Little Victories/ des petites victoires

I returned however reluctantly from several days in Paris a little over a week ago - photos to follow. More than the other times I've visited France, I felt that my French went into overdrive; a very interesting experience and I am trying to work hard to keep it up. But I experienced a few small victories, which may well have fuelled my rapid expansion of French: I was twice stopped and asked for directions from native French speakers (they may have been in Paris from Toulouse or Lyons or Montreal, who knows); apart from appearing savvy enough to actually be worth asking for directions, I also actually knew Paris - and French - well enough to direct them accurately.

The other moment of distinction was one night when I was in a bar with my brother, and we were talking with some of the patrons, and one of them guessed I was from...wait for it...Belgium. What an amazing holiday it was.

This might sounds like I'm bragging, but I'm really only bewilderedly proud, and grateful.

À Mme. Lowstuter, Mlle. Washer, M. Johnson, et toutes les autres personnes qui m'assistent apprendre le français: je vous remercie!

Allez, Ségolène!

Elle a été désignée candidate officielle du Parti socialiste pour l'élection présidentielle d'avril 2007.

The French go to the polls tomorrow for the first round of the presidential election. The two major competitors, according to the opinion polls, are Nicholas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal. With no incumbent (Jacques Chirac retiring), things are up for grabs. Of the two candidates, I vastly prefer Royal to Sarkozy. I would even prefer Francois Bayrou to Sarkozy - although I would take any of them to Jean-Marie Le Pen. Not that I have a vote, nor that I live in a system in which the French president has much of a say (although some would say that would mean I might very well live in France...). But of course the election is important in Europe and to some extent the rest of the world, and one always prefers to see a nation do well to doing poorly. Unfortunately, I have heard Sarkozy is the frontrunner, but who knows?

Also, Mme Royal is the first woman candidate for president in France. Of course, here in the UK we have had Margaret Thatcher (boo, hiss), as well as Elizabeth I & II and Victoria, et al. Germany has Angela Merkel. In America, for some reason we have not yet taken the plunge, although it seems we will at least have the opportunity in the Democratic primaries this next time.

Vous pouvez gagner, Mme Royal! Bonne chance!

(More information on the election here, and - en anglais - here.)