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N o v e m b e r 2015 59 LEsprit de LEscalier Moi Enfin Its time to thaw our frozen identities. By Rhea Ct RoBBins I n a word modern. Where does one go to be a modern French-heritage wom- an when one is being held captive to ste- reotypes and how is one supposed to exist in stereotypes My can of worms opened when I took a writing class for a degree program. When re- vealing my essay topic I learned my native New England classmates didnt know what a Franco-American was let alone who. Two- thirds of their names were French. What the heck was happeningAnn Marie All fine and good but the truth remains somewhat buried even when we thaw our frozen identities almost self-parodies. With self-interrogation comes self discov- ery I concluded I was part of the problem. With the help of others Id put our memo- ries and culture in mothballs to protect them until there was a place to safely air them. Then the Franco-American Womens Insti- tute jumped to the top of my Internet search. Women with memories like mine Some written in French some in English some in both. BothAnn Marie Ever feel you had to deny your Franco- American heritage during your youth Yes if I did not want to be laughed at French jokes. Id pretend I wasnt French Until people asked my mothers maiden name Roderique. Then theyd know I was French and make fun of me.Marie Claire We share the five stages of a journey preparation traveling arriving departing and reflectionencompassing all at once our past present and future selfselves. SomememoriesIcanonlyrecallinFrench. Life events embedded in my bones cant be re- visited in any other language.Ann Marie People today are fascinated when I tell them I can speak French for years it was a negative. Now its a positive. I never expected this to happen.Marie Claire Learning ones culture beyond the boundaries becomes an obsession a con- stant companion who cannot be denied the truths the deep longing to know more and go on a journey beyond the stereotypes be- comes a quest. n Rhea Ct Robbins is the author of down the Plains and is on her quest.