The article is very descriptive and well written with chaste Telugu; It covers various topics of life in France. It would be very interesting and useful if you could similarly write your experiences during your India trip (that you undertook along with American, Egyptian and French families) including the closeup view of Tsunami and the providential escape etc.

You have a flair for writing……. especially in Telugu and I think you should continue to write……….

Sukumar
September 21, 2007

Regards.
rajay

నా వ్యాసం నచ్చినందుకు సంతోషం! నన్ను ఈ క్రింది ఈమైల్్ ద్వారా కలవచ్చు.

లక్ష్మన్న

Lark_Vishnubhotla@yahoo.com

****************************************
My France School

Ramya Vishnubhotla

There I sat, completely clueless, looking out the window at the gloomy, almost morbid weather of France wondering why I, a twelve year old girl, was spending her Saturday mornings taking French biology? Then I remembered why: It was because of my father who had gotten a job transfer to a foreign country and insisted on dragging the family with him. What resentment I felt. I didn’t know anyone in this class. I understood nothing. I said nothing. I didn’t move out of fear of drawing attention to myself. I just tried, in vain, to copy down the chicken scratch from the board onto my paper, sitting in solitude and silence.

A few moments passed, and my teacher told me to follow her to the back of the room. How awkward I felt, passing all those students with their international eyes watching me. I pretended not to notice. I sat down, and she explained to me in broken English that I must make a coversheet for my binder, handing me another student’s to use as an example. It sounded simple enough. I wrote the title: “Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre”. S.V.T. I used my various colored pens, feeling safe with the other students’ backs to me.

Once I had finished, I waited patiently until my teacher came back, assuming she would just give me another menial assignment to do. I was surprised, however, when she scolded me! All because I had not used my ruler to underline the title! What was this, an elementary school art class? She crumpled up my paper and told me to do it again. I fought back tears. I was humiliated! My first week, and already I had upset a teacher with my shaky underlining.

Then it hit me. My life had changed. These weren’t the good ol’ days of American middle school, where the teachers called you “Sweetie” and put stickers on your papers when you got an ‘A’. No, this was France. I was in a school with grades 6 to12, where the teachers didn’t care if you couldn’t speak French, where you were never praised, and where you were yelled at on your first day of Saturday classes for not using a ruler. Needless to say, I completed the assignment again, this time rather meticulously.

I wish I could say that things were easier from this point on, once I had mastered proper ruler usage. Unfortunately, this is not so. My French classes only became more difficult and I was embarrassed by each failure. It was slow progress, past eighth grade, to ninth grade, where I was actually able to pass my grade level French biology class, vanquishing the course which I was once so afraid of.

Upon returning to Texas, at the age of fifteen, I briefly reflected on my years in France. I had learned to love the country I once detested. I also realized that it was because of my multiple setbacks that I was forced on the road to progress, and eventually success. There was no room left for fear of defeat. It was as though there was nothing I couldn’t conquer in time. I still believe this is so.

నా వ్యాసంలో చెప్పని ఒకటి, రెండు విషయలు చెప్పాలని ఉంది.ఈ వ్యాసం రాయటానికి మరి కొన్ని కారణాలున్నాయి. మొదటిది, అమెరికా దేశానికి వలస రాక ముందు 30 ఏళ్ళు ఇండియాలో గడిపిన నేను, నా 15 ఏళ్ళ అమెరికా జీవితం తరవాత ఫ్రాన్స్ వెళ్ళటంతో, ఫ్రాన్స్లో మా అనుభవాలని రెండు కోణాల్నుంచి చూడటం మొదలు పెట్టాను! అమెరికా జీవితానుభవంతో ఫ్రాన్స్ చూడటం ఒకటైతే, మేము తిన్నగా ఇండియా నుంచి ఫ్రాన్స్ వెళ్ళి ఉంటే, ఫ్రాన్స్ను ఎలా చూసేవాళ్ళం అన్నది మరోటి. రెండో కారణం ఏమిటంటే, ఒక తెలుగువాడిగా, నాకొచ్చిన అవకాశాల వల్ల కలిగిన అనుభవాలను తోటి తెలుగువారితో పంచుకోటం అవసరంగా నాకు అనిపించడం!

అన్నిటికంటే, ముఖ్యమైన విషయం - నాకూ, రామన్నకీ వయస్సులో చాలా పెద్దవాళ్లయిన అక్కయ్యలు ఇండియాలో ఉన్నారు. వారికి, తెలుగు తప్ప మరే భాషా రాదు! వారి కోసం కూడా రాయడం అన్నిటి లోకి పెద్ద ప్రేరణ!

కొత్తపాళీ గారూ : మీరు అన్నట్లు మరిన్ని అనుభవాలు త్వరలో మీతో పంచుకోడనికి ప్రయత్నిస్తాను. అన్నట్లు, మీరు నాకు బాగా పరిచయమైన వారిలా అనిపిస్తున్నారు. వీలయితే, నాకు ఈమైల్ ఇవ్వండి.

రోహిణీప్రసాద్ గారూ : మీరన్నది నిజమే! ఫ్రెంచి వారికి వారి భాష, సంస్కృతుల మీద అభిమానం వల్లే, ఇంగ్లీషు వారు ఇండియాను పరిపాలినంత విసృతంగా, ఫ్రెంచి వారు ఇండియాను పరిపాలించలెకపోయారేమో!

ధన్యవాదాలతో,

లక్ష్మన్న

Lark_Vishnubhotla@yahoo.com

కె.వి.గిరిధరరావు