Notes of a Non-Native Son
Reprinted from 1985 SYA Newsletter
by Seth Bardo [FR'85F ES'05P ES'09P]
What is it like for an American teacher and his family to go to France on SYA? In these brief notes I will try to offer a faint glance of one English teacher's impressions.
The outset of the trip was a difficult one. Getting possessions packed away, thoroughly cleaning a house, hard partings with friends and family for a year's absence took a toll. Then there was the actual journey, encumbered by numerous bags, stroller, as well as portable crib with a three-month-old baby stirring within its confines. Child and our incipient revived French were chief anxiety factors which superseded the usual concerns about skijackings or air crashes.
Our long transit went smoothly. Anytime there was a problem we just showed the baby and our halting French was excused. I would highly recommend traveling with a baby, even a plastic one would probably be suitable for most crucial situations.
Rennes impressed us from the outset. Flowers graced outdoor cafes, street corners and buildings; public gardens seemed to be everywhere.
Our apartment at 5 Contour de la Motte genuinely responded to the definition of quaint. The stroller bounced along the cobblestone driveway to the inner courtyard entrance. Carefully we ascended the fifty odd steps (each had a different size and slope), then opened the door to explore four rooms. Light from seven-foot-high windows filled the living room. In the refrigerator the previous occupants left numerous provisions including wine and cheese. We were home.
Before the students arrived, I believed that one had entered paradise. Each day Rennes yielded new surprises as we sampled from different boulangeries, charcuteries and patisseries. The outdoor market on Saturday was better than a Christmas visit to F.A.O. Schwartz. Produce, meats, flowers and dairy goods bulged from each specialty stand. Nothing was wrapped in plastic and nothing tasted like plastic. Indeed one discovery quickly made was that the French make excellent sauces and their food presentation is unparalleled, but their real secret lies in their insistence on the best ingredients possible.
When school began so did a huge time commitment to classes, advising, preparation and marking. The one disappointment about SYA for me was that I was unable to continue studying French. My contact with French people was also severely curtailed. I envied the students who had no choice but to immerse themselves in the culture through classes and their families. When I look back on our stay in France I am filled with eclectic images: cycling through Gorges-du-Tarn, lunch at Taillevent, croissant and pain au raisin for breakfast, the Normandy beaches where I cried in the presence of the cemetery which speaks so eloquently of a genuine patriotism — a stark contrast to the Rambo' rhetoric that we have been subjected to for the past years, visiting a small vineyard in Champagne where the owners opened their vintage to sample at the kitchen table, Verdun, St. Malo, Guernsey ... I will stop although the litany could continue for pages.
Through all these places and experiences we got to know France. SYA's gift to a faculty family is one of time. A year's stay allows cultural absorption even from a certain distance. We would often look at an atlas and talk about where we were living in the world, not just visiting. Rennes, Brittany and France became familiar; in that knowledge, the world itself took on a new perspective. Incalculably our lives were enriched. It was a year we shall never forget.
Seth Bardo was the English teacher at SYA France in the 1984-1985 school year. He came to SYA from Phillips Academy (Andover, Mass.). Later, his son Aaron became a member of the Class of SYA Spain 2005 and his daughter Hannah, the Class of SYA Spain 2009.