Etienne eats a croissant (which he calls "fishy" because he has always thought we were saying "poisson" instead of "croissant") with Nutella for breakfast and peanut butter and jelly (not grape jelly but strawberry jam) sandwiches for lunch. When I asked him in English today what he did at school this morning, he replied "I played with pate a modeler (play-doh) and made a galette (a crepe or cake)." I know it must be difficult to have everything at school happening in French and then try to relate what happened to me in English. I will tell him to say goodbye to Papa when Denis leaves for work and he says "salut Papa." He likes Tchoupi books as well as Dr. Seuss. He recognizes Titeuf and Samsam as well as Mickey Mouse and the Little Einsteins crew. He calls coke, "coca" (Xavier calls it "mama!" and to be fair he calls wine and beer "Papa!") Firetrucks say "pin pon pin pon" and roosters say "cocorico."
He knows to give kisses to say hello and goodbye but can also dish out hugs, "high fives" or "knucks" depending on the situation. He sings himself to sleep sometimes with the ABC's and others with "Frere Jacques." For Etienne, mac n cheese can easily be replaced by pasta with shredded gruyere or emmenthal cheese and "vache qui rit" cheese on baguette can be substituted for a bagel with cream cheese. He calls the Migros- Swiss supermarket- "Target France" and the "a" in France is not like our "a" in apple but like "ah." He likes m&m's as well as kinder chocolate and pain au chocolat as well as donuts.
I'm sure Etienne hasn't thought as much about this as I have, but to me it's pretty cool. Most of all he's just a three year-old who laughs, plays, goes to school, cries when his brother bites him, misses his cousins and his best friend Jake, likes to say "poo poo" and "caca" as if his life depended on it, is kind and sensitive, bold and daring, and we love him for who he is.
It's amazing how quickly kids figure things out on their own. I love the "Target France!!!" So funny! Do you find yourself talking more to him in English since he is not surrounded with the French language? I remember when you were in San Diego you always spoke to him in French since he was surrounded with English.
ReplyDeleteEmily - love this. What a great experience for him ... even if he doesn't know it right now :)
ReplyDeleteKatie (Hanson)
Aww, I'm glad Etienne is doing so well in France! The ability of young brains is just amazing!
ReplyDeleteI thought of you the other day. An American columnist was writing about her experience raising kids in France. The first year, her first child was in "pre-school" and they got a letter about a kids overnight trip to England. The mom was terrified and didn't let her kid go on the trip. The head teacher rolled her eyes and said all the "anglo" moms reacted that way. For her next kid, when the trip came up, she excitedly signed the permission slip and enjoyed the night off!
ReplyDeleteRemember that Grandma was bicultural as a child, having spoken only French until about age 7. Uncle Gene said that she could still speak French in the 1950s and saw her do so when getting together with her aunt(s). I treasure my memories of playing Milles Bourne with her and her teaching us how to say "coup-fourré" and some of the other French words. Once in a while I would ask her: "Say something in French, Grandma"--and she would say a sentence in French. I can picture her in my mind raising her eyebrows and tilting her head as she would say it, with her lips slightly puckered, all conveying a sense of self-confidence and delight.
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