Salut!
So this weekend was a relaxing one where I caught up on sleep, did some lesson planning, and watched tv. I know what you (or at least my mother) is thinking- you are in France, why are you watching TV? Well, when I watch TV in France I’m not being a couch potato, nor is my brain turning to mush. For me, it’s like doing mental gymnastics to keep up with the dialogue.
My go-to TV show? Friends. Obviously. Yes, sometimes the jokes in English get completely lost in translation when the dialogue is dubbed over in French, but for the most part Friends is a great way for me to improve my French. Since I already generally know the subject matter of the episode since I have seen them all in English, I learn colloquial expressions that I can easily equate with what I know in English. Rarely, if at all, is there a day without Friends on the TV guide channel...not saying that I watch it everyday, but that's just how popular the TV show is here.
Second- Danse avec les Stars. Don’t judge, it really is a fantastic show. It has the action of dance combined with the French narrative. It comes on Saturday nights at 8:50 and it goes until just about midnight. For those of you that understand French (or even those of you that don’t) click below, and you will understand my interest:
Most unexpected TV show- “Le Catch.” Known by Americans as WWE. I have now watched it three times here. That is thrice what I have done in the United States (I will admit that I watched it once at WFU with Corey and Zach). And they actually watch it as I would NCIS- seriously and weekly. Not only does Pascal watch it, but also a few of my students have asked me if I have ever ATTENDED le catch. Ha, yeah right, very funny kiddo.
Next- G20. I honestly haven’t heard all that much about it. All that I have heard on the street is that everyone knew that it was going on in Cannes. Beyond that, it was mentioned on TV news shows primarily to show politicians and leaders coming and going from the conference. I spent some time reading Le Figaro and Le Monde, and the only reoccurring tidbit in the news is that France doesn’t want to pay for Greece anymore. But seriously, who does? So overall, very few discussions seem to be going on here in Issoudun surrounding the G20 meetings. Maybe it is different in a bigger city.
Rather than G20- I watch the news most every night at 8pm with Mireille, and the past few days there have been multiple news stories about the rain in the south of France. Remember the “orange” threat level during Toussaint break? Well, I would be surprised if it has not changed to “red” because there have been some major floods there. It is a good thing that Laura and I left when we did! So maybe part of the reason that we aren’t hearing as much about the G20 meetings is because the French are more concerned with the well being of those people on the southern coast.
Finally- the last thing I expected to see on the afternoon news show this afternoon- a discussion about Herman Cain. Honestly, I don’t know enough about Cain to give you a compare and contrast analysis on what the French said about him versus what the American said about him. However, they did say that he seems to be growing in popularity and they showed an excerpt from one of his speeches where he talked about the failing American economy. And in the usual French fashion, they focused only on the politics and not on his personal life. But I was honestly more surprised to see an American candidate on TV, especially since it is before the primaries even happen!
Anyway, that’s all I’ve got from here for now. Keep in touch!
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