Lessons in Luxembourgish

Thursday, August 27.

It's August 27, which means that I'm just fourteen days away from the big move to Luxembourg. Although I can't believe how quickly this summer has flown by, I'm excited for all the new adventures and challenges that my time in Luxembourg will bring. Among the adventures (although debatably more at home under "challenges") is the Luxembourgish language. Although Luxembourg counts French and German among its three official languages, the first choice of most native Luxembourgers is Lëtzebuergesch, or Luxembourgish.

Luxembourgish is what is known as a Moselle Franconian dialect, but it has long been considered a separate language and has been the official language of Luxembourg since the 1980s. Unlike French and German, Luxembourgish is limited in its global popularity.

So far, my favorite thing about Luxembourgish -- or Lëtzebuergesch -- is how much it reminds me of my own experience learning German over the past couple years. That is to say, the result sounds a bit like funky German with a few random French words thrown in!

As I understand it, Luxembourgish preserves much of the grammatical structure of German.

English: How are you?
German: Wie geht es dir? (informal)
Luxembourgish: Wéi geet et dir?

English: I do not understand.
German: Ich verstehe nicht.
Luxembourg: Ech verstinn net.

However, some words are totally French! For example...

English: Hi!
French: Salut!
Luxembourgish: Salut! or Moien!

English: Bye!
French: Adieu!
Luxembourgish: Äddi!

The tricky part, of course, is how on earth to pronounce it all! I have watched a few YouTube videos, but am no closer to understanding how to say these words than I was before.

Want to let everyone (who speaks Luxembourgish) know that you, too, are learning Luxembourgish? Check out Learn Luxembourgish for adorable tees, coffee mugs, and tote bags. (Everything reads "Schwätzt Lëtzebuergesch mat me, ech léieren" which means "Speak Luxembourgish to me, I'm learning!") No word yet on how to say "cheesy but cute" in Luxembourgish. ;)

Äddi!

Throwback Thursday: Monaco, 2001

Thursday, July 16.

As you may know, my little sister Madeleine is currently spending six weeks in Paris as part of a study abroad program through her university. (You can find out more about this program on the JMU Office of International Programs website.)

In honor of her upcoming weekend trip to Nice and Monaco, I thought I'd do a quick Throwback Thursday post to our family's Spring 2001 trip to the South of France.

Check out that pose -- here's to hoping for a similar level of sass in 2015! 

Has Monaco changed in the last fourteen years? (I'm guessing yes.) Head over to Madeleine's blog -- M is for Madeleine -- to see her photos from the trip.

Throwback Thursday: Giverny, 2000

Thursday, July 9.

Would you believe it's been almost a year since I last visited Giverny? It was such a magical day ... one of my favorite memories of my summer in France!

The gardens themselves haven't changed too much. In fact, when I visited last summer, I took a photo of the same lavender lining the main walkway in the photo below! And although the flowers don't seem to have been quite as bright in April 2000 as they were last summer, the tulips sure are gorgeous.

Can you spot my pink raincoat?!

Throwback Thursday: Champagne, 2000

Thursday, May 28.

Although my college graduation was over a week ago, I'm still in a pretty celebratory mood. In that festive spirit, here's a special Throwback Thursday to 2000 -- um, fifteen years ago?! -- when our family took a quick trip to France's beloved Champagne wine region.

Naturally, we had to visit the two biggest names in the business: Moët & Chandon.

Hark Upon the Grad

Monday, May 18.

Eight semesters, one hundred and forty (ish) credits, and countless papers later ... I'm officially a college graduate!!

William & Mary is known for its overachievers (see: alumni who decided to take their liberal arts degree and, you know, found our nation), so it's hardly surprising that one graduation ceremony simply wouldn't be enough. Instead, W&M Commencement spanned an entire weekend, from the Candlelight Ceremony to the official commencement ceremony to departmental graduations ... and what a weekend!

While the campus-wide commencement ceremony on Saturday was held in W&M Hall, I participated in a departmental ceremony with other Global Studies and International Relations majors and then received my actual diploma on Sunday with the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures in the Wren Courtyard. The Wren Building is such a central part of William & Mary and I felt so lucky to graduate on ancient campus!

I was blessed to have my immediate family and a handful of underclassman friends come down to spend time with me on graduation weekend, but no one traveled further than my aunts and uncle -- all the way from Texas!! Despite the heat and humidity, it was a blast to show everyone where I've spent so much of the past four years.

 

Even family who couldn't travel to Williamsburg were included in the celebrations! My aunt spent half the weekend on Facetime so that my grandfather could watch from Texas.

As usual, this Monday marks the start of a new week. As I prepare to drive a car full of dusty dorm supplies and hastily-packed suitcases down Richmond Road for the very last time, I can't help but think that this particular Monday feels a whole lot more like an ending than a beginning. My freshman move-in day feels like it basically happened yesterday, so it seems simply impossible that I'm already done with four whole years in Williamsburg!!

Here's to hoping that the summer will make this dream feel a little more real...