Former Olympic Figure Skater Settles Down in Paris and into Motherhood

Although motherhood does not ordinarily reap monetary benefits and impress strangers at social gatherings, the many other rewards found in the intimate exchanges between parent and child are enough to satisfy this professional athlete and teacher.

Gillian arrived at the doorsteps of Lewisohn Hall after a highly successful career as a "pairs" figure skater. She was a national champion and a member of the Olympic team. While at GS, she asserted her intellectual prowess in her chosen area of study—Medieval and Renaissance Studies, which she had to create. Gillian graduated from Columbia University, School of General Studies, in 1994. She left College Walk with a B.A. and a flourishing romance. Gillian met her husband Henri while studying at GS through his younger sister, who was an exchange student in a Ph.D. program at Columbia studying American Literature. Henri is now a pediatric doctor in France, and he has his own practice.

Two days after commencement, Gillian packed her bags and moved to France, leaving all that was familiar to her, and started a new life. She said that the move was difficult for her and her family. I asked her how she coped with the language barrier. She had already started her preparation here at GS, taking first-year French as an elective her senior year, and the first thing she did when she arrived in Paris was take a four-month intensive French course. Her first job was teaching ice skating, but she soon found out that it was not to her liking. Gillian found that the sports are run differently in France. Athletic coaching in the United States is geared toward the individual, while in France it is geared toward the group. After this, Gillian started to teach English. She did this until she became pregnant with her first child.

Gillian's current position as domestic engineer is a full-time job that requires extended hours of service or, as she nicely put it, overtime." With two boys, ages 4 and 2, and another son expected in May 2001, Gillian has put in plenty of overtime, Sick days are not an option, and the work goes on vacation with her. We even had to schedule our phone interview during the only free hour she had during her busy day. Also, Gillian discovered that motherhood is a hands—on career. There is no training or educational preparation prior to its occurrence; therefore, you're in constant state of learning. What's more interesting is that Gillian, who is American born and bred, has taken on this role in a country foreign to her, France.

When I asked Gillian about her experiences in France, she replied, "I had to learn how to eat lunch." I was a bit puzzled by her response, and then we both laughed. She began to explain that in France lunch is the main meal of the day, much like dinner here in the United States. Instead of eating a McValue Meal-to-go out of a paper bag while walking back to the office, the French basically shut down the entire country each day for a two-hour, formal lunch. She explained that for her, this is family time. This is the time that her husband comes home from work and the family eats a meal together. Gillian spoke about the way the week was structured differently than in the United States. School for children runs from Monday to Saturday, with Wednesday and Sunday off. Since the school week follows this schedule, so do a majority of the working parents.

During our phone conversation, I asked about her experiences as a woman: She respond·ed that France is a Latin country; therefore, it is male dominated but "the woman" is very respected for her femininity. To be feminine is to be admired. After a few months in France, she recalled observing that French women almost always wear skirts. She did point out that this mindset has been a bit frustrating for her since she was raised to be a strong American woman. She told me of a recent exchange in which she and her husband met with a contractor to review the final changes on the floor plan for their :hew home. She was standing in front of her husband and, when she extended her hand and courteous American smile to greet the contractor, he quite abruptly passed her by and went directly for her husband's hand. She said she got angry and first, but then decided that "you have to take the good with the bad.''

Gillian maintains that the gender disparity balances out. She stated that the society as a whole is more geared toward accommodating and recognizing the woman as the caretaker. I was amazed when Gillian told me that in France, maternity leave begins six weeks prior to the child's due date, and ends (pay attention ladies) three months after the birth, and the entire four and one-half month period is paid leave. In addition to this, the mother's continued employment in her old job is protected by law. She is guaranteed to have her job back. Also, if there are any complications during the pregnancy, the woman is paid two-thirds of her salary for any additional time off, and the father of the child is permitted three days off with pay.

We ended our discussion talking about the things she missed here in the United States. Gillian replied that she missed simple pleasures like watching television and listening to the radio. When her mother flew to visit her and looked out the airplane window at the red tiles that most French homes have on their roofs, she knew immediately that she was flying over Europe. She compared the view to the land of Babar, a character in a series of popular children's books. The last thing Gillian said before we hung up was that even after living in France for several years, she will always be a foreigner to the French, and America will always be home.