On a tous le même soleil.

This song (Soleil by Gregoire) is my travel anthem, and it should be yours, too. Not only does it conjure up feelings of being in a new culture, one that is both weird and exciting, it, and all of the songs by Gregoire, got me through my first year of teaching.

On n’a pas le même drapeau,                                     We don’t have the same flag, 
Ni la même couleur de peau,                                       Nor the same color skin,
On n’a pas le même langage,                                      We don’t have the same language,
La même culture, les mêmes images.                         The same culture, the same images.

On n’a pas les mêmes racines,                                   We don’t have the same roots,                   
Les mêmes idoles qui nous fascinent,                        Or the same idols that fascinate us,    
Mais chacun de nous est vivant,                                 But each of us is alive,
Avec la même couleur de sang.                                  With the same color blood.

Refrain                                                                                  Refrain

Et on n’a tous le même soleil,                                    And we all have the same sun,
Et la même lune sur nos sommeils,                           And the same moon on our dreams,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,                             And we all have a hand to reach out,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?                          Could we really still wait?

On n’a pas les mêmes coutumes,                             We don’t have the same customs,
D’autres rites, d’autres costumes,                            Other rites, other costumes,
On n’a pas les mêmes histoires,                               We don’t have the same histories,
Mais nos mélanges fait l’histoire.                              But our mixes make history.

On n’a pas les mêmes parents,                                We don’t have the same parents,
Mais on est tous encore enfant,                               But we are still children,
Et tous issus d’un métissage,                                   And all born of a mixing pot,
Devenus fous mais nés si sages.                             Became crazy, but born so wise.

Refrain                                                                     Refrain

Et on n’a tous le même soleil,                                   But we all have the same sun,
Et la même lune sur nos sommeils,                          And the same moon on our dreams,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,                            And we all have a hand to reach out,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?                         Could we really still wait?

Car on n’a tous la même planète,                            For we all have the same planet,
Qui nous supplie d’être moins bêtes,                      That is begging us to be less dumb,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,                            And we all have a hand to reach out, 
Peut-on encore, vraiment attendre?                        Could we still, really wait?

Une main avec nos différences,                              A hand with our differences,
Et le pouvoir d’en faire une chance.                       And the power to take a chance on it,

Car on n’a tous le même soleil,                               For we all have the same sun,
Et la même lune sur nos sommeils,                         And the same moon on our dreams,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,                           And we all have a hand to reach out,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?                        Can we really still wait?

Car on n’a tous la même planète,                           For we all have the same planet,
Qui nous supplie d’être moins bêtes,                     That is begging us to be less dumb,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,                          And we all have a hand to reach out,
Peut-on encore, vraiment attendre?                      Can we really still wait?

Car on n’a tous le même soleil,                               For we all have the same sun,
Et la même lune sur nos sommeils,                         And the same moon on our dreams,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,                           And we all have a hand to reach out,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?                        Can we really still wait?

Car on n’a tous le même soleil,                               For we all have the same sun,
Et on n’a tous une main à tendre,                           And we all have a hand to reach out,
Peut-on encore vraiment attendre?                        Can we really still wait?

Ok, so it sounds better in French. 

Songs that Transport Me

Everyone has those songs that they associate with a certain person or place. On my drive up to Maine, I think I heard about seven that immediately transported me to another place. Then there are some that have always been my favorites and have so many memories associated with them – American Pie, Hallelujah – that it’s impossible to evoke one image. Some are just any song from one band that for some reason I went through a fad with, and some are from people so obscure I don’t even know if they produced more than one song.

1. “Paper Planes” by Mia (from the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack): While I was studying abroad, I went skiing in the Alps once. I’ve been skiing since I was little little, but skiing in Maine is not really comparable to skiing in the Alps. At all. After literally falling headfirst into powder so deep my pole didn’t touch the ground, I caught on and had the best day of skiing ever. Actually, probably the best day ever. On the train ride back to Fribourg, everyone fell asleep except me. This song came on, and I listened to it over and over again; it just seemed to capture my emotions so well. By the time we were walking back to the dorm, I was singing it out loud and dancing through the university.

2. “Biko” by Peter Gabriel: A friend I met while studying abroad gave me this song, and I fell in love. I listened to it on repeat walking to one particular class that was at the opposite end of Fribourg. I vividly remember walking down the main street and being so immersed in this song.

3. “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas and “Alors on Danse” by Stromae: Continuing that Swiss theme. All night, every night at the bars in Fribourg.

4. Anything by ABBA or Flight of the Conchords. For some reason this music was my go-to when I was training for the half-marathon in Switzerland. One of these comes on, and I suddenly feel like I am running through the rural roads around Fribourg (except this time I’m in significantly less discomfort and I can breathe comfortably).

5. “American Pie” by Don Mclean: Back to that half-marathon thing. So, I was basically panicking before this. I was pretty sure I was going to die. But at the starting line, a few seconds before I was going to start, this song (my favorite song) came on. I could probably still find the exact point in Geneva that I was standing at that time.

6. “What Would You Do?” by City High. Every time I hear this song, I am sitting in a kayak on Cobbossee during a hot Maine summer day in my mind.

7. Anything by Gregoire. Not really sure how I found out about this French singer, but I was/am/have been addicted for quite awhile, and these songs more or less got me through my first year teaching. Every day, as soon as my classroom finally cleared of students, I’d put this on, turn it up, and tune out while I graded. I even put these lyrics up on my door, even though only one or two students (a West African first-generation immigrant and a brilliant girl from St. Lucia): Soleil by Gregoire

 

What songs transport you?

 

America, I shall take you there

A bit back – before my unintentional sabbatical from blogging – I wrote about ideas that the US should take from places I’ve visited (which mostly ended up being from Europe) that I thought would be pretty snazzy here stateside. I also promised that I would write the opposite as well: What American ideas should be adopted in other places? Again, I’m not talk about beliefs or values; to each, his own. Also, even saying that others should adopt American things makes me feel uneasy and imperialistic, but I do not mean it like that. Alas, awesome things America does that other countries (obvs I don’t know about all of them) don’t:

1. Tech in schools. For all of the educational issues going on in the States, one of the things I think we’re doing awesomely with is the integration of technology in schools. I’ve taught in Germany (literally a mile away from the Mercedes-Benz factory in Sindelfingen), have an interview at an international boarding school in Germany on Tuesday, studied in Switzerland, and taught in Colombia, and even in the best schools abroad, the emphasis on internet and tech is just not there. Why not? It’s 2014. Not only is it crucial to know how to use technology, but it is an INCREDIBLE learning tool and should be embraced as much as possible. (Check out my education blog! gettineducated.wordpress.com. It’s still in its infantile stages but will grow soon!)

2. Longer store hours. (This one’s for you, Western Europe!) Really. So hungry. So bored.

3. A broader tertiary education. I learned a lot in college. Like, sometimes I am simply amazed by the breadth of knowledge that I got in four years. Yes, I graduated with degrees in German and Linguistics and a minor in math, but what I learned extends far beyond those subjects. Certainly, those who study a specific topic for all their post-secondary years have a lot more specific knowledge, but in my experience, knowing a lot about many themes has been incredibly crucial for professional and social success. Learning is not just about getting a job and making money.

4. Peanut butter and IPAs. Not together.

5. Speaking of peanut butter and IPAs, eating while drinking. Not peanut butter. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been at a bar or gathering abroad and there was NO FOOD. Not only is it just not as tasty, it’s also a health concern. My college required a certain amount of food per quantity of alcoholic beverages at school-sponsored parties to avoid alcohol poisoning. It just makes sense.

6. Country music. And rock music. And classics. And hip-hop, rap, pop, and whatever. The diversity of music in America is amazing. From the radio to public places, you can find your perfect mix, something that I have yet to see in other countries to the extent we have here.

Ok, I’ll think of more later. Honestly, the vast majority of things I thought of at this moment were about how incredibly diverse the US is, not just in terms of food, music, and education, but also in terms of our geography and people. While I may personally love the structures in place in, for example, Switzerland, there is something quite special about how there’s a little bit of everything here at home.

The Ultimate List of Airlines That Serve Free Alcohol

Leaving the country again soon! Copenhagen (new country for the list!) and northern Germany for a job interview. I get to see my sister, who lives in Berlin, and enjoy 9 whole days of NO WORK (except for my interview). This, naturally, is one of the first things I search. Hopefully it will be handy for you as well!

(By Erica Ho at maphappy.org)

For the complete list, see here.