The New Frenchman

The Stereotypical Frenchman

Patrick Guedon is a very strange man. I first encountered him the first week of the preliminary French course taught at the beginning of the semester. He walked in to the classroom and proceeded to speak in a multitude of accents from various regions of France with a joy I had never quite experienced before. I have had French teachers who teach because they love France, but for the first time in my education, I met someone who just loved languages.

A multilinguist, Patrick Guedon can speak English in just about every accent. British, New Jersey, Valley Girl, without a hint of his native French accent coming through. For his students, it’s inspiring to see the power of phonetics this way. For me, Patrick was one of my first visions of France upon arriving here. In many ways, I feel as though Patrick and several other professors here truly represent a new vision of France. Attached to their heritage, but overwhelmingly interested and passionate about the intermingling of new and old, of French and American, of formal and informal.

On top of that, Patrick is silly, educated, and unbelievably awake at 9 am. I have danced and sung more in his class than one would expect and, ultimately, I feel like I understand the French more for it. He is willing to open himself up to the same lighthearted mockery that he directs towards the class, knowing that it builds a more productive and trusting community.

On the streets and in the cafés of Paris, you meet a variety of people, but it is hard to get to know them. In my experience, the French are fairly untrusting, or at least reserved, and it is often difficult to meet people and make connections. For this reason, I am grateful that I spent my mornings during my first two weeks here with Patrick. I felt as if I got to know a different and less obvious side of France through his style of teaching. I appreciated his infectious sense of humor and personality as it made me feel more comfortable in France and more comfortable with speaking the language. Adjusting to a new city and a new culture can be difficult. In my opinion, people make all the difference in making that transition easier. Patrick only proves this point.

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