Habitudes

So I’ve picked up some habits in my exactly four month today stay in France. I was telling my father about some of them, and whilst he suggested that I divide them into “good” habits and “bad” habits, I maintain they are all excellent.

In my opinion, anyways.

Habit #1: I walk everywhere. I walk to school at least once a week (45 minutes if I stride like a giraffe and stop for no man, woman or child). There are daily strolls in the garden, to various bars and cafés with friends or just curious meanderings which have a bad habit of turning into frustrated goosechases.

Habit #2: Onomatopoeias galore. One of the things that is so much fun about learning a language in a native country is you pick up all the “filler” words and sounds. I shudder to think about the visitors of the States United picking up “um” “like” “yeah” and “errrr.”

My favorite french sounds. And my best idea as to what they mean.

“Tuk tuk tuk”- when counting something or doing a series of something, like putting dishes in the dishwasher.

“Shlack”- Use when you make a chopping gesture with your hand.

“Bah”- Doubles as “um” and “well”, an expression of confusion accompanied by the stereotypical expression of bewilderment, which is adorable. Can be inserted into just about any sentence.

Habit #3- So much bread. It wouldn’t be unheard of to read this headline in France. “After a week of bread absentia, half the country succumbs to starvation, the other half not far behind.”

Habit #4- Hot drinks in bowls. Coffee and hot chocolate in particular. To combat the lack of mugs in my life, and my klutzy self, I use mugs for just about everything else. OJ is better in mugs.