Test in french

En mat, il y a moins de reflets sous la lumiere!!

oui… définitivement en mat ! Excellent Montoly

I’m replying in English because it’s the only language I’m fluent in. I can read French ,but I wouldn’t dare to try to write. I’m an American. I’m told we are very unpopular in Europe these days. I won’t comment on PRES. Bush because he is my president and like it or not we are stuck with him, and after all it would be unpatriotic. That leads me to my point. French people are patriotic too. The French take great pride in her heritage and should. By the way, my last name is Gimbert,and I have yet to find anyone who knows how to pronounce it, most people think it’s Gilbert(there must be a misprint), others just ask me to spell it several times. Please France, preserve your culture and language with everything you have. I wish no ethnics harm, but when they come to live in your country they must adapt. France isn’t America. We have people from all over the world come to live here,and we are making more accomodations for them than I really think we should. Franc is different French are an unique racial and has a distinct language of it’s own. France are a "people" not just a land of refuge have nothing against any ethnic group,I lived through the civil rights movement here in VA. I have seen more hatred and ugliness to last a lifetime. Preserve your culture, please.

Hi, pug2. We just got back from a month in France (about two hours ago) and we didn’t meet any anti-Americanism while there. Everyone was very nice to us. We try to speak French but when they hear our accent, those that are able immediately speak English to help us. No one seems to like Bush but neither do we.

It is not a "single" French culture. They have had immigration into their country for longer than we have . . . thousands of years. There are many cultures there and they have many of the problems we have here. Driving to CDG this morning on the Paris Peripherique we passed two homeless encampments under freeway overpasses. Looked much like Los Angeles! Last year they had the head scarf scandal in their schools. There have been a series of apartment fires in Paris that brought to light illegal immigration problems.

France has the largest Muslim population in Europe and their culture has strongly affected many parts of France. Many hotels, apartments and housing developments advertise a hamam and it sells.

They have many minorities from the far flung French colonies of old. In short they have many of the same problems we do. They have chosen to deal with many of them differently and some ideas worked and some didn’t. It is a different culture and we truly enjoy it, but it’s not fair to any of us to think of them all as "typically French." It is certainly not fair to think they are all anti American any more than to think all Americans support our current political administration.

They are a very diverse people and will continue to change as they have for thousands of years.

cPlease just let me give my opinion on that subject.

After reading your messages, I wonder what do the mean American think about French people. Hopefully, there’s only a very few French people being really anti-American. The big majority may disagree with Bush and the american policy, but they do not dislike the Americans. It’s two different things whether we consider the men and the national policy.

In France as you said Pug2 we have been having immigrants for thousand years and the majority of the people in France live in peace with them. Moreover, it’s a part of our culture to accept and assimilate foreigners in our country. Many famous artists, scientists or politicians are sons of immigrants (for example Nicolas Sarkozy’s familly comes from Hungary). It would be crazy considering our country functionning on its own national human ressources, as claims the extrem-right parties.

But I think we cannot exactly say we have the same relation with immigration in France and in the USA. Although France has a long experience of it, it’s not the fundation of its history. My vision of the american history and basic spirit is that this country has been made by immigrants, discovering and settling in new areas. So there is a big difference in the way we see immigrants : the one that goes to the USA will have to try his chance, the other that goes to France will have to assimilate French culture and habits before he copes with it. In general, only the second generation of immigrants succeeds in being totaly assimilated.

France is the first touristic destination in the world that’s why we can’t afford to be rude or unpleasant with foreigners. We respect them and love see them being interested by our country and our culture, which we can really be proud of. Like in all other countries, we don’t like the foriegners who don’t respect the simple rules of society, those who don’t care being just polite.

French culture is still living, and it won’t disappear as long as we let it go its own way, not preserving it in formol.

SalB: Welcome back!

What present did you bring me from France?
I hope it’s expensive

SalB: Did ya hear? Donerail and crc had their accounts suspended by the forum admins until they learn to talk nice! LOL

I personally thought the site was more interesting with their sarcasm, but oh well….

Hi, would you like to translate for the non French?

LVB, Hello. I haven’t heard from you for a while. Hope you had a good summer.

I brought you back a wonderful smelly Normande cheese, but the drug sniffing dogs at LAX got a whiff and they confiscated it. Too bad.

Seriously, we really enjoyed smelly cheeses while in Normandy. I think we both like Alsace better but Normandy is beautiful, especially the Auge region, and we loved every minute.

Did you go to France this summer?

SalB: No, I didn’t go to France this summer, I married a Frenchman instead

We went to Vermont (St. Albans) for eight days after his entire family flew back to France after the wedding. It was a 6 hour drive for us. I went to Montreal to visit some family who didn’t attend the wedding and while there I stocked up on lots of produits du terroir: minaki, etc….at the SAQ (www.saq.com) in La Salle.

Online photos will appear when I have the time to scan them

Now begins the wonderful hassles with INS and Homeland Security…

LVB, What wonderful news. Now, can you persuade him to take you to France forever?! )

Montreal is a terrific city. I had my first snails there . . . with the kids going, "Oh yuck, snails!" the entire time I was eating. We keep meaning to go back but never have. The kids have kids now and, oddly, they like snails!

Best wishes. )

SalB: I’d have moved to France years ago for him, however my mother is 89 years old now and she won’t move back to Alsace. She is the reason he moved to the USA and we got married here. I’ve waited 3 years for his visa to arrive. He is the reason for all those non-stop trips to France during summer and school vacations. He works in the aviation industry and his job is secure here in the USA and in France. One day, when my mother has departed this earth, we are considering leaving the USA forever and going home to France.

I have the right of return, my father was Quebecois (descended from the dukes of Normandie), my mother is Alsacienne (the violinist Rode is a direct ancestor, mom still has the name) , and I have family throughout Alsace. Now I have a French husband!

Although I love the USA ( I’m a damn Yankee), France really feels like home to me. The USA has changed, it has become so negative here in the Northeast. The freedoms and liberties we have taken for granted here in America are quickly becoming a thing of the past. I hate Bush!!

I wouldn’t mind moving back to France one day I speak the language. For me French is as natural to listen to as English. I grew up with French culture in my house. American culture was never comfortable to me. I even speak Quebecois! LOL

We’re drinking a nice bottle of blueberry wine right now and we’re both a little tanked after a long work day and a bottle of wine This doesn’t iclude the starting round of kirs

Long live Friday!! Last Friday evening we took the commuter train into NYC and went to our favorite French resto. The owners know us for a LONG time and we showed them some wedding photos. A good vouvray wine accompanied our 4 hour meal

Life is good

Bush can’t last forever. I can’t believe they tried to impeach Clinton and no one has even mentioned it for Bush. Strange thought processes . . .

We just found a store that sells cassis. In our area, that is a miracle. We bought a bottle and will toast your marriage with a kir tonight!!

We’ve thought of moving to France but the inheritance laws are a bit strange and we didn’t want to deal with it. We had some friends move there from the UK two years ago and they haven’t been very happy with the French tax system. I’ve heard it’s almost a game with the French to avoid as many taxes as possible. Obviously, that isn’t unique to the French! Our friends like it there but are considering moving to the US. I’m not sure why, but they are. We’re trying to talk them out of it because we like to visit them in France! LOL

At any rate, I’m glad you got it all worked out. Our oldest just moved to Canada in June and is still waiting for all her paperwork to be finished so she can go to work. It may be a global economy but it’s not so easy to move from place to place on the globe. We still think in countries, don’t we?!

Enjoy your kir! )

SalB:

Thank you for the wedding toast! We’ve waited 3 years fo his visa to come through. Two years ago, his visa was denied because he was French. This was during the height of the French boycott. I have a friend in a high place (don’t ask, I don’t tell) and they checked into his case for me. But now we have a slick immigration lawyer and he knows how to navigate INS and their hypocracy. Next week he goes for biometric scanning, etc. The process will be complete in a few months! He works in the aviation industry and out of the blue, his case was fast-tracked. I guess maybe his previous FBI/government clearance had something to do with it?

Remember, when they tried to impeach Clinton, the Senate was controlled by Republicans. Had it been controled by Democrats, the issue of impeachment for sex wouldn’t have come up. Right now Congress and the Presidency are controlled by Republicans. Do you think they are going to consider impeaching one of their own? I don’t think so….

The next time you’re in France, go to a Monoprix (yes, a Monoprix) and enter their liquor department. You can get creme de cassis from the bourgogne region for about 3 euros for a large bottle. You need to smuggle back a few bottles. I did!!

If you ever go to Quebec, let me know. I know where you can get WONDERFUL artisan creme de cassis in the Quebec City region and in the Charlevoix region. The stuff is so delicious, it seems a sin to waste it by mixing it with mousseux. Better to just drink it straight up with some delicious raw milk cheese

If the French are playing games to avoid taxes, I say more power to them! LOL I don’t blame them one bit, as I HATE paying taxes, especially to fund an immoral war…

Now we’re drinking a nice blackberry wine. It’s very sweet, making for a tasty aperitif

Now if only I didn’t have to go to work tomorrow, a Monday morning….

Well, I’ve gotten chocolate in Monoprix before but never thought of looking for cassis. Good tip. Thanks!

I don’t mind paying taxes, but I’d rather see them used for good things rather than wars. It’s a shame we don’t have a checkoff box to direct part of the money to homeless shelters, food assistance, heating assistance, health care, drug research, etc. If we have check boxes to fund politicians who don’t need more money, why not useful check boxes?!

Have a good week. (Think retirement . . . )

SalB: I don’t want to think retirement! Then I’d be old, and who wants to grow old?

I’m 42 years YOUNG

Old is far better than young. Besides, who says you have to be old to retire. You just have to quit your job!!!!!!!!!!

SalB: I’ll be glad to quit my job and retire, provided you pay all my bills, living expenses (including my retirement accounts) until I turn 65

LVB, That would be fun. If I were Bill Gates, I’d do it!

Unfortunately, (or not) I am not Bill Gates. At least you have retirement to look forward to. It’s always nice to have a light at the end of your tunnel.

SalB: You could always start an affair with Bill Gates, get him to divorce his wife and marry him yourself…)

I think I’d have better luck adopting him. LOL

hello everybody!….long time no see!..I had a different user name before (myfarside). Congrats on your marriage. I want to move to France so bad and it seems it would be easier if I married a french man…I don’t know any here in Michigan!! Like you, I feel at home when I am in France, I don’t fit in, I feel like a stranger here in the US! Je suis americaine, mais je suis de origine hondurienne. I fell inlove with France, so, if you know a good looking, smart, and kind french man, let me know (lol). tchow!! Dominique, vous allez bien?..C’est moi, Sandra. 🙂

SalB: Then adopt him, and get him to leave all his money to you! LOL

Or, at least use the motherly guilt to get a huge check from him. Then you can afford my lifetime expenses

Hi Myfarside.

Yes, I’m here… You still want to move to France? Why not? I’m coming back from there, it’s true France is a really nice country, and I’m not saying that because I’m French ( well, maybe a little;-))
But it’s a too cold country for me ( from october to june ).
Do as Crc, and come here to French Guiana: I’m sure there would be a plenty of french men interested by a marriage with you… Well, you can come here if you like caiman ( kind of alligators ), matoutou ( big black spider ) and the other sympathic jungle pets…
You’ll be disappointed by the bankers as I said yet, but you’ll enjoy a very mixed people living together, quite without racism…
And carnival is coming, yahou!

Hoping you’re fine.

Montjoly.

PS: I’ve lost your email adress ( I have given my computer, so I’ve erased everything, forgetting to save the mail repertory).