Memoirs from France

Rachel urged me to blog about my recent trip to France, so I (Mark) will put in a rare appearance on our blog spot.

Why did I go to France? Well, every three years there is this big conference where linguists who get excited about Austronesian languages (like me) gather to share data and ideas. Sometimes the conference is held in Southeast Asia where you would expect it to be, but other times it is held in Europe or North America. This year's conference was held in Aussois, nestled in the French Alps. To get there, I first flew from Kuala Lumpur (the capital of Malaysia) to Paris. I had one day to sight see in the "City of Light"--my first visit to Paris and hopefully not my last. What can you do in Paris in one day? I did manage to view the solemn grandeur of Notre Dame Cathedral, and get in a nice boat ride on the Seine River. I also spent a couple of hours in the Impressionist Museum (Musee d'Orsay), taking in the paintings of Monet and Van Gogh. Of course I kept thinking, "I wish Rachel were to here to see this!" Passed by a lot of romantic French cafes, but was not greatly inspired to enjoy the fine wine and cheese without my lovely wife. (Plus, the US dollar fares much better against the local currency here than the Euro.) Anyhow, it was a treat to see Paris even if I had to see it alone, and hopefully someday Rachel and I can return together (when our kids can appreciate the art?)Onward to Aussois: on Sunday afternoon I took a 4 hour train ride through the gorgeous French countryside (which kind of reminded me of the Palouse, in southeast Washington state)and arrived in the French Alps that evening. What a fabulous location! I felt like I was back in the Cascades, as the rocky snow-capped peaks ringed our alpine village. For the next four days, I would listen to a total of about 35 talks on the morphosyntax of Austronesian languages--and give one myself, based on my dissertation on the grammar of "Lono" (the language we work with in Malaysia). It was great to finally meet some of the scholars whose books and articles I had read for years. I must admit, though, after the first few presentations each day it was a real challenge to keep a clear head. Plus, for many presenters (myself included), it was nearly impossible to condense one's material into a mere 20-25 minutes (leaving the last few minutes for questions). Live and learn, but I got some interesting feedback and most people seemed to receive my presentation well. Thanks to several of you who prayed for me; I was not too stressed about giving my talk!

Some brief (random) impressions of France:
(1) If you like hard cheeses of every description, you'll love France.
(2) Don't be late for your train. Allow yourself PLENTY of time to navigate your way around new train stations. (Ask me about this one--it was the grace of God that got me on a later train the same day!)
(3) It really is not true that the French turn up their noses at stumbling American tourists (which pretty well described me--I knew almost no French!!) Not that I managed to make myself consistently understood, but most locals at least made the effort to give me directions when I needed help.
(4) The French are the most environmentally conscious people I have ever seen. The hallway lights in the guest room area of our conference center went off automatically every few minutes to save electricity (not a bad idea really, but not so convenient when you are about ready to insert your key in the door).
(5) The French actually stop and wait for pedestrians at intersections, very unlike our present country of residence :)

Pictured above: Notre Dame from the river cruise on the Seine; Mark at the conference in Aussois; the French Alps from Aussois