Monday, December 28, 2015

The Taste Dispute



There is a Latin quote that I find to be quite interesting: De gustibus non est disputandum, which means "in matters of taste there is no dispute."  I find that this quote really resonates with me because the definition of taste is something that Florian and I have "disputed" many times throughout the course of our relationship.  The funny reality of it all hit me a while back while Florian and I were eating dinner at our favorite restaurant.  "You know, " he said as we were gushing over the food, "one of the things that worried me most about getting married was not being able to eat all the things I love anymore."  "Quoi?! What?!" I said confused.  While most American men probably worry that entering into marriage will put an end to their weekly football games or guys-only Poker nights, my French husband was admitting that his biggest fear was not being able to eat the French foods that he loves!

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Three Truths and a Lie


There is a great ice breaker game that I used to play with my students called "three truths and a lie."  Each person makes four statements about themselves, three being true and one being false, and the object of the game is to see if the audience can decipher the lie.  Being an avid reader of blogs and other memoirs in which people seem to gush about their glamorous lives abroad I can't help but feel like I am playing this game.  Every book or blog I read seems to have the same four take-aways:

Learning a new language is rewarding.
Moving abroad is easy.
It is important to chase your dreams.
Living in another country is a constant adventure.