Our stories are the most important. When I arrived in France, I found that the French knew the story of America to be Starbucks and McDonalds. There is more in there, in the States, a liberated spirit that was engrained during the Revolution, doubled by Jefferson, sung by Walt Whitman, kept together by Lincoln, built through dust bowls and depressions, breakthroughs and downfalls. It is a subtle spirit alive in diners and toll roads, in cheap coffee and giant redwoods. These are the stories of our wars, our peace, our land and our people. As I stepped foot on foreign soil, I missed these stories and saw how just engrained the American Spirit is within me.
So here are stories from the America I miss, the short stories in Jersey diners, short anecdotes about Truman’s favorite toilet, short recipes about turduckens and short explanations of why such things exist, and just general attempts to approach the beast that is American culture and history in whatever way seems necessary. And they’ll be short. Did I make that part clear? This is my America, the America I still see and the America I want so desperately to always exist.
Omg. I am so happy I found this blog and read this text. My thoughts exactly. With only one twist — I’m not American and I haven’t lived there (at least yet). But somehow, from the very beginning, when I was a little girl reading Hemingway or Fitzgerald, or hilarious but still sad O’Henry, I loved that spirit. And even recent There Will Be Blood — brutal but so sincere.
You are an extremely enigmatic person. Simple, too; j’adore. Bring more people like you into the world.
you make me smile very wide friend. wide as the chesepeake. no.
much wider.
Wow.
I’ve wanted to read a blog like this for a long, long time.
Your blog is wonderful, you eloquently describe daily life as something more than just “the grind”. Thank you!
thank you for being smart and funny and engaged, for taking lovely photos (what camera do you have?), for being accessible and intelligent, and for translating garance
all these things make me love you!
Thanks you thank you thank you a million thank yous for your brilliant bang up job of translating Garance Doré! I am glad I discovered your blog now too and will become a faithful reader here too!
Bonne journée!
I, probably like many others, visited this site to learn more about the enigmatic translator of Garance. Now, I, like many others, have found a new inspiring blog to follow. Thank you!
-b
I concur with Bernard! I am delighted to have found this site, I love the colours of your photographs. I’ll be back, regularly
nicely said. i hope i’ll discover america on my own one day. it’s pretty intriguing that you’re marked as stupid and shallow.
in politics, usa is a villian, but individually there must be lots of great people.
I love the concept. Execution is spot-on too. Yours is a blog I’ve been wanting to read, but didn’t even know.
All this in another country. Keep on going about all things. Don’t ever stop. Please.
bitter-sweet nostalgia…
i’m so glad i clicked the “translation: tim sullivan” link in garance’s blog. this is also a wonderful blog, and thank you for sharing a little bit of yourself…
Hello there.
Being a translator myself, I thought I’d go check who was the person behind the English version of Garance’ blog.
Nice and interesting site. I like your approach and the anecdotes you post.
Allow me to say one thing though in response to “When I arrived in France, I found that the French knew the story of America to be Starbucks and McDonalds”. Remember that most Americans still see France as the WW2 and post-WW2 postcards of French folks wearing a beret and holding a baguette. Like for the US, you and I both know that there is so much more to it than these stereotypes.
I just stumbled on this, and for once insomnia has done something nice for me! Great idea, better pieces. It’s like meeting someone, and having a conversation with them about snapshots from their whole life.
Followed the link from Garance’s page. From one expat to another, Cheers! Bravo!
I am glad I stumbled upon this. I miss the US and especially Austin, TX. I am dying to come back… and your depiction of America makes more and more nostalgic.
cheers from Paris
I am so glad I found your blog–I am leaving the States to study French for a year and these perfectly American moments are exactly what I need!
Thoughtful and intriguing concepts, expressed in a wide variety of modes (and moods). Beautiful photography. Words and images which enhance one another.