Daniel Ferrante

Dijon and Owls
My first memory of Dijon - well, actually, my very first memory will be the drug deal I saw go down outside the train station just after I arrived.
Beyond that, my first memory will be looking down at the ground at these brass or bronze arrows leading around the city. Occassionally, they’d have [...]

It’s an English lesson, it’s a song, it’s BOTH!
Alanis Morissette’s Ironic is an easy lesson. It has irony, metaphor and similes. This is by no means an original idea, but in the waning days of my time here in France, an easy lesson is always welcome.
All my students liked the song. Most of them were [...]

Another one of my major French speaking coups: The first time I visited France, I had been studying French for less than a year; and that saying about a little knowledge being a dangerous thing - it’s true.
At Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, I had to use the restroom really bad - as in [...]

I just received word today that I didn’t receive an interview with JET.
I know that, no matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to stop worrying about finding a job when I return to the states…
Regardless, I’ll do all I can to make the best of France until I return home.

t_b
There's a balance I like to strike in my blog. I want to be honest and forthright in my writings, but I want to protect the identity, privacy and self-respect of those I write about.
One recent example where conflict can arise is in an entry I wrote about my trip to Paris. In the original [...]

I’m amazed at how some things that would be a simple task in the U.S. are incomprehensibly difficult in France. Take doing laundry for instance:
I live in a university dorm room in Dijon. There are nearly 20,000 students that attend the university. There are over 20 dorms here at the University. We share ONE room [...]

I enjoy reading Rumi’s poetry. I’ll share one of my favourites with you all as a Holiday gift:
“Come to the orchard in Spring.
There is light and wine, and sweethearts
in the pomegranate flowers.
If you do not come, these do not matter.
If you do come, these do not matter.”

When I was younger, over half of my life ago, I had a friend named Nathan Fisk. I can’t say we were best friends, though at times we were close - and I can’t say that we had much animosity between us, though at times we argued.
What I can say with certainty is that he [...]

Thanksgiving last month was such a huge success that we have decided to hold a large meal every month. Last week we hosted a Christmas dinner. We had nearly 20 people show. We ate all sorts of great food brought by different people from around the world.
Next month we’ll host our “Half-way” dinner. We’ll be [...]

PGOAT and I went shopping at the Marché Nöel this weekend. I’m happy to say that I finished all my shopping. However, when we returned to our dorm, someone had broken into her room and stolen her cell phones, CD players, digital camera and tripod. Overall, nearly 1500 dollars worth of her possessions. We thought [...]