French

France has fallen on hard times. As a long-term francophile – mostly from afar – that saddens me. I love the culture and the language, and both have enriched my life since I encountered them deeply in my youth .

My first experience was in high school, since learning a foreign language was just something college-bound kids were supposed to do. I’m not much of a linguist – as an introverted autodidact I have trouble even pronouncing English correctly. But a summer bicycle journey in 1968 exposed me deeply to French and the cultures of France. It vastly shaped my future outlook on life, and provided a slightly un-American perspective on what was important .

Since world war II France has been dealing with what the United States is experiencing now. That is, how to reconcile or preserve what is good about the past – “heritage” here, “patrimony” there. Dwelling in nostalgia is expensive and ultimately fruitless .

For decades, France has been able to survive mostly as a world tourist destination. Lately, not so much. French is no longer useful to most – cell phones do adequate translation work .

Yet I continue to treasure the revelations of “thinking in French” whenever I can .