Bienvenue à Genève ! (Welcome to Geneva)

Several European countries have a day of remembrance for WWI on November 11, so I decided to use the long weekend for a quick trip to neighboring Switzerland.  I was a little alarmed to learn France has quietly started full border controls again as of Nov 9, even with other EU countries.  As I was flying to Switzerland, I was regretting the trip a little - there's so much "new" in my life right now that switching to German for the weekend felt burdensome.  For the record, I don't speak German, but I always try to learn basic courtesy words in the language of the country I'm visiting, so I know these words in German, Japanese, Arabic and a few others.

I was quite happy to arrive in Geneva and realize that it is a French-speaking part of Switzerland.  Due to being a multilingual country, the common shared language seems to be English, so most people here were also pretty fluent when my French failed me.

In many ways, this area reminded me of being in Annecy in the French Alps.  I discovered the first difference upon arrival though - my phone would not work without turning on roaming!  Also, Switzerland is not on the Euro.  Fortunately, I was able to get by just using my credit card without exchanging to Swiss Francs.  TIP: Don't accept the machine conversion - CHF trades almost equal to the dollar and my credit card reflects that, but the machines were charging much more - 9.10 vs over 9.60.

It was a lovely fall weekend, but one of my favorite things I saw were these huge chess and checkers games being played in the park - the chess board here was the only one not being used.  It's really great when fun ideas bring people outside and together!

Since I'd arrived with no plan, I headed to the old city center and found the old church.  This was clearly another one of the differences as the church exterior looked very un-French.  It reminded me more of styles I've seen in Germany or Italy with the dome.  The interior was very similar to French churches though.

It's quite interesting that the Cathedral appeared to be Catholic, but had information about the history of the Reformation inside.  As I learned later, that's because it is now a Calvinist church and was, in fact, the "home church" of John Calvin.  To me, the most unique and lovely part of the church was the Maccabees chapel.  I sat on a pew to look around and people must have thought I knew something special because they waited until I got up to come sit in exactly the same place (despite plenty of seating).  Nope, sorry guys - I have the same view as you!

I don't normally travel this time of year because the weather is unpredictable and COLD, so it was a lovely change to see a city starting to decorate for the holidays.  Despite being a wealthy country, the exchange rate to USD is more favorable than the Euro, so I did a little shopping and enjoyed the holiday lights.

Despite being French-speaking, the people here don't really look French.  Some do, but there's a heavy Germanic influence as well, plus other features I couldn't identify (and after being here a while, you realize there are distinct features in people descended from the different regions).

Since Lake Geneva (aka Lac Léman locally) is one of the things Geneva is famous for, I decided that scheduling a cruise was a good plan, but during the off-season they are on Sunday afternoon primarily.  I did walk around the lake and through the Anglais (English) gardens earlier, but decided that I should spring for the full cruise experience!

Saturday dawned sunny, but cold, so it seemed like a good day to wander through museums.  The Natural History Museum has nothing on the British one (although much better behaved children), but they've made an attempt to present animals in their natural habitat rather than another "Hall of Taxidermied Horrors."  They also have a nice section about unusual animals that talks about their unique traits.

The top floor has the special exhibit, which is currently on dinosaurs.  This was also well done and included sets for different eras that discussed the perception of dinosaurs at the time, contrasted with what we know today.  Overall, I enjoyed my time here.

While looking for the museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, I ended up at the wrong place.  It was a pretty building and had a lovely view from the second floor, but porcelains aren't really my thing, so I left quickly.  If they're your thing, the Ariana museum is also free.

My favorite museum here was the Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum because it was so unique.  You can cruise through it and only listen to the automatic portions or hit "stop" and enter a number for extra items (the headset is included).  The quote below stood out for me because it's true whether cutting those ties is voluntary or not - you lose part of your identity and bearings when separated from your loved ones.  The good news, if the separation is voluntary anyway, is that you start to form a new identity that may suit you better, which is what I feel is happening for me . . . that sense of losing your bearings though, well, that's an adjustment that simply takes time.

The museum discussed issues of humanity, of losing contact with loved ones, ensuring prisoners are shown basic decency, preparing for natural disasters and a temporary exhibit about how current ideals of beauty are leading young women to starve themselves and the social obsession with appearance.

After seeing how crystal clear and beautiful the water is, I was stunned to read they can't reintroduce an animal here due to how polluted the water is.  Hopefully this doesn't include the lake!  The most stunning thing on the cruise was seeing the city absolutely dwarfed by the mountains towering behind it.  It's easy to forget in Geneva that you're in the Swiss Alps, but on the lake you can see that the mountains ring the entire city and lake.

The same cruise can be used for transport only, so there are stops at 3 towns along the lake, which bridges the French/Swiss border.  The cruise dining room is a really classy place to sit and enjoy a meal and the views!  I'd recommend walking around the boat though as I only discovered that the paddles are visible when I went to find the ladies.

It truly is hard to describe the majesty of the Alps or to even capture it in a quick photo, but you realize how incredibly high they soar when you see a town with the church steeple towering over it, then see the mountain rise and rise until the church steeple appears no bigger than a finger, yet the mountains continue stretching to the sky.

 The kir I had on the cruise was the best yet and the starter terrine with fruit compote was parfait, yet the pheasant main dish was a tad overcooked and served with plain polenta on the side.  Interesting combo, but not very flavorful - proof that even here, in a fancy setting, food can be hit-or-miss.  Being the rebellious sort, I went out on the empty deck, despite the cold and watched the boat come into harbor.  Of course, once I went out and didn't promptly freeze to death, several others came outside to check it out as well.  Folks, never fear being the first - you'll usually have the best view! ;-)

Final Tip: Swiss stores appear to be largely closed on Sunday, even in a major town, which is becoming less true in France.  Also, even with a favorable exchange rate, only clothes and things like bottled water had good prices; tourist sites seemed a little expensive compared to France and eating out is CRAZY expensive.  9 CHF for a McDo's meal (6.75 is the French price for what I order), 9 CHF for a Grande Starbucks latte and easily 20+ CHF for a plat (main dish) when you can do a whole menu (entrée, plat & dessert) for less in France - granted the serving size is a little larger here and my plat alone was more than enough food.  Still, be prepared for your ~3€ (in France) pain au chocolat and double espresso to cost you ~7.50 here.  I should also mention that the prices that I'm accustomed to are for rural France; however, I've found them to be pretty consistent in all of the towns I've visited.  Marseille, La Rochelle and Toulouse clearly had more expensive options near the tourist areas and I'm sure prices in Paris would come as a shock to me.

Dating a Frenchman - Round One

My friends and family all say I look extremely happy in my pictures in France, which may be what attracted my first French "date," whom I'll just refer to as "B."

Here's a little cultural 101 on dating in France.  As mentioned in a prior blog, a good guy will get to know you before taking you on a date - he'll talk to you at a party, school, work, etc.  If he meets you in public, he'll ask you to go for a walk (in public - nothing creepy).  After talking awhile, if it's going well, he'll invite you for a coffee or drink.  You can do this as often as necessary to be sure that you're interested in each other, but once you KISS, it's assumed you're exclusive and he's your boyfriend.

Now, this seems rather serious WAY too early to an American, but it's really not.  If the kiss isn't that good or the rest of the evening isn't that good or whatever, he won't contact you again (or you ignore him) and "poof" no more boyfriend.  I'm told that, in the early days, a Frenchman will contact you daily and, if he doesn't, it's generally safe to assume you're no longer dating.  The French also don't really "date" per se and, while I've had a couple of guys talk to me or want to "go on a walk," I'm not really sold on the idea that this is how you meet nice French men.  It seems that the most common way to meet one is through your social group, which can be a challenge if you just moved here!

Fortunately, dating is not a big priority for me at the moment.  With working 10-12 hour days and some weekends (the 35 hour work week in France is a myth - sorry to burst your bubble), trying to learn the language, having a bank account and still no pin for my check card, needing to find a permanent unfurnished apartment . . . I have enough to keep me occupied!

Even though "B" is not the right guy for me, I still had fun learning what "dating" a Frenchman can be like.  As I've been told, and now learned for myself, a nice French man will go out of his way to do thoughtful things, like show you the small side street with shell art.

And afterwards, he'll go back to the Vendée Globe village with you and stand in line so you can get the poster you've decided you REALLY want, after telling you that he hates standing in queues.  But first, he'll show you how clever he is by taking you to the other village entrance, so you don't have to queue just to enter!

If you want to go shopping, it's no problem - he'll show you the best stores & the colorful farmers' market.  When you say the city is beautiful, he'll tell you that you're even MORE jolie.  When you say it's a perfect day, he'll tell you, "Oui, parce you are parfait" (Yes, because you are perfect).  The French reputation for being romantic is well-deserved!

It was a fun way to end the weekend, but not the right relationship for various reasons.  I did enjoy stretching the limits of my French though since I can speak more French than he could English (scary thought).  It also made me realize that I know more than I acknowledge and, as long as people speak slowly, I can understand quite a bit now.

Assuming that the change in the political situation in the US (or a similar anti-immigrant change in France) doesn't end my time here, I think I can get used to this!

Since I have almost as many readers/views in France as the US now, feel free to correct me if you believe that I've misrepresented the culture.  Having only lived here a total of four months now, I'm certainly still learning!  Usually when I make generalizations about the culture, it is because I asked a French person (or two or three) about something that happened and they told me it is normal or common for the culture, but I have had them contradict each other too.

 I spent this past weekend in Geneva, so my blog Thursday will be all things Swiss!

Part 2: Les Sables d'Olonne and Halloween in France

It's good that I split my blog for Les Sables because this last weekend was pretty tame.  I went out with my American co-worker and her neighbor (Alexis) Friday night, worked basically a full shift on Saturday, worked more on Sunday and then went to a movie Sunday night with Alexis and my American co-worker.  There is a good selection of VOST (original version with French subtitles) movies to choose from in Poitiers and typically one or two a week offered in Civray, so we're able to keep up on what the French believe is the best of American cinema!

Les Sables d'Olonne
I'd found a bakery on Saturday night in Les Sables, but on Sunday, I realized my breakfast plan was a bad one when the line was out the door!  And sold out of breakfast pastries!  After buying a high-fiber cookie instead, I checked out the local market.  The markets are lovely with fresh food of all sorts, flowers and even clothing (at this one).  Fortunately, I had better luck on Monday and found a bakery with pain au chocolat, a café and great view for 2 Euro.

I guess I speak my few sentences well enough that I am able to get a table and ask for a menu without them realizing that I don't speak French fluently.  I sometimes have to fess up when I don't understand though.  After one of these oops moments at lunch, I was happy that my waiter told me I speak French well!  This was after I ordered a steak, cooked medium-rare with the roquefort and a glass of Muscadet using a complete sentence! I'm really trying to ensure that I don't just grunt random words and instead use connecting words, such as "avec" (with).  Later, I tried a Vendée salad, which was good, but I prefer my chèvre salads!  Eating local specialties is usually, but not ALWAYS, best.  This one had local ham, cheese, apples, mushrooms and, buried under the lettuce, cherry tomatoes (which I did not eat).  Despite disliking mushrooms for most of my life, I find I do like some of the varieties here, in moderation.

One odd thing that I noticed more in this town than in other parts of France were French people using random English.  A woman returned to the table - "Ready?" to her spouse.  A French daughter, "Yes, please," to more water, but the rest all in French.  The other ironic thing that has happened to me in several places in France is that I'll get through my whole meal in French, but when they run my card and I don't need a pin (signature required), they know I'm foreign and switch to English!  A bit late for that!  

This specifically occurred this weekend after I tried an almost-local specialty, crêpes.  They originated in the Brittany (Breton) region, but Les Sables is close enough that they were everywhere, and not the usual poor quality ones offered in French tourist towns (thanks to Rita for telling me to skip them).  "Bounty" flavored items appeared to be a big thing here, which is chocolate and coconut.  I had bounty sorbet and the below bounty crêpe.  You had the choice to get the traditional buckwheat as well, but for this, I went with the suggested flour cake.

Since I'd "hit the wall" on Saturday ("become exhausted" for non-Americans), I thought I'd make a second trip to the Vendée Globe village on Sunday and see the rest.  Unfortunately, it was even more crowded!  I did get a few quick pics of a news segment live and a pic of the sailors - most are French, but there's one American!  "So crowded I can barely move" isn't my scene though, so I left after a short time again.

I spent the rest of the weekend enjoying the less crowded areas of Les Sables d'Olonne, although the crowds died down significantly on Monday - it seems that not all French people bridge to the holiday!  I enjoyed a savory "crêpe," which is called a galette, and had this one made the traditional way with buckwheat.  I also came upon an old cemetery, with lovely grave markers, which seemed perfect on this celebration of the dead (Nov 1 is a day of remembrance in much of the world).  The gentleman at the cemetery was able to communicate that I could not show names in photos out of respect for the families, so the names have been blacked out.

Most of my four day weekend involved hours spent walking or sitting on the beach to relax and soak up the sun.  Parfait ! (aka Perfect!)  I fell in love with France all over again and have a new goal to own a small flat in Les Sables d'Olonne someday - it was just the right mix of laid back and social for me.

Halloween in France
I wasn't expecting any sort of Halloween festivities in France since I'd seen nothing about it, so I was pleasantly surprised when I was eating my dinner and children entered in costumes to trick-or-treat at the businesses along the boardwalk.  There weren't a lot of them, but it was still cute.

I was walking down the boardwalk, smiling at the adorable little children, when I noticed what appeared to be an abandoned white shopping bag near some bushes.  I was rather surprised when an enormous spider came skittering out.  I had a good laugh, along with the young couple operating the spider, when I saw what it was.  I took a seat slightly further down the boardwalk and enjoyed laughing at the spider scaring a few other people too before continuing on my way.

I guess I must have looked particularly happy during my time in Les Sables because it was here that I went on my first French "date," but more about that in my next post on Tuesday!

Making Friends in France

I've read on many ex-pat blogs and discussion boards about the difficulty in making friends in France.  While I don't doubt that this can be true, I have found that it is easier if you're open to trying new experiences and not writing off any possible avenues.

The French tend to really take their time in regards to colleagues because of the risks involved in mixing your personal and professional lives, but it can still result in a friendship over time or if one of you leaves the company.  I'm glad that I did not decide the workplace was completely off-limits because this is how I met my first French friend.  I would have been her boss, but since she left the company, a friendship is possible now.  She is a lovely woman and I look forward to spending time with her again over the holiday break.

While out exploring France, do try a café (or chocolat) gourmand.  It's a lovely offering of mini-desserts with espresso or hot chocolate (or sometimes tea).

I mentioned at the start of this post that one shouldn't write off any options because I met my second French friend in a most unexpected way.  I have determined that I do not want all of my friends to be American and British ex-pats, and I know there are others who feel the same way, but some ex-pats really make an effort to avoid befriending any other ex-pats (or I've read they do).  While I can understand the desire to integrate into French society through having French friends, if I had excluded all Anglo ex-pats from my social circle, I would never have met my second French friend.  He's the neighbor of my American co-worker and new to the area, so he's also interested in meeting people.  So, we're now friends and exploring the area to see if we can add even more friends to our group (or have a good time trying anyway)!

I haven't told him that I blog yet so, for his privacy, we'll call him Pierre(he knows now, hates the name Pierre & said to use his real name).  So far, Alexis and I seem to have several things in common that should make for an enjoyable friendship.  I have met a few French men now though and I'm learning that they tend to be really chivalrous, even as friends (or colleagues for that matter).  When I first met Alexis, my co-worker mentioned that I have a snake issue.  This was in regards to me learning, during my first 3 months here, that there are poisonous snakes (!) in France.  We have only very tiny non-poisonous snakes in the area where I've lived my whole life.  Picture borrowed from the internet of an Asp Viper, which lives in my region.

When I talked to PB about this, he was trying to tell me how to identify the asp vipers and I told him that I wouldn't get close enough to try!  If the blasted thing was in my house, I'd lock myself in the car until someone could remove it.  Of course, on weekends he lives quite far away, so there was some discussion of how long I was really willing to sleep in my car (yes, all weekend if a snake is involved)!

Alexis helpfully suggested that the firemen here will come remove snakes for you, so I could simply call them up and I wouldn't need PB's help.  I'm certainly glad I learned this prior to any horrific snake incidents!  This backstory about French snakes is necessary to understand the below example of how chivalrous French men really are.  Your new male French friend is likely to happily offer his help . . . of course, in my case, he also clarified he's no (snake-killing) fire person; however, he clarified that he'll kill my snakes, so I think we'll manage just fine!

I'll be back on Thursday with the rest of my Les Sables d'Olonne weekend and what Halloween is like in France!

Part 1: The Vendee Globe Race and a Gorgeous Weekend on the Atlantic

I'm finding that I want to add pics to the story of my weekends rather than letting the pics I took drive the story, so I'll be posting fewer of them here.  They'll all be up on my FB page "American in France" for those interested: An American In France FB

I thought it would be fun to see the Vendée Globe village, although clearly the attacks are on my mind since I intentionally decided not to go next weekend when the boat launch happens (and also because I hate crowds).  As it turned out, this was a perfect plan because November 1 is a holiday and I'd forgotten that the French nearly always bridge to the holiday.  I was able to extend my trip for the full 4 days!  This blog is two parts due to that.

People who know me well know that my heart is happy at the beach and I was prepared to go for a weekend, no matter the weather, but was pleasantly surprised with near 70s F and sun!

I'm glad it was lovely because I was a little misled by the hotel saying there's free street parking and a lot nearby - there's nothing on the actual street of the hotel (not even to pull over and check-in), and on a lovely weekend, the free parking was full (and nearly all the paid too).  After a frustrating search, I finally found a good spot 10 minutes away.  Not a bad walk, unless you have 4 days of luggage to haul with you!

I've never actually been in the Atlantic Ocean on this side of the pond, so I took a walk along the beach and walked in the surf.  I don't really think of 60s as being that warm, but it is when the sun is shining on you!  In fact, I wasn't sure that I'd brought enough light-weight things to wear, but the weather was a little cooler on Sunday and Monday, so it worked out fine.  I checked the weather and it was 13 degrees warmer than in Civray - I was REALLY happy that I decided to come after that!

I made a brief stop for an afternoon Coke, which is a rare treat here since meals are usually accompanied by wine or water.  After enjoying the view for a bit, I was off to see the very thing that brought me here to Les Sables - the Vendée Globe village.  The walk over was lovely and I was amused by the long line of people waiting for the boat across instead of walking around; it turned out to be quite a long walk though, so I understand the boat now!  Of course, part of the distance was because I took the scenic route along the water - there's a direct 15 min walk from my hotel through town.

When I arrived at the Vendée Globe village, I discovered that MANY people had the same idea as me and, with it open until 22:00 (10pm) on Saturdays, it's quite a public gathering place!  The displays were in buildings that are probably perfect for a normal Fall day, but it was sunny and hot today (and packed), so it was sweltering inside.  I only looked at a few things, like the route map, then I headed to the boats.

For those who don't know (I didn't), the Vendée Globe is a race around the world by boat, but it is particularly difficult to finish at all because they can't use many types of modern technology or receive help (outside of emergency medical).  They must do it all solo and even perform their own repairs if necessary.  They start from Les Sables in the Vendée region and this is the 8th race.  When I returned on Sunday, I learned the race only occurs every 4 years, so that explains the crowds!

Some of the booths were interesting, so it's too bad that it was so hot!  My "favorite" had this display of fish, octopus and a half alive lobster, all helpfully labeled in French so I know what to avoid!

If the pictures aren't bad enough, you should know that sometimes French food comes to the table still looking exactly like it did when it was caught . . . just cooked!

After a short time, I was tired of the crowds and I'd dropped and broken my sunglasses, so I headed toward the center of town where, of course, French people were shopping on Saturday night!  I came across this very unassuming looking church, but a peak inside at the blue was enough to convince me to enter.  Simply stunning - I didn't want to leave!  As in most places, people here are not really good about photo etiquette.  As I was trying to take a picture, two people walked right in front of me to snap their own.  *sigh*  It's not like I had my DSLR and was taking forever either, just people too rude to wait their turn.  When it comes to certain pictures though, I have the patience of a saint, so I finally took my photos sans people!

It was almost, but not quite, dinnertime, so I sat for an apéritif.  Apéritifs are really fun in France.  Along with kir, which is virtually everywhere, each region has specialties.  I'm lucky to be in the Charente, near Cognac, because the same eau de vin used for Cognac is also combined with grape must to make pineau.  It's essentially a distilled wine (like Cognac), so it's served in tiny glasses as it has a higher alcohol content than wine.  The regional apéritif can be so local though that my tutor didn't know what I was talking about and kept trying to tell me that, no, "pinot" is NOT an apéritif!  They're pronounced basically the same, which happens with a few words because the French often don't pronounce the last consonant!  This evening, I decided to try kir pétillant, which I'd never had.  A standard kir is made with white wine and a fruit liqueur, usually cassis (red currant).  Kir Pétillant is made with sparkling wine instead (and a kir royale with champagne).

I ended my first day with dinner on the boardwalk while watching the sun set and walking along the beach at night.  Such a stunning place!  It was quite cold though and adding my sweater wasn't cutting it, so you have to be prepared for a significant temperature variation!

My New French Name and the French Comedy Routine

Along the same lines of realizing that the story of how I ended up living in France was missing, I noticed that I never posted about Saintes, Biarritz, Lyon or Annecy.  Since I was a little burnt out by then, I'm not sure that I really gave them a fair overview anyway.  I really liked both Biarritz and Annecy, but I was so drained from long days at work and traveling EVERY weekend that I actually skipped my plans for my final weekend in France and just stayed home.  I have a few lovely photos, but I plan to return to all four cities and see what I missed, so I'll wait and share photos and stories from both visits when I'm able to return.

I also realized that I keep making "bonus" posts because there are still so many new things happening.  In light of that, I'm going to make a post every Tuesday and Thursday for now - one to share stories about the general culture of France and one to share about "how I spend my weekends."  Welcome to this Tuesday's cultural edition!

My French Name
I have learned that it is very difficult to change your name in France compared to the US; however, you are given the grand opportunity to pick a French name when you become a French citizen (to help you integrate into French society better).  I've read of a few ex-pats who didn't change their name and wish they had because they are forever "the English" or " the American" and their name gives them away as foreign no matter how good their French is.

I think there is a possibility that I will become a dual-citizen in the future, so I've started speculating on what French name I might like.  If I'm going to change it, I need some feedback from the French, of course, so I've sought out the guidance of my colleagues.  I started with my old Spanish class name, "Isabel;" however, PB made a terrible face and vetoed it immediately without giving a reason . . . ok, so perhaps not Isabel if my GM dislikes it so much.

For additional ideas, I looked at French name days (each French name has a day associated with it, often the old Saint's day).  I selected "Ella," which strangely has a name day, but is not at all French!  Half in jest, I suggested Céline, which passed the first round of approvals.  I recalled that the French also seem to know the meanings of names though, so I checked that out . . . yeah, Céline is perhaps not the right fit either.

One problem for me is that the French typically do not have middle names and I am struggling with giving up mine since it came from my grandmother.  I thought that converting it into French might work and it sounds lovely in French, but in English it is "Helen."  Sorry, but I'm not a Helen.  My American co-worker agrees that I am not a "Helen," but this is still the favorite of my French co-workers so far (it sounds, and looks, much prettier in French - Hélène pronounced eL-en).

At a work dinner, we were discussing the topic of a suitable French name for me and another co-worker, CB, very sincerely suggested Marguerite (the name of a daisy in French).  GO (also a co-worker) starts laughing when I say it's a pretty name.  Of course, GO wouldn't tell me why he was laughing, yet continued to do so every time I said the name was nice.

I learned the reason later - I would like to introduce you to Marguerite!

Yes, a cow!  I learned this the following day when PB told me that I could not be Marguerite, no matter how pretty I think the name is, because he will NOT call me the name of a cow.  Of course, CB claims he was tired and forgot about the cow.  GO still thought it was quite funny that I wanted to name myself after a cow.  It was very clear that they weren't implying that I *am* a cow though because they both looked horrified when I teased them about it and were very thorough in ensuring that I knew they weren't trying to insult me.  Apparently, it was only funny because I'm American and didn't know about the cow.

The French Comedy Routine
I made the mistake of telling PB that I like the way French people say my name, which was the first time he realized that they weren't actually pronouncing it correctly.  Even though I said I liked it, he was quite insistent that he needed to learn how to say it properly; however, the first time I tried, he told me he couldn't hear the difference between what he was saying and what I was saying . . . which is when I learned that we not only lose some ability to pronounce sounds from other languages, but to HEAR them.  When I returned this time, I realized they were saying my name like it had a French U in it (rounding their lips), so I told him he had to keep his lips flat when pronouncing the vowels.  He tried this and said it exactly right with no accent!  Of course, it didn't help that he immediately made a terrible face, shook his head and said, "I don't like the way it sounds; it's too harsh for a woman.  It's better in French, no?"  Yes, French people will say EXACTLY what is on their mind - it takes some getting used to. 😊

It was only mildly amusing at this point, but it became hilarious when he tried to teach others how to say it at dinner.  He proceeded to make a "duck face," pinch his lips flat with his fingers and basically growled my name in the deepest voice he could and REALLY over-enunciated.  This was then repeated several times while some of the others tried to sort it out.  I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt.

The next day I had the pleasure of again watching one French man try to teach another Francophone to say my name correctly.  Apparently, keeping your lips flat means you must also stick them out in a pronounced duck face.  AM, "It's Brouk, no?"  PB, "No, you have make your lips flat like this," insert duck face, "Brrrrooook."  I couldn't help it, I started giggling, which caused PB to throw his hands up and declare that I need to hurry up and get a French name because my name is too difficult.

I'm beginning to think it's funnier to keep my English one (and they have 5 years to wait before I'm even eligible for citizenship)!

In the end, the guys declared that I should keep my name, but pronounced the French way.  They seem to think that people knowing I'm an American, educated and trained in US business practices, will be an advantage over here once I learn French.  And I've now had four different French people (men and women) tell me it will be an advantage in dating because French men see American women as "exotic."  As an American, I find it hard to believe that we're seen as different in a positive way, but we are certainly different from French women in many ways!