FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

In response to your questions...
                             ...quelques chiffres / some numbers concerning my book:

25.......the date, in April, in which 'Words in a French Life' ships from Amazon
02.......the date, in May, when the book will appear in US stores
304......pages in the Simon & Schuster edition (originally planned at 208 pages)
11.70...price (subject to change) when you buy it here
1000....thanks, or mille mercis for your supportive pre-orders!

ainsi (an-see) adverb
   in this way, like this; thus

"Exige beaucoup de toi-même et attends peu des autres. Ainsi beaucoup d'ennuis te seront épargnés." Demand a great deal from yourself and expect little from others. In this way you will be spared many cares. --Confucius

A Day in a French Life...

Thirty-two gaggling Gauls, their maîtresse,* and one American went to China... pour ainsi dire.*

For the voyage east, the little Gauls packed all the cicadas in a French summer into their chattering voices.

"Taisez-vous! Quiet down!" the maîtresse repeated as the school children filed onto the bus, fastened their ceintures* and traveled through their medieval French village, crossing its border, to the neighboring town of la Motte where they scrambled out of the bus to enter the 'Expo de Chine.'*

Once inside the exposition hall, which was decked with rice-paper lanterns and colorful umbrellas, the French children set out for a franco-chinois* cultural exchange; over the next two hours they would swap their poésie* for haiku, their cursive for calligraphy, their poodles for pandas, their gargoyles for dragons... But first, they would need to trade chaos for order. For that, the American--in her role as accompanying adult--spoke:

"Stop trying on the bamboo hats!"
"Stop opening the little nacré* boxes!"
"Don't touch the delicate rice paper!"
...et ainsi de suite.*

When this year's (field) trip was over, the American maman accompagnatrice* curled her shoulders forward in a discreet bow before the French maîtresse: in awe and with great respect for the teachers of the world.

.............................................................................................................
References: la maîtresse (f) = female teacher; pour ainsi dire = so to speak; la ceinture (f) = seat belt; Expo de chine = China Expo; franco-chinois = franco-chinese; la poésie = poetry; nacré = pearly; la maman accompagnatrice (f) = mother chaperone; et ainsi de suite = and so on...

Listen: hear Jean-Marc pronounce the word "ainsi": Download ainsi2.wav

Related Terms & Expressions:
ainsi que = as
ainsi soit-il = so be it
pour ainsi dire = so to speak, as it were

Books:
Teach your baby French: http://baby-french.notlong.com/
Teach your kids French:  http://child-french.notlong.com/