Week 36

In this weeks blog, I talk about a setback with my driver’s licence exchange and have some fun with the French language. Also, the south of France is in bloom! Everything is so beautiful, it makes the last couple of month’s of severe allergies worth it!

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Driver’s licence frustration

I’m trying to exchange my Ontario driver’s licence for one from France. It must be done within my first year here or I’ll have to take a driving test. Not all countries are able to do a straight exchange and, surprisingly, not all Canadian provinces can. Thankfully Ontario’s is accepted.

I submitted all paperwork online 6 months ago – driving abstract from Ontario, photo of passport, photo of visa, photos front and back of driving licence, birth certificate, proof of address in France, and more.

Two months ago I received a notice saying I was missing one of the documents. I know I uploaded it the first time but submitted it again. This week, I got another notice asking for another document I had already submitted. Once again, I resubmitted it. There was also an ominous note at the top of the page saying that this was my last chance

It also asked for an unspecified document -‘something that would help my case’. I asked for advice in the ever-helpful Canadians in France Facebook group and someone mentioned that Service Ontario has something called a Driver’s Licence Check. You can download it from their website – it states that your licence is current. So I grabbed one and uploaded that to my file.

Then I noticed that I could still modify other documents that I had already uploaded. The driving abstract must be less than 3 months old – it was when I started the process 6 months ago. I decided to pay the nominal fee and order a new one from Service Ontario. I downloaded it and tried to update my original one, but nope. Even though it said I could still modify, I couldn’t.

So, with all my documents back in motion again, now I wait. Have I used up my last chance to modify my file? Will they turn me down? Will I have to take the driving test? Thankfully, this is the first administrative hiccup I’ve had so I’m doing well. I’m annoyed but undaunted.

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Language lessons

Here are some thoughts on learning French.

When I first arrived last summer, I introduced myself to people by saying ‘Je suis Sue’ which translates to ‘I am Sue’. Except when spoken, it sounds like ‘Je suis saoule’ or ‘I am drunk’. I still use it when I want to get a laugh.

When I took French in junior high, we had to ‘Frenchify’ our names, so I became Suzanne. My full name is Susan but I’ve gone by Sue for decades. Because people seem a bit puzzled when I say my name is Sue – maybe because of the aforementioned issue – I’ve started using Susan. But that has quickly and naturally morphed into Suzanne. As I reinvent myself again, it appears I’ve gone back to my teenage years which is kind of delightful.

My French is improving rapidly. My grammar needs a lot of work, but I know it’s important to keep talking and not get hung up on accuracy. My vocabulary is getting better every week thanks to discussions at the café.

One evening this week, I sat out on my balcony watching bats dart about in the courtyard. At the café the next day, I tried to describe what I had seen and learned that the word for bat is chauve-souris. I was also told there is a play on words – Un homme chauve sourit – which translates to ‘a bald man smiles’. I’m a bit queasy about the bats but now I just think of happy bald men hanging out in my courtyard at dusk.

Sometimes the discussions are random and I learn words like scaffolding (échafaudage). One time we discussed the impact of saffron (safran) on the libido (libido) – that was a funny conversation with lots of laughs. Other times I stumble over sentences like ‘Je veux voir un vieux film’ (I want to see an old movie). Sitting in the midst of a table of rapid-fire conversation has turned out to be one of the best things I’ve done since arriving here.

I’ve determined that the key to learning another language is to set aside ego, ignore critics, have a good sense of humour and talk talk talk!

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France in bloom

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Song of the week

Apropos of nothing, this week I’ve chosen Song of the Wandering Aengus, a Yeats poem as sung by Caroline Herring. The poem has been put to music by several musicians, but I like her version and her voice best.

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À bientôt .