tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post2715518906777441192..comments2024-01-11T18:40:24.112-06:00Comments on Julie Farrar: How Does Our Garden Grow?Julie Farrarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08810771028650707072noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-40061587312540585012012-03-25T12:46:30.307-05:002012-03-25T12:46:30.307-05:00I can't even count, Donna, how many geranium p...I can't even count, Donna, how many geranium pictures I've taken.Julie Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810771028650707072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-62280659155145554492012-03-25T10:03:04.744-05:002012-03-25T10:03:04.744-05:00I've visited many US places that now don't...I've visited many US places that now don't allow walking on the grass. One thing I do love about the French is their obsession with geraniums because I love geraniums.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08311305166391446029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-65917115075152660582012-03-24T23:17:36.292-05:002012-03-24T23:17:36.292-05:00Wow, I had no idea the French were so persnickety ...Wow, I had no idea the French were so persnickety about their greenery.But you raise valid points about our culture and I agree with Cora, you analogies are perfect.monicastangledwebhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15311906301829091998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-27098822388148129532012-03-24T00:12:50.912-05:002012-03-24T00:12:50.912-05:00Great analogy, and thought-provoking post. Thanks ...Great analogy, and thought-provoking post. Thanks so much.Liv Rancourthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13171029958375171223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-24294421992340216802012-03-22T13:33:49.897-05:002012-03-22T13:33:49.897-05:00I understand what you're saying, Olga. I can ...I understand what you're saying, Olga. I can read every language I've studied. I haven't pressed myself to producing writing in them. Maybe I should work on that more. But I just can't pronounce them well. I know I would always be taken for a foreigner. But I do like the challenge of trying.Julie Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810771028650707072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-54324277554146162642012-03-22T12:44:17.012-05:002012-03-22T12:44:17.012-05:00This topic is too close to home. I’m an immigrant....This topic is too close to home. I’m an immigrant. I came from Russia and made Canada my home almost 20 years ago. I learned the language to a degree where I can write professionally in English (and get paid for it). But every time I open my mouth and my accent comes out, people say kindly: “Oh, your English is very good.” They think they compliment me, but the comment drives me crazy. Of course my English is good. I’m a professional writer, for crying out loud. But whenever I say that, it is often met with a question: “Do you write in English?” That’s another sentiment that makes me want to throw a tantrum. Recently, I stopped telling people I’m a writer just to avoid this question, but the reality remains. Immigrants are different, no matter how hard they try to blend in. And the same reality prevented me from finding a job as a writer. Nobody wants their technical writer or communication officer to speak with an accent. Everyone expects grammatical mistakes from us. Unfortunately, 99 times out of 100 they are correct. But in my case, it rankles.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-13562423088099084092012-03-22T12:41:08.715-05:002012-03-22T12:41:08.715-05:00Always love a good garden post, especially one tha...Always love a good garden post, especially one that links gardening to the rest of life!<br /><br />I'm definitely not the French kind of gardener. I call my style Texas Big Hair, though now that I've relocated to Washington State I'll call it an homage to Cougar Annie of Vancouver Island. In other words, I like lots of chaos -- uncontrolled, please! (though I loved the Gertrude Jekyll pics)<br /><br />As someone who has stumbled along with studying languages, I have a great deal of sympathy for people who have difficulty coming here and learning English. I wonder how many people who criticize immigrants have actually tried to learn a foreign language! <br /><br />When traveling, I find most people to be friendly. I can't tell you how many times complete strangers come up to us in an unfamiliar country as we look at a map and help us find our way. I've chatted politics on the Paris Metro and been invited to private homes in Costa Rica for dinner. We've shared jokes and laughter on an Israeli street corner. <br /><br />We've had the occasional rude waiter, but I get those here in the good ol' US of A, too. I think the whole world is a gorgeous, chaotic garden of people and cultures of all types!Nadine Feldmanhttp://nadinefeldman.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-48633411396711655042012-03-22T12:01:06.954-05:002012-03-22T12:01:06.954-05:00Yes, Cora, weeds can add nutrients as they die and...Yes, Cora, weeds can add nutrients as they die and decompose in the winter. But right now, with our spring rain, they're choking out the flowers trying to bloom. *snarl*<br /><br />Carrie, you're right that if we move to another country we need to adapt to where we are. To some extent. For example, in France I lower my volume when speaking from an American 8 to a French 2. But I will never agree to their history of going on strike over the least little thing. I do try to speak French, but it is extremely difficult to master a language beyond "tourist-speak" if you don't begin learning it until you're an adult. I know I'd never learn French well enough to understand any legal papers I was signing or to sit in a class taught only in French -- or take their driver's test, which scares even the natives for its complexity.Julie Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810771028650707072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-63887949371460815112012-03-22T10:57:27.367-05:002012-03-22T10:57:27.367-05:00Your garden analogies were woven in so beautifully...Your garden analogies were woven in so beautifully with your ideas. I prefer the cottage type of gardening and freedoms--unfettered, allowing new species to sprout at will. I only pull out the weeds that interfere with the growth of other plants. Weeds are a big part of my spring garden, where they spring up and yield a profusion of yellow along with my daffodils and crocus. Don't weeds add some nutrients to the soil?Corahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17513930284591250364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-29740936163124252252012-03-22T08:50:28.125-05:002012-03-22T08:50:28.125-05:00I guess I'm seeing this from a couple differen...I guess I'm seeing this from a couple different sides. If you're just coming for a visit, want to see the Grand Canyon or experience the American culture -- then I have no problem with you staying within your own language/culture while you are here. But, if you plan to stay and make this your home -- then our language and culture need to become yours. If you are happy with your own culture/language, then why move here?<br /><br />In my travels around America, I've also noted some huge differences in culture. In the south, everyone talks to everyone, it's friendly, inviting. In the north, not so much. But it's not that northerners are trying to be ruse -- they just do't see any point in sharing their lives with people they don't know. Even otherwise innocuous comments (like How are you?) can seem invasive in some parts of America and compassionate in others.Carrie Dawshttp://carriedaws.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-18791472070146551152012-03-21T14:08:49.052-05:002012-03-21T14:08:49.052-05:00Hi Tami. I saw your 7 post and will respond this w...Hi Tami. I saw your 7 post and will respond this week. But I've heard about Italian restaurants and their attitude toward tourists. Can't remember the source, but I remember learning somewhere about one menu and set of prices for locals and one for tourists. I guess the trick might be to go where tourists never go (i.e., not Rome).Julie Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810771028650707072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-47666949507540230652012-03-21T12:34:03.471-05:002012-03-21T12:34:03.471-05:00I couldn't agree with you more! What kind of p...I couldn't agree with you more! What kind of place are we inhabiting if shouts like the one you heard at the basketball game are tolerated? <br /><br />I very much felt like an univited "weed" when travelling in Rome last summer. Wait staff at most restaurants were just rude. I could chalk it up to "that's just how Americans get treated in Rome" but it stung nonetheless, especially since my friend and I had gone out of our way to really try to speak the language and honor local customs. The storekeepers were even worse. Needless to say, by the end of our stay we were not wanting to eat out much and we didn't do much shopping at all. Our b & b host was fabulous as were most people we encountered at museums and other sights. Too bad because there's so much to love about Rome.<br />It pains me to hear of Americans treating those from other countries in this manner. Being treated as a pariah in Rome definitely altered my view on the city.Tami Claytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13270751386180642544noreply@blogger.com