The Cat Spot

The first week I found Martine's put off demeanor towards my debutant (beginner) american self endearing and a point of encouragement to speak french. The only problem was that the more I went for it the more annoyed she got. She really didn't like me. When ever I said anything her face took an immediate stance of disgust and then would speak to me smugly in english. It got to a point where I just stopped talking. Meal times were really uncomfortable because she would sit across from me and just stare at me, then speak freely and friendly with Stefanie.  8/9/2013 - Breakfast Martine asked me a question in english. Before I could get more than four words out she cut me off and sternly said, "Your accent is very strong. It's a very strong American accent. Slow down. I don't understand you when you speak." Stefanie and I looked at each other as if she we couldn't believe she just said that. 1. My natural speech pattern is not fast and I take time to get words...

After having my right hand and arm immobilized for over three months, it was scarry to see what came out of my cast. The upper part of my right, hand, and forarm had decided to grow more hair. This hair does not look like the rest of the hair on my body. It's dark, thick, course. It grew in places I never had hair before. My arm looked like a baby deer or a man hand. Something seems very off about the way fractures and breaks in bones are medically treated. I understand that the bone has to heal back, at the same time when an entire part of your body is immobilized, there are healthy muscles and mobility around the injured area that become depleted due to this segmented immobilization. There has to be a better way to heal fractures and breaks. For me the greatest difficulty in the healing process wtih the fractured scaphoid was bringing strength and mobility back into the healthy muscles and limbs. My whole hand was dead for about a week after removing the cast, not because the f...

After a week of classes I have a vocabulary of a high functioning four-year-old sometimes a five-year-old depending on the time of day, if I have eaten, and if I have had my nap.  Vendredi (Friday) was the first day I began asking questions to Martine and Stefanie. A lot of "Qu'est-ce que c'cest...? Also a lot of "Je suis..." Expressing emotions and and asking questions.  At dinner I listened intently to Martine and Stefanie's conversation While listening I observed their mouths. If you want to speak french, you have to move your mouth. They stopped and looked at me. J'ami a ecouter e regarder vous bocas-Me (correcting me) bouche (mouth)-Martine  She had me repeat the corrected form of the sentence many times. As we were heading out for night of watching Pelote Basque, I noticed Stefanie changed her pants. Choisi un pantalone-Me Oui! (laughs) Katrine, what happened to you today? Did you eat a french dictionary?-Stefanie P.S. Everyone in France calls me Ka...

Martine and I did not hit it off very well. She being of a physically short and emotionally stern nature did not find my communicative facial expressions cute in response to my French newborn muteness. Her eyebrows would raise and her blue eyes peer up at me ultimately to complete a full roll to the right. This happened quite a bit. She would stare at me while I cut bread to tell me not to do that. She served me stale baguette for breakfast when I asked for yogurt. My bedroom is the only room in the flat doesn't have wifi.  My very existence was a problem. Stefanie, the German, noticed that Martine cared very little for me. I wondered how Martine and I would live together for three months.  I decided to see if there was another host family I could possibly live with. The college was great and found two other families for me to visit. I set up a time to meet with one. It took about 30 minutes to get there by bus. The mother and daughter were very sweet and emphasized how much t...

Cannes welcomed me with great humidity. The educated retired 65 year-old woman who enjoys sailing, dancing, cinema and long walks picked me up at the College International de Cannes. She looked at my luggage and seemed confused. She began speaking to me in French. I smiled with confusion and humility. "I don't speak french."-me "I don't speak english."-Martine We both stared at each other, probably thinking the same thing. She brought me back to her flat. Very clean and simple, great view.  After some broken english I discovered there was a German girl also staying at the flat. Stefanie speaks english very well and teaches french in Germany so inevitably speaks French quite well also.   Conversations with the three of us consist of Martine and Stefanie speaking in French, me spacing out onto the water, Stefanie rephrases, Martine and I stare at each other trying to gage emotional response of the other while her piercing blue eyes penetrate intensely with the...

Fit my entire life into these three carry ons.  Seattle was so sweet to me.  Hours away from my new life on old land.  It's been real America. Really real.  Bon voyage.  Catch ya on the flip side. A little theme music to peace out on : http://youtu.be/b88da_W9U7o  

Something about this city allures my spirit. The natural beauty, the weather, the people, the vibe.  Cities are people.  There are some cities you want to live in; there are some people you want with you on a daily basis. Some cities you can visit multiple times; some people you touch base with every so often.  Those cities you only need to visit once; those people you only meet never to hear from again.  Cities you hang out in for a while because you want to learn something and have an experience;  people come into your life for a period of time to ride a wave until it crashes to shore and a mutual departure is desired. Some cities you have roots in but need to pull out and grow in a new light to someday bring new nutrients to those roots; some people we are connected to from the beginning and need to venture off to find new life and someday bring back and share. Those few cities you only need to visit once and you are exactly where you want to be; those few p...