Dear readers,
Have you been checking in vain since June for some new reading? Cried yourself to sleep because you felt ignored and neglected? Well dry your eyes! Our doors are open and we are back in business! We'd like to welcome you to a new semester, school year, and era in the FSB (French Studies Blog guys, come on). We are your new, official, professional bloggers, Pete and Dave. We are on a mission to bring to you every scrap of information on France and French available at BYU, in Utah County, and potentially the internet. So to kick things off appropriately, we'd like to take a few moments to dispel a few common misconceptions about us and present our credentials...
What has been your experience with French?
Dave: When I was a freshman in High School a second language course was required to graduate. I found the language beautiful and picked it up quickly.I took French again the following year and fulfilled my High School credits. I was later called to serve a mission for the LDS Church in the south of France. For two years I was immersed in French culture. I learned to communicate avidly and to relate to the people. I love the feeling of speaking the language and joining in on that rich tradition. I have also learned to appreciate francophone culture elsewhere in the world such as in Africa and some french speaking islands.
Pete: Well, my family moved to Belgium when I was eight months old so I grew up bilingual and went to French public schools in Belgium, France, and Germany until the fourth grade when we finally landed in Sandy, UT. I was a stand-out French student at Churchill Jr. High, as you can imagine, and I scored an easy 3 on the AP my sophomore year. My French fell into disuse however and after nine years of sitting dormant in my brain, there wasn't much of it left available for every day use. Then, as you may have guessed, I was called on a mission to the Canada Montreal Mission and I was called to preach in Spanish?? Yes, in fact, that was the case. But six months into the whole experience, I was transferred to Quebec City in a French ward. Within a month, the rust was for the most part cleaned off of my language skills and I spent the rest of my missions in French wards in Sherbrooke and Ottawa. It was fun. So yea, I've had a wide range of experience with French and I have a tender spot in my heart for the Quebec accent, although that is considered a foreign language by some...
Why did you decide to become a French Major?
Dave: I love French Literature and am convinced that my life will not be fulfilled if I don't pursue a deeper study of it. After my undergraduate studies I plan to go to Graduate School and continue a life long pursuit of study in French Literature and History.
Pete: Well, unlike Dave, my motives weren't purely altruistic. I was originally double majoring in French and Spanish and planning on going to law school once my undergraduate work was finished. Once I realized I could finish in half the time, I had to choose one or the other, well, with two GE's missing that would be fulfilled by French 361 and 362, and with the fact that French is only 30 hours while Spanish is 33, the decision was almost made for me.
What are your goals/vision for the blog?
Dave: I would like to get more people interested in the blog (e.g., more readers and subscribers) and in turn more interested in francophone culture. There is so much to be experienced and learned even in Provo, Utah. We have great opportunities and resources and an enormous French Department. I feel the blog can be informative and inclusive.
Pete: I see this blog as a two man mission to explore and discover and unearth and present everything French. There is so much stuff out there, activities, information, resources and I not only want to take part in it, but help anyone who wants to as well and doesn't even know where to start. In my perfect world, this blog includes music, movies and books, cultural activities, french headlines, contests, invites, updates, interviews, a guide to the French Studies major, and everything in between. If everything goes as planned, we will have a mini-phenomenon on our hands.
Why do you think you were selected to blog?
Pete: Well it wasn't easy, lets just say that. The competition was stiff. But what this blog needs is a visionary/creative genius/fluent french speaker/board game enthusiast/someone taking a lot of French classes currently/cultural icon/poet/jack of all trades/stand-up comedy competition winner/perfectionist/dedicated soldier and I guess I'm the closest they could find.
Dave: I will spend the time and put forth the creative effort required to achieve our combined vision as a blogging team.
Pete: Glad to hear it Dave
Tell us an unbelievable fact about yourself.
Dave: Once someone tried to murder me with a frozen baguette. Don't be incredulous.
Pete: I was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in May 2005.
