Heather Miller

Why I love France

Heather Miller
Why I love France

If I had to trace my interest in France back to one particular moment, I would have to go back to my sophomore year of high school in Wichita, Kansas. Given a choice of 4 different languages, I chose to take French.  For some reason, French seemed a lot sexier than taking Spanish, German, or Latin (having used Latin terms in two of my corporate jobs, I probably should have gone with the Latin) so I chose French.  I was lucky enough to have a real Frenchman for a teacher. Mr. Curzydlo was born and raised in France and how he ended up teaching French in Wichita, Kansas, I do not know, but I’m so glad that he did. It makes all the difference in learning pronunciation and the culture.

He introduced me to the basics of French and I absorbed as much as possible even going so far as to compete in French competitions at Wichita State University. I took one year of French in college but it just wasn’t the same. My interest in France did not wane, but I had other things to occupy me, such as making a living, so my French was on the back burner.

My husband Todd and I had a unique opportunity to visit France in 1999 so we jumped on it and made our first trip to Europe. I had made it!! I was finally in France and tried to use a little of my French. Mr. Curzydlo would have been mortified to hear me ask a little girl if she was eating her dog instead of feeding her dog. (We were in a quaint town in the south of France, St. Guillame. A local girl fed crepes to her dog and I thought that I would be clever and show her that the American could actually speak some French. Um, bad idea. Should have checked out my verb usage before attempting that one. I had another triumph a few years later when I told the check out clerk, “Salut” when she sneezed. First of all, that’s a response in Italy which basically means, “to your health.” In France, “Salut” is very close to “saloup” which means dirty wolf. Once again, the American who thought that she was clever turned out to be way off the mark and culturally wrong. I’ve learned a few things since then, and mostly, just keep your mouth shut. The French are formal and not interested in small talk with a cheeky American.)

Fast forward to graduate school in 2002 when I was looking for a topic for my graduate research thesis. I had the very great fortune to meet two beautiful sisters who survived the Holocaust in France. These ladies shared their story of separation from their mother, living in a group home with other Jewish children until they had to be hidden with French peasants who pretended that they were distant relatives, and finally to hiding in a convent when the neighbors became suspicious of their true identities.  Lea Weems and Ruth Steinfeld eventually settled in Houston, Texas, and shared their story of survival at a presentation about their experience at my graduate school. After hearing their story, I knew that I had found my topic. Using three years of high school French and my French/English dictionary, I managed to conduct research for my thesis using French language sources and books. My knowledge of how to read and understand French increased tremendously in this period. 

Finally, my love of history led me to pursue teaching after finishing my graduate degree in History and I now teach at the college level as an adjunct professor. Wouldn’t you know that my focus is in modern World and European History which begins with the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. Once again, I’m back to France. I have such a passion for French history. My library collection is littered with books on French subjects from Paris to Napoleon.

But I finally understood why I loved France in 2016 as I stood in Versailles, in Louis XIV’s prayer chapel, a chapel dedicated only for his use and his private masses. I love France because of the beautiful architecture and the ornate decoration within and outside the buildings. We have nothing like it in the United States, with the exception of a few buildings such as the Jefferson building at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.  The beautiful cathedrals and buildings all over Paris and Versailles itself are so stunning to me. As a historian, I was shocked to realize that I don’t actually enjoy museums for very long. I’m good after about 1 ½ - 2 hours. But I love architecture and I can spend hours walking around looking at the buildings, inside and out. This is what inspires me in France. Paris, especially, is a unique city that is old and historically notable.