Letter to Tangled Wish
Published on March 14, 2004 By Jepel In Business

Salut Anne,

J'avais envie de t'ecrire apres avoir lu la note dans laquelle tu exprimais ton desir de venir vivre a Paris. Ton francais doit probablement etre limite, mais je ne doute pas que tu finisses par me comprendre!  Je ne te parlerais pas de Paris, la ville lumiere n'a besoin de personne pour attirer et seduire. Je voulais d'abord te remercier pour la sincerite et l'humanite que tu montres a chacune de tes notes. C'est en partie ce qui me pousse a t'ecrire, mais surtout parce que tu m'as rappelle la personne que j'etais avant de m'expatrier en Angleterre.

Comme toi, j'etais insatisfait de  ma vie et  voulais changer d'air, fuir la banalite du quotidien et trouver un endroit plus favorable a mes aspirations. Je me rappelle une discussion recente avec une francaise hesitant entre faire des etudes en France ou en Angleterre. Elle demandait mon conseil en tant qu'expatrie. Je lui repondis qu'elle pouvait trouver un tas de bonnes raisons pour rester ou partir, mais qu'a mon avis, ce qui compte le plus est de savoir si tu sens que tu dois partir. C'est un sentiment profond que tu  ressens dans tes tripes. C'est ce qui donne le courage d'avancer sur ton chemin, franchir les obstacles et qui fera que tu surmonteras le choc du voyage. Il me semble Anne, ma soeur Anne, que tu as scrute ton coeur et que tu connais la reponse. Quelque part, je crois qu'on ne decide pas de partir, on a tout simplement pas le choix.

Ne sous estime ni les douleurs, ni l'epanouissment que tu vivras. Les voyages forment la jeunesse mais peu de gens sont capables de passer a l'acte. Je me rappelle ce qu'une chere amie m'avait un jour dit:

"Fais que ta vie ressemble a tes reves et pas que tes reves ressemblent a la realite..."

Ne l'oublie pas, Anne, ma soeur Anne...


Autre bloggeur francophone/ Other french writting blogger

blogmir par Gar Amud

Dictionary:

http://www.yourdictionary.com/


Comments
on Mar 16, 2004
Jepel! I can't read this.. I tried to translate it on that dictionary thing but it took FOREVER...

I feel terribly rude for asking, but could you like, summarize/translate it? I feel terrible, I'm sorry

Thanks
Anne
on Mar 16, 2004
I'm a little bit disapointed.. but I don't see any other way round.


Hi Anne,

I wanted to answer you after reading your post in which you were expressing your desire to leave to Paris. Although your french must be limited, I have no doubt that you will end to understand me. I won't talk about Paris, "la ville lumiere" doesn't need anyone help to attract and seduce. First, I wanted to thank you for the sincerity and the humanity that you constantly show in all your posts. It is part of why I'm writing you, but moreover, it is because you remind me the person I was before I move to UK.

Like you, I was unsatisfied of my life and wanted to breath a different air, flee the banality and find a better place to make my aspirations grows. It remind me a recent discussion I had with a french girl waving between studying in france or in UK. She was asking some advise from an expat. My answer was that she could find a lot of reasons to go, but in my opinion, the most important is to know if you feel you have to go. It is a deep feeling coming from your guts. It is the feeling that will give you the courage to carry on your way and overcome the shock from the journey. It seems to me, Anne, my sister Anne, that you have already scrutinized your heart and that you know the answer. Somehow, I believe that you aren't choosing to leave, you simply have no choice.

You will know pains and blossom. Jouney build character, but few people are able to leave.
It remind me what a dear friend once told me:

"Try to do your life like your dreams, not your drea like lefe"

Don't forget it Anne, my sister anne
on Mar 16, 2004
Oh my. I'm sorry I made you translate it... I wish I knew more French, but that's why I'm taking it for the rest of my years in college.

Now on to the serious stuff.

That is quite honestly the most beautiful thing I've ever read. Not because I'm narcissistic and like hearing about myself, because that letter wasn't really about me. I felt like I was actually reading a piece of your life, not just reading it though, almost like watching someone live it. I felt the pain. I felt the sorrow, the loneliness, the desperation to get out (perhaps these are my own feelings? ). Maybe that's why it was so beautiful. I could feel me, even though it wasn't my own words. Something like poetry of the soul. (That's supposed to be music. Maybe your words are like music).

But you're right. I feel that after everything that has happened here, where I am, the life that I'm living and the future I have in front of me should I stay here, I only have one option, and that is to leave. I need to escape the curse of marrying a small town man who makes a living either in construction or some other manual labor job, a man who drives a big chevy truck, listens to country music, wears jeans, cowboy boots, and plaid Tee shirts, goes to the local bar which is probably called the Squirrel Cage or the Bear Den or something equally hick-ish, while downing Miller Lites. He'll hate everyone that isn't white and lower to middle class, and won't give me much attention because he'll be too busy either working, drinking, or sleeping. This is my future here, and I'm going to try my damnedest to get out of here. My biggest fear is to live like that. Well maybe not my biggest fear, but it's high up there. I need to leave, to escape this... mundane, I guess. I want to live healthy and happy.

Thanks for the letter. It was beautiful.

~Anne
on Mar 17, 2004
Jepel is awesome isn't he Anne!!!

I can identify with both of you... See you in the UK and Europe in a few months Jepel

BAM!!!
on Mar 17, 2004
Thanks Anne and Muggaz,

I really appreciated your comments, well I'm blushing.... I hope it will help you...

Muggaz: it would be nice to have a lager together sometime. You let me know

Anne: it would be nice to have a coffee in a bistrot parisien.

It would even make a good blog title

"when Jepel meet Muggaz..." or "when Jepel meet Anne..."

lol

Anyways in french, we say "les grands esprits se rencontrent" ~ great minds meet

on Mar 17, 2004
Coffee??? Do you think I'm crazy???? J/K I actually don't do coffee... I don't really do caffeine. I hardly eat chocolate, to be completely honest!! But I like juice. And alcohol. I really like alcohol. We could meet over wine. That would be an experience to remember!!!

Anyway.

~Anne
on Mar 17, 2004
You are drinking a alcohol. So you are a regular person, you are drinking wine. you sound like almost a regular french girl.... So the title should be "a bottle of wine for 2"..

on Mar 17, 2004
Dear Anne,,

I realise a cultural diiference here, a french man will never ask a woman to have a drink but to have a coffee, because it is not about coffee or alcohol, it is about giving the opportunity to meet. In france coffee are cheap and without consequences,,,, that;s why I was saying a coffee for you and me. Sorry1
on Mar 17, 2004
Oh my! I feel as though I've offended yet again.

In that case, I'd love to meet for coffee
on Mar 17, 2004
No problem
This is something you couldn't know.

I have been around for a few mounths here without taking care of Brad Wardell.
So there is nothing you can do worse than that....

on Mar 17, 2004
Maybe we ca all meet up in Paris

I would enjoy that immensely!

BAM!!! (mais en Francais)

on Mar 18, 2004
Could be an idea...

We have some time to plan that but it would be really fun. The better way to explore a place is with people who know the place and I have a lot of friend there.

Time will tell.
on Mar 18, 2004
That would be really fun.

And then some, right!!! Well, we do have time, don't we? Or at least, I have time... 3 years or so.

~Anne
on Mar 18, 2004
plenty of time to be french fluent...


You should visit this french blog, it is easy and graphical, I'm quiet sure you'll love it. i'm a big fan of Leo

Link


Time to go to bed... goodnight