Catherine Thorpe is a native Parisian, born in the Momartre area of Paris just below the Sacre Coeur. She was taught at an early age to love the English language, and took many trips to England and the U.S. to learn English. She teaches French at the University of Utah, and directs her own French School and Travel agency from her home; which she has done for over 12 years. She has five children, one of whom was a Sterling Scholar in French, and has her-self taught French at the University of Utah.

CATHERINE THORPE'S BLOG
FROM AN EXPATRIATE NATIVE PARISIAN

This is not a typical blog, because it doesn't provide all the interactive whistles and bells of many blogs; although I would welcome comments by email -- just send them to  catherine@vivelafranceschool.com.
      Generally the newest entries are at the top and the oldest entries are at the bottom. If you click on the yellow highlighted text, you will be taken to a page that represents that subject or a larger image. I hope you enjoy reading my blog and seeing some of the images. Click on the images and you can see a larger view. The images have something to do with the blog entries.
 -- Catherine.Thorpe
 

MY LINKS:
DON THORPE PHOTOGRAPHY
VIVE LA FRANCE SCHOOL

ARCHIVE INDEX:
PARIS AGAIN
INTERNATIONAL EXHIBIT
HALLOWEEN SURPRISE
WWII ESCAPE
PASSING YEARS
SASSELLO REUNION

July 9, 2009
IN THE NEWSPAPER
Well, it finally happened. Fame and fortune arrived at my doorstep this morning <smile>. Actually it was really the Deseret News delivered un-ceremoniously to my front porch with an article about me by Cathy Free. In her weekly FreeLunch column, Cathy wrote a colorful article about me and my French Heritage. It does provide some interesting and sometimes humorous information about my past. You might want to read it (July 9, Utah Section, first page).   CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ARTICLE ON-LINE.
 

June 6, 2009
D-DAY IN FRANCE
If you recognize the date, you know that this is the 65th anniversary of D-day. My husband and I attended several of the D-day commemorations, and drove from beach to beach surrounded as it were by dozens of restored WWII army vehicles -- mostly jeeps. It felt like a throw-back in time as we followed jeeps being driven by men and women in WWII uniforms with U.S. insignia patches and flags. Bands in several locations played swing music from the 40's, and on one occasion we stood on a high out-cropping overlooking Arromanches and listened to the faint echoes of swing music with vocals in French. For some hardly explainable reason this was a comforting experience reflecting on a time when the world was clear in its directions. Yes, there was the horror of war and death, but people clearly knew what they were doing, and the unity of allies and the French underground was inspiring. I've mentioned before my grandfather who helped allied airmen to freedom over the Pyrenees into Spain. Perhaps that is one of the reasons I connect to this era in such a positive way.
 

May 29, 2009
YOUNG PEOPLE IN PARIS
My husband, Don, had an enlightening experience on the Metro in Paris today. He sat in front of a group of standing teenagers, obviously cocky and full of themselves. As he watched them an amazing feeling of understanding came to him and he realized that they really feel fragile and insecure and are reaching out to each other to find a feeling of belonging. As they talked loudly and laughed, Don slyly photographed them, was discovered, and then he smiled showing them the photograph and winked. They connected to him immediately and smiled timidly, and for a short moment he was one with them -- they knew it and he knew it. Then the metro stopped and they were gone leaving Don with a feeling of warmth for them that surprised him. As a wise old Arab in Jerusalem once told Don, "Children, the same everywhere." And aren't we all just children trying to find our way?
 

May 28, 2009
PARIS TODAY
We are in Paris once again. The City of Lights never changes, yet there is something different about it this time. Paris seems more "doen-to-earth" and much more busy than I have ever seen it. Perhaps it seems that way because we are tired. The drizzling rain doesn't promote the "Paris in Love" kind of feeling, either. My husband arrived two days before me in the middle the early morning rush. He managed to catch the RER from the airport to Gare de Lyon with the help of a Frenchman from San Francisco who was friendly and was going in the same direction, so they talked about France and America and rode the RER to Chatelet. He got off and my husband stayed on for Gare de Lyon.
      Even though he had a satellite map of the station and the street where the B&B was located near Gare de Lyon, he still managed to get "turned around" and wandered in the wrong direction for about an hour. Oh, well, such is life.
 

May 19, 2009
ESCAPE AND EVASION
My husband and I spent a week in Dayton, Ohio attending the AFEES 2009 reunion -- WWII Airforces Escape & Evasion Society. This organization was founded by airmen who escaped from Nazi occupied France. The founders wanted to remember and honor the brave French people who risked their lives to help them escape. They gave the group their motto: "we will never forget." Each year the group sponsors a dozen or so passeurs or "helpers" as they are often called, to come to the reunion from France. My grandfather, who died before I moved to the U.S., was one of the helpers that guided 8 allied airmen over the Pyrenees into Spain, and that is why we were invited.
      The Air force Museum opened an exhibit honoring the escapers and their French helpers, and we attended the opening ceremony. Most people don't know that for every allied airmen that escaped there was an equal number of French helpers who gave up their lives. The French paid a high price for their willingness to help the Allies. They truly responded to persecution with faith and courage.
      This year's reunion saw some big changes in the group, as there was a major shift from the older members to the younger members -- so called "First Generation" to "Second Generation." Although, amazingly, our new president is 91 years old -- and still mentally sharp and physically active.
      As we listened to some of the old airmen tell their stories we realized that those experiences were totally different than anything we experience today. There was a feeling of sacrifice and dedication by both the airmen and the French and Belgian "Helpers" that risked their lives to help total strangers. 
      We toured the National Air Forces Museum and saw many of the old and illustrious airplanes of the last century -- including the original "Memphis Belle." There are some photos and information about the reunion on the AFEES website which my husband designed.
 

May 5, 2009
LIFE IS NOT FAIR
One of our good friends told us the other day that she has been suffering for months without a chance to enjoy life. Sometimes life isn't fair, and the more I get to know about life the more I realize that we have to take things the way they are and still find some fulfillment and happiness in spite of circumstances -- or maybe it's because of the hard circumstances that true peace and happiness are possible. I remember a line from the movie about C.S. Lewis (Shadowland) when his sweetheart tells him, "You don't understand, pain is part of the joy." Lewis said, "The pain I feel now is the happiness I had before." But I think life is more than happiness, it is discovering who you are and what you are capable of doing. And perhaps I could restate what Lewis said, "The happiness I feel now comes from the pain I felt before."
      One of the pivotal points of my married life was about 25 years ago when my husband and I stood on a hilltop lawn in front of the old Primary Hospital high on the Avenues in Salt Lake City. We had just been told that one of our children had a serious brain disorder and that the doctors needed to do more tests to decide what to do about it. We waited outside on the lawn looking out over the city and realized with clarity that this was not a dream or an artificial situation, it was reality. As we stood there with our arms around each other in tears, we felt a certain feeling of peace, "This is real, there is no turning away from this, it won't go away any time soon, but we can handle it." As the years have passed, we often look back on that moment with joy -- don't ask me why, I'm not sure I fully understand it myself. But there was something about that experience that made us feel like we were standing taller and were becoming what God wanted us to become, and that the pure love we felt for our child and each other transcended any suffering we might experience.
 

March 20, 2009
INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBIT
One of my husband's Impressionist photos was accepted in the LDS International Art Competition this year. There were over a thousand entries and we were happy that his photo was one of the 197 that was accepted. His photo is entitled, "Light of Moroni" and it represents an angel's visit to a humble farm boy in New York. This photo was part of his special exhibit at the Springville Museum of Art commemorating Joseph Smith's 200th anniversary in 2005. When we looked around the exhibit, we were pleasantly surprised to see Anne Marie Oborn's painting next to Don's photo. Anne Marie is a good friend of ours, and Don designed her website -- www.anneoborn.com
 

February 24, 2009
THE CHARM OF LAGUNA BEACH
My husband and I took a short break this week to Laguna Beach in California. It was our second visit to this charming coastal city. The warm breezes and quiet days were a welcome respite from the gray cold of Salt Lake City. We took a side trip to San Juan Capistrano and visited the old mission. Don had a strange deja vu experience as he entered one of the rooms in the compound. There was a painting of Spanish cowboys that made him feel the personality and presence of his Great Grandfather, James Munro Puffer who lived in California for many years before marrying a pretty Mormon girl and following her family to Beaver in Rural Utah. He was a handsome man and recklessly charming. Don's Great Grandmother thought he was a Spaniard when she first saw him, and asked, "Who is that handsome Spaniard?"
 

November 6, 2008
HALLOWEEN SURPRISE
We had an unusual Halloween surprise this year. After a night of unbearable pain the day before Halloween, which my husband thought was acid-reflux; I drove him to InstaCare in Sugarhouse to get some relief. However, within minutes he was aboard an ambulance with sirens screaming headed for the University Hospital with a full-blown diagnosed heart-attack. The University Hospital staff wasted no time, and that evening he had an artery stent in place and was joking with the hospital staff.
     "Trick or Treat" in that setting had a whole new meaning. Fortunately, his heart sustained only minor injury – which was a miracle given the circumstances – and he was reassured that there will be full recovery. In fact, the doctor said that he will probably be healthier than before, because he will be forced to change his life-style – more exercise, fat-free food, etc.
     This has been and will be a life changing experience for all of my family, as we change our diet, physical activities and attitude about life. But Don seems to be doing very well, and is almost his usual self again with, of course, a much different outlook on the fragility and mortality of life. We thank God for His obvious help and for the prayers, visits and kindness of all our friends and family during a trying experience. Needless to say, it was the scariest Halloween in our memories.
 

May 7, 2008
SEARCHING FOR A WWII HERO
My husband and I joined AFEES, the WWII Airforces Escape & Evasion Society, to see if we could fine information about the clandestine activities of Gilbert Ramognino, my grandfather, and his experiences during WWII, including his taking 8 allied fliers over the Pyrenees into Spain during the Nazi occupation of France. We attended the AFEES annual reunion in May and made several contacts with veterans who had been smuggled out of France during the war. One of them, Bruce Bollinger, later went to the National Archives in Maryland and discovered the original escape and evasion report made by my grandfather. Wow! Reading the report sent chills up and down our spines as we reviewed Gilbert's personal account of the harrowing events during their escape over the rugged mountains of the Pyrenees and how he hid the airmen in the snow, and kept curious French towns people from talking to them while they were at the train station with the Gestapo and police everywhere. We were transported back in time, and were filled with respect and awe for those brave French men and women who risked their lives to help the Allies during the war.
 

April 2, 2009
POOR ECONOMY CURE
I keep joking with my students and tell them that they shouldn't let the poor economy get them down. They could get a new lease on life by learning French <smile>. They could make new friends and enjoy the culture of France and forget the woes of financial problems by getting involved with the language of culture and love. I am amazed that many of them take it seriously.
 

December 7, 2008
THIRTY FIVE YEARS AND STILL GOING
Here is a milestone in our lives -- our 35th wedding anniversary. I guess that doesn't mean much to the casual blog reader, but anyone who stays married for that long has accomplished a minor miracle. You might think I am proud of the feat -- well I am, but I also realize that staying married for that long is a trial of faith. My husband and I have been self employed for almost all of those years, and have been in each other's company for 24 hours a day most of the time. Try that sometime for over a month or two, and you'll begin to see why we are amazed at ourselves. Oh, it helps to be "madly" in love, but that wears thin without a real measure of endurance and dedication. We congratulate ourselves <smile>.
 

July 2006
ITALIAN FAMILY REUNION
So here I am boarding a flight for France once more. But this time I am meeting my husband in Italy to attend a family reunion in Sassello, the little mountain village where my great grandfather Nicolas Ramognino was born. Sassello is also the home of my ancestors before some of them became French. My husband and worked for over a year to organize this family reunion, but we were soon all laughing and talking in three different languages as we stood together on the lawn of the only hotel in the village. There were over 30 relatives from all over Italy and France, and  most of them had never met one another. There were tears and smiles as we got to know each other.
     We had dinner in the hotel main dining room -- on a table about 40 feet long. One Italian lady came late because she had a difficult time getting a bus. She came up to me with tears in her eyes and thanked me for organizing the reunion. Then she did an amazing thing. Holding my arm she took my hand and put a ring on my finger. She said she wanted me to have something to remember her by. We later discovered that the ring was an old family ring with diamonds. Such were the feelings of love and family ties we felt.