people have to do with regular 20-something year old me? My scholarship is part of the world’s largest privately funded international scholarship program. People from 110 countries are traipsing around as ambassadors to further international understanding and friendly relations. It all boils down to me being here in Brussels, Belgium for a few months. I will be studying French, volunteering, and giving speeches/connecting with local Rotarians. Am I excited? You bet. Am I ready? Um… Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
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