Saturday, December 25, 2010
Joyeux Noël!
Merry Christmas to all of you, wherever you are in the world. May my friends in Host Country and other PCVs remain safe and in good spirits this holiday season. May all travelers have safe passage and may everyone show kindness and goodwill towards others. Hope all is well chez vous!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Holiday Preparations
Mon amie l’attelle (My friend the brace) and I have been making good progress – two more degrees this week and just a few more to go before I’ll be medically fit to resume service. Comme (since/as) my next doctor’s appointment is in early 2011, I’ll be making a trek to Urban Metropolis over the holidays to visit some friends. During my convalescence, they’ve been hard at work in medical school and I’m excited to see them before leaving again for a few years. At first I was shocked that they didn’t have much time to chat during my brief séjour (stay). But in talking to them, I realized how enthusiastic they were about all most some of the things they were studying and how ready I am to continue with the next step of my career. Furthermore, this prise de conscience (realization) confronted me while buying coffee filters at Target for $0.87. Pourquoi? I thought about getting two packages, but realized that I probably was not going to be around for 200 pots of coffee. Finally, I’ve enjoyed reading blog posts and looking at pictures posted by my stagemates who just finished a training week. I’ll be seeing them sooner rather than later to experience some fruitful aventures of my own, which will make for far more interesting blog fare than ramblings about medical appointments and reflections on my identity and holiday habits.
Monday, December 13, 2010
This attelle has been my constant companion for the last few weeks. We have thrice daily half-hour rendez-vous, which have made the biweekly physical therapy appointments far more bearable. I use a white knob to adjust it to a pain level of 3 on a scale 1-10 and adjust the setting toutes les cinq minutes (every five minutes). I use the brace to work on extension but as an unexpected effet secondaire, my flexion has also improved by several degrees. This régime is a lot easier than the gravity approach which the adhesions in my arm valiantly resisted. Though I’m grateful for the aide, I won’t be sorry to send it back soon!
West African moment chez moi: Last night, I put my glass of wine down for one minute to grab something from the kitchen. I had learned in Host Country the importance of always keeping one’s beverage covered to protect it from flies. Hélas, last night I had to pour out half a glass of Cabernet-Sauvignon due to an intruder. At least it was à portée de main (within easy reach)and not the last bottle in the village!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Mysteries Solved!
Yesterday, I had another appointment chez l’orthopédiste. I have a follow-up appointment in very early January and will start working with Peace Corps Headquarters on the reinstatement process. Fingers crossed!
One theme of the past week has been realizing that
- I learned from a bande-annonce (movie trailer) that the Narnia title “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is pronounced like the verb “to tread,” as in the famous Gadsen Flag slogan “Don’t Tread On Me!” For some reason, I always thought it was pronounced “treeder.”
- I read an article about couches. In French, the noun couche, can mean many different things depending on the context - layer, bed, covering. Dear readers, I kept waiting for the reference to layers before realizing that the authors meant “sofas”.
- A song that I was listening to included the word tilleul. Heading over to my trust WordReference, I discovered that un tilleul is a lime tree. I honestly can never remember having ever thought or talked about lime trees in my life. Curioser and curioser, the song mentioned falbala, which translates to “furbelow.” According to Dictionary.com, a furbelow is a ruffle, flounce or other ornament on a woman’s skirt and entered the English language via, you guessed it, early modern French.
Que vous aussi trouviez la solution d’un mystère! (May you also solve a mystery !)
One theme of the past week has been realizing that
- I learned from a bande-annonce (movie trailer) that the Narnia title “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is pronounced like the verb “to tread,” as in the famous Gadsen Flag slogan “Don’t Tread On Me!” For some reason, I always thought it was pronounced “treeder.”
- I read an article about couches. In French, the noun couche, can mean many different things depending on the context - layer, bed, covering. Dear readers, I kept waiting for the reference to layers before realizing that the authors meant “sofas”.
- A song that I was listening to included the word tilleul. Heading over to my trust WordReference, I discovered that un tilleul is a lime tree. I honestly can never remember having ever thought or talked about lime trees in my life. Curioser and curioser, the song mentioned falbala, which translates to “furbelow.” According to Dictionary.com, a furbelow is a ruffle, flounce or other ornament on a woman’s skirt and entered the English language via, you guessed it, early modern French.
Que vous aussi trouviez la solution d’un mystère! (May you also solve a mystery !)
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Bii-Ribla
The title of this post means “boy” in my Local Language and describes how I’ve been feeling these past few weeks. Part of this sentiment comes from reminiscing about my own mostly happy childhood as ma famille gathered around the Thanksgiving table. We shared stories about growing up, proving that we each privilege different experiences depending on our circumstances and our states of mind. « Les souvenirs perdent leur reste de fraîcheur si on les évoque parmi la foule. La mémoire ne peut être qu’un exercice solitaire » [Memories lose their remains of freshness if one evokes them among a crowd. Memory can only be a solitary exercise.] Furthermore, I’ve had quite a bit of undirected creative time with which to read books and articles, write poems and short fiction, watch TV shows and films. Let’s not forget Christmas music! December was always a mad dash to vacation, made bearable by warm treats and anticipation.
Childlike freedom, however, can also lead to notions of impuissance (helplessness). Especially during this hectic holiday time, when everyone tries to cram in shopping amidst end of school and calendar year activities, it just feels malséant (unseemly) to rest on one’s laurels. I do my exercises three times a day, but there really isn’t much else I can do to speed up my recovery process. Where once I neatly fit into family and social networks, sometimes I feel maladroit (awkward) when making decisions. I will be leaving nindaare (one of these days), but I make contingency plans until then. Today’s Advent reading centered upon the idea of anticipation. “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Mt 24:37-44). During his homily, the priest differentiated between tense expectation, such as when awaiting a relative and being receptive in a qué sera, sera mode. My goal for the week is to focus on the latter interpretation. Thankfully, I’ll have more news later this week after several appointments – the holiday rush stops for no one!
Childlike freedom, however, can also lead to notions of impuissance (helplessness). Especially during this hectic holiday time, when everyone tries to cram in shopping amidst end of school and calendar year activities, it just feels malséant (unseemly) to rest on one’s laurels. I do my exercises three times a day, but there really isn’t much else I can do to speed up my recovery process. Where once I neatly fit into family and social networks, sometimes I feel maladroit (awkward) when making decisions. I will be leaving nindaare (one of these days), but I make contingency plans until then. Today’s Advent reading centered upon the idea of anticipation. “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Mt 24:37-44). During his homily, the priest differentiated between tense expectation, such as when awaiting a relative and being receptive in a qué sera, sera mode. My goal for the week is to focus on the latter interpretation. Thankfully, I’ll have more news later this week after several appointments – the holiday rush stops for no one!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Random Reflections
- I went to see the Radio City Rockettes with my family last weekend. It was quite enjoyable and festive, though I could have done without the harem dancing mice. Still, it was nice to see so many multigenerational families gathered together to celebrate the holidays.
- Holiday shopping is upon us! I prefer the JCPenny’s model at our local mall (customer service kiosks distributed throughout the store) to the Dillard’s model (cash registers nestled within the departments, staffed with very friendly clerks who hail all passersby). Perhaps my friendly conversational side takes over when I’m broke, lost and alone (see this post).
- One of my favorite attractions at the mall is the large indoor aquarium. Not only is it stocked with fresh-caught fish, they always try to keep one albino catfish at all times. In recent years, management has added more lighting to improve visibility. It’s a very relaxing spot, though the adjoining play area does not add to l’ambiance tranquille.
- Physical therapy is going well. I have an appointment next week chez l’orthopédiste, who will give me a realistic timeline about return dates. The brace has done wonders for my range of motion and lifting those heavy bags of Thanksgiving fixings and holiday gifts isn’t quite as burdensome as it once seemed.
- Happy Thanksgiving to all! May you be surrounded by loved ones and full of good cheer and delicious food.
- Holiday shopping is upon us! I prefer the JCPenny’s model at our local mall (customer service kiosks distributed throughout the store) to the Dillard’s model (cash registers nestled within the departments, staffed with very friendly clerks who hail all passersby). Perhaps my friendly conversational side takes over when I’m broke, lost and alone (see this post).
- One of my favorite attractions at the mall is the large indoor aquarium. Not only is it stocked with fresh-caught fish, they always try to keep one albino catfish at all times. In recent years, management has added more lighting to improve visibility. It’s a very relaxing spot, though the adjoining play area does not add to l’ambiance tranquille.
- Physical therapy is going well. I have an appointment next week chez l’orthopédiste, who will give me a realistic timeline about return dates. The brace has done wonders for my range of motion and lifting those heavy bags of Thanksgiving fixings and holiday gifts isn’t quite as burdensome as it once seemed.
- Happy Thanksgiving to all! May you be surrounded by loved ones and full of good cheer and delicious food.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Je Veux Qu'Il Revienne (I Want Him to Come Back): Memory Edition*
Title Song
Just a little further, almost there [other inspirational phrases like “I think I can” and “It’s the CLIIIIIMB!!!”] and…oomph! Thankfully, my physical therapy regimen has switched to gentler, longer stretches which have produced amazing results (2 extra cm of motion yesterday). No, that first phrase describes the Sisyphean agony of recall from long-term memory.
While in college, I enjoyed exploring foreign languages and science simultaneously. It felt nice to give my brain a break from studying pages of Organic Chemistry reactions to work on some création littéraire. Conversely, I enjoyed explaining the lac operon to students after a night of fitfully tussling with the gender/number accord of past participles followed by infinitives. Yes, the French language really is that pointilleuse (fastidious with shades of anal-retentive).
After my sojourn is this all-you-can-eat buffet of academia, I went on a foreign language binge for a year in Europe. J’ai parfait (I perfected) my French, built up my Spanish and learned some conversational German (Ich möchte ein Bier!). I then moved to West Africa with the Peace Corps and was asked to combine my previously disparate sets of knowledge into one harmonious presentation. The French came easily – dredging up the scientific details from the recesses of my long-term memory was far more difficult. As an exercise while home on break, I pulled out some notes from Organic Chemistry and Mammalian Physiology and was astounded that at one point I was capable of doing that work. Heureusement, I’ll be teaching middle school but it’s still nice to have a better idea of context that one’s students.
Now that I’m back in AmericaLand, I’m trying hard to maintain my language skills. Popular songs, conversations with friends, Facebook updates, newspaper articles and books all play un rôle important in this endeavor. I can still get caught up on little things – verbs that take different objects in English, using pronouns to the fullest extent. Finding materials for my local language, par contre, has proven far more challenging. Little written material exists and since most of Host Country is not on the Web, there aren’t a lot of sound files either. I’ve been reviewing my language notebooks but that a) becomes intensely boring after awhile and b) only does so much to jog my memory.
Local Language is certainly not boring. It’s a tonal language which deletes verb endings before direct objects. Par exemple, “Maam yũudame” (“I drink”) becomes “Maam yũuda bisap” (I drink bissap juice). It’s also heavy on the y’s, such as in the phrase for “Where are you from?” “Yamb yita yɛ?” The consonants d and r are interchangeable at the beginning of the word. “Market” can be translated as “raaga” or “daaga” depending on the speaker’s home region and dialect. My language classmates and I used to exploit this property while reciting the “Buying things at market” dialogue for the fiftieth time. It paid off though, as I’ll be able to purchase virtually anything upon returning. I say virtually because off course I’ll head to my site and discover that we make some as-to-unheard-of wonder.
Remembering some of my favorite experiences from Host Country is becoming easier every day, as more and more of my stagemates download photos to Facebook. Most of the literature for future PCVs talks about the challenges you’ll face upon arriving and how the heat/bugs/food will matter less than connections. With a bit of distance from Host Country, my sensory memory recalls the sensations of sweat covering my clothes, of . But my souvenirs of great conversations with friends and getting to know people who led very different lives from myself hearken to me from afar, singing like humpback whales from the watery depths of ma vie jusqu’à présent (my life until now).
*Courtesy of Françoise Hardy, chanteuse extraordinare of the 1960s. This song talks about wanting a lost love back, even though you've suffered enough. Not the healthiest sentiment to have, but a very human one.
Just a little further, almost there [other inspirational phrases like “I think I can” and “It’s the CLIIIIIMB!!!”] and…oomph! Thankfully, my physical therapy regimen has switched to gentler, longer stretches which have produced amazing results (2 extra cm of motion yesterday). No, that first phrase describes the Sisyphean agony of recall from long-term memory.
While in college, I enjoyed exploring foreign languages and science simultaneously. It felt nice to give my brain a break from studying pages of Organic Chemistry reactions to work on some création littéraire. Conversely, I enjoyed explaining the lac operon to students after a night of fitfully tussling with the gender/number accord of past participles followed by infinitives. Yes, the French language really is that pointilleuse (fastidious with shades of anal-retentive).
After my sojourn is this all-you-can-eat buffet of academia, I went on a foreign language binge for a year in Europe. J’ai parfait (I perfected) my French, built up my Spanish and learned some conversational German (Ich möchte ein Bier!). I then moved to West Africa with the Peace Corps and was asked to combine my previously disparate sets of knowledge into one harmonious presentation. The French came easily – dredging up the scientific details from the recesses of my long-term memory was far more difficult. As an exercise while home on break, I pulled out some notes from Organic Chemistry and Mammalian Physiology and was astounded that at one point I was capable of doing that work. Heureusement, I’ll be teaching middle school but it’s still nice to have a better idea of context that one’s students.
Now that I’m back in AmericaLand, I’m trying hard to maintain my language skills. Popular songs, conversations with friends, Facebook updates, newspaper articles and books all play un rôle important in this endeavor. I can still get caught up on little things – verbs that take different objects in English, using pronouns to the fullest extent. Finding materials for my local language, par contre, has proven far more challenging. Little written material exists and since most of Host Country is not on the Web, there aren’t a lot of sound files either. I’ve been reviewing my language notebooks but that a) becomes intensely boring after awhile and b) only does so much to jog my memory.
Local Language is certainly not boring. It’s a tonal language which deletes verb endings before direct objects. Par exemple, “Maam yũudame” (“I drink”) becomes “Maam yũuda bisap” (I drink bissap juice). It’s also heavy on the y’s, such as in the phrase for “Where are you from?” “Yamb yita yɛ?” The consonants d and r are interchangeable at the beginning of the word. “Market” can be translated as “raaga” or “daaga” depending on the speaker’s home region and dialect. My language classmates and I used to exploit this property while reciting the “Buying things at market” dialogue for the fiftieth time. It paid off though, as I’ll be able to purchase virtually anything upon returning. I say virtually because off course I’ll head to my site and discover that we make some as-to-unheard-of wonder.
Remembering some of my favorite experiences from Host Country is becoming easier every day, as more and more of my stagemates download photos to Facebook. Most of the literature for future PCVs talks about the challenges you’ll face upon arriving and how the heat/bugs/food will matter less than connections. With a bit of distance from Host Country, my sensory memory recalls the sensations of sweat covering my clothes, of . But my souvenirs of great conversations with friends and getting to know people who led very different lives from myself hearken to me from afar, singing like humpback whales from the watery depths of ma vie jusqu’à présent (my life until now).
*Courtesy of Françoise Hardy, chanteuse extraordinare of the 1960s. This song talks about wanting a lost love back, even though you've suffered enough. Not the healthiest sentiment to have, but a very human one.
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