la mer et la femme

One of the many challenging things about studying a Romance language as a native English speaker is learning (and rationalizing) which nouns are female and which are male. Though the United States has a lot of work to do when it comes to gender equality, most places and things are expressed as gender neutral (German, anyone?); except for Mother Nature, and 99.9% of all ships/boats.

Leslie and I arrived to a windy and wet Biarritz last week. The ocean was incredible from a distance. We watched in amazement as it violently thrashed about, and we weren't the only ones. Residents gathered, too. The scene reminded of my least favorite descriptor of women: crazy. We appropriate "crazy" when describing disagreeable, emotional, and otherwise 'unstable' ladies far too often. It's neither nice nor accurate. With all the word's negative connotations, it's also unnecessarily offensive. I wish that'd just wash away.

La mer was crazy though. And Leslie and I temporarily ducked into un café to wait out the rain in the luxurious seaside town. We also took refuge in a spectacular resto of basque moderne cuisine before visiting other Pays Basque destinations in better weather.

I look forward to re-living that meal super soon! Until then, some further reading inspired by International Women's Day...

• On International Women's Day: Working to make it right.
• For those who think I rant about the patriarchy and misogyny too much.
• International Women's Day: In defence of feminist dissent.
• It’s Woman’s Day In Ukraine. Here’s What That Means For The Mothers And Daughters Living With Revolution.
• Sheryl Sandberg and Anna Maria Chávez on 'Bossy,' the Other B-word.