Broadly speaking, France may be my favorite place on the planet. In middle school, we had to choose a foreign language to study. From the options of French, Spanish, Latin, and German my mind was made up immediately and I didn’t need a second option. I studied French from seventh grade through my second year as an undergraduate. Before I’d learned a phrase or took a single step into the country I felt an affinity for the culture, language, and people.
I visited Rennes and Paris in 1997 and that trip changed my outlook on life. The world was simultaneously smaller and larger than I had ever imagined. My defining outward characteristic wasn’t that of a black man, but as an American. I looked up and the stars seemed different. I resolved one evening that I would move to France and teach English.
Instead, I went to college, joined a dart league, and started learning ASL. An opportunity came along to visit with Deaf students in France and I jumped at it! And by jumped I mean waited two years longer than I should have before booking a flight to Paris, a train to Lyon, and another train to Montpellier.
In Lyon, I visited La Balme-les-Grottes, birthplace of Laurent Clerc. He was the co-founder of the school that would become the American School for the Deaf, the first such school in the US. In Montpellier, I stayed in my first AirBnB and visited 5 different schools with Deaf children, from elementary to high school. I also had the privilege of attending the Sourd Metrange, a film festival showcasing the work of Deaf students from all across France.
I loved everything about this trip: the food, the people, the pace. It may not be a fair comparison if you aren’t living in a place. Even though I did some tasks related to my jobs, I certainly wasn’t a part of the day to day drudgery. Maybe you feel differently as a local. I need to gather that data.
I visited Rennes and Paris in 1997 and that trip changed my outlook on life. The world was simultaneously smaller and larger than I had ever imagined. My defining outward characteristic wasn’t that of a black man, but as an American. I looked up and the stars seemed different. I resolved one evening that I would move to France and teach English.
Instead, I went to college, joined a dart league, and started learning ASL. An opportunity came along to visit with Deaf students in France and I jumped at it! And by jumped I mean waited two years longer than I should have before booking a flight to Paris, a train to Lyon, and another train to Montpellier.
In Lyon, I visited La Balme-les-Grottes, birthplace of Laurent Clerc. He was the co-founder of the school that would become the American School for the Deaf, the first such school in the US. In Montpellier, I stayed in my first AirBnB and visited 5 different schools with Deaf children, from elementary to high school. I also had the privilege of attending the Sourd Metrange, a film festival showcasing the work of Deaf students from all across France.
I loved everything about this trip: the food, the people, the pace. It may not be a fair comparison if you aren’t living in a place. Even though I did some tasks related to my jobs, I certainly wasn’t a part of the day to day drudgery. Maybe you feel differently as a local. I need to gather that data.
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