My kids were out of control today with
my version of Christmas Pictionnary.
First and foremost: We're
extra behind in the syllabus. Why are we still working on Thanksgiving and Christmas material in the end of January? We should
be doing MLK Jr. Day...just saying...
Also:
“Christmas” might just be the hardest word for French
people to say. I had to repeat it so many times I'm not even sure
that I know how to say it right. And I know my lisp wasn't helping the
situation. Is that “t” even pronounced???? I'm confused.
Lastly: Why did we take a
3-minute break today to have each kid ask me how to say their name in
English. It was literally like a scene out of Love Actually where
everyone was so intrigued by my accent...they've known me for 4
months now and it's still a novelty. “Cydny, dit Clément
en anglais!” they cheered! “Clement," I said, followed by an eruption of laughter.
Then Axel, Florentin, Margaux, Océane,
Charlotte, and finally Jason. After Jason's name one of my students
chimes in, “It's the same name in English...and that's because it's
an English name!”
The funny thing is this is literally
the second time that my 3rd graders have asked to hear me
pronounce their names in English. Is this a French thing? And I'm so sensitive. Even though they're little kids and they tell me every day that they adore me, I can't help but feel like they're making fun of the way I speak. Lately I've
been asking myself, is my accent something to be mocked or is it
really exotic and interesting?
Late one night about 3 weeks ago I was
in the train with Lidia (from Spain) and Haley (from Texas) and these
two guys in the train overheard us talking in our variety of accents.
“Where are you ladies from??” they inquired. Then they tried to
guess. One of the guys took a quick interest in Lidia, “You're from
Spain, aren't you?” Haley was too annoyed to participate in the
game. In typical Cydny fashion I wanted a bit of the attention: “Me!
Me! Guess me!” But they were already occupied. The guy gushed about
Lidia's accent, “Please say my name. The Spanish accent is so
sexy...just say 'Bonjour Benoit'.” Lidia rolled her eyes as he
begged. (Me on the side with a grimace: No one asked me to say their
name!) He was so happy when she said his name that it was actually a
little gross. What is it with men and accents? And why didn't he like
mine? My kids get a kick out of it...
Above: Video of my preschoolers learning how to make a pie.
(actually, mostly just cheesing for me with the camera...we're hard workers...)
What is it with people and accents? My
friend, who I refer to as banquier (or bankman, because we met at the
bank) once told me he found my accent to be cute. An American accent,
exotic? No way, I told him. But he insisted. Then he met my italian
friend, Viviana, and changed his mind. “Now THAT is a cute accent,”
he said one night at dinner. I couldn't even argue: it's gorgeous
when she talks. Last week banquier showed me a video of this English
woman, Jane Birkin, who's lived in France for some 30+ years but
still has a terrible accent. “You're not like her because she's
been here forever and her level of French is just...shameful.” I
don't know if he meant to say I speak as badly as her but it's bound
to get better or if he meant that I already speak better than her and
I'm going to get EVEN better. Either way, I got a bit sensitive.
Cross your fingers for the latter because I think my accent is here
to stay.
Jane Birkin in France (admittedly a weird youtube video,
you have to skip ahead to 1:40 and 4:30 to hear her speak.)
I really don't think I sound like her...
After a week of sulking in my accent
woes, and harassing every French person I know into telling me how
well I speak, I've come to terms with the fact that I do sound
American. And that's the thing. What's wrong with me having an
accent???? It's a mark of my identity: a blend of where I'm from,
sprinkled with my personality. My accent makes my kids smile almost
every day, especially when I mispronounce a name (seriously, what is
the difference between Noémie
and Naomi???). Also Florentin, Corentin, Aurore and Lilian...those
are just hard to say. And no one expects Antonio Banderas,
Sophia Vergara or even Jude Law to lose their accents in America, so
why should I try to change mine here in the France? My voice is
charming, at least my colleagues seem to think so.
Bref, love it or you hate it, my accent is mine.
Bref, love it or you hate it, my accent is mine.
And
if it's good for anything at all, it's a great conversation starter.
