22 Comments
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Sacha Cohen's avatar

The retreat sounds lovely (well, except for the food poisoning). Would you be willing to share more info about it? It looks like something I might enjoy in the future!

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Karen Bussen's avatar

Avec grand plaisir ! https://madamedelamaison.com/

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Sacha Cohen's avatar

Merci!

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Jax's avatar

Refuge reposant?

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Karen Bussen's avatar

Exactement ! Et inspirant en plus 🧚‍♀️

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Susie McLarn's avatar

Hi Karen, I really enjoyed your piece on the Provence Retreat and yes totally get the dilemma with the word 'Retreat'. I have an 'experience' company with my Parisian business partner Aline Bachelier and we run 'Retreats' in Provence focusing on antiques, textiles, design and joie de vie. I am English and Retreat conjures up something nurturing and restful whereas for Aline it's a rest home for the elderly!!!..not the image we are trying to put across. How careful we need to be with multiple languages. If anyone has a good replacement word for a lovely stay in a beautiful place I would love to know. Susie from La Source - Adventures in Provence & Paris www.sourceantiquesfrance.com

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Susie McLarn's avatar

Lest ask AI 🤣🤣🤣

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Karen Bussen's avatar

Wanna hear something funny? I was having a convo with ChatGPT the other day and I told it that while I was grateful for some data I asked for, as a writer, I could never ask it to help me with even one word of writing, because I would like to preserve the artistic human tradition haha.

In half a second, it wrote me real suck-up sweet reply as if it understood how important human arts are and that's when I knew--we're definitely done for. 🙃

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Karen Bussen's avatar

Merci Susie ! We’ll have to invent a word! 😃

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Steve Glicken, MD's avatar

You might consider using the word “séance” as a set-aside time or session!

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HF's avatar

Stunning photographs, Karen, and a lovely personal reflection on a beautiful week.

Your vast creativity shines in this space.

Hope we meet up again.

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Karen Bussen's avatar

Thank you, and yes, a great week. Hope the rest of your trip was fantastic ❣️

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Caroline McCormick-Clarke🐆🧀🎨✍️'s avatar

Karen, it sounds like this wonderful Provençal retreat came at exactly the right time for you.

I knew the French word for retirement was retraite. But I hadn’t made the connection to a retreat. (As children growing up in Ireland, an annual secondary school retreat to a local monastery or convent was a highlight to spend time with school friends away from family).

I loved your 3 view video montage. How did you do that? - it’s very clever.

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Karen Bussen's avatar

Yes, it's so interesting about the word "retreat" -- it's really the concept that is not a whole thing yet...for the videos, thank you! It's my magical photo and video fairy who sprinkles her stardust on the clips I take wherever I go. I am always amazed at her latest editing and how she finds the gems in the heaps of stuff I send her. Plus, last time she was in Paris she took some beautiful images we're starting to share now :-)

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Betty Carlson's avatar

What a great break! I got to thinking about your translation of "retraite" question. I think you're right --there really is no real translation, although on Linguée I found some use of "retraite" -- for example "retraite spirituelle" -- but I think it's for lack of a better word. I wonder if it's a word that might slip into French in English, or else maybe "retraite" will also start to take on that meaning.

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Karen Bussen's avatar

I know, it’s not yet a big concept in France really…not like in the States

My husband just looked it up in our 100-year-old Larousse and while « retraite » is also defined as we would imagine it, it’s just not used that way here beyond « retirement » or something religious/spiritual. Monsieur B says to use « séminaire de développement. personnel » — that’s a mouthful haha

Would you agree?

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Betty Carlson's avatar

I think a “séminaire de développement personnel” sounds much more pedagogical and structured, although I did see “séminaire” used as a translation on Linguee. I think this is a void in the language for now and something will eventually fill it if the concept picks up.

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Ajiri Aki's avatar

What a beautiful summary of a special week. I love your photos and can’t wait to see what you painted.

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Karen Bussen's avatar

A beautiful week thanks to you Madame ! J’espère que cette semaine est aussi belle—merci merci ❣️

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Karen Bussen's avatar

Et pour les aquarelles…malheureusement pas grandes choses 😂 mais je pense que tu m’as promise un nom pour un atelier à Paris ? J’aimerais m’améliorer ❣️

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Karen Bussen's avatar

Merci pour ce commentaire :-)

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Laura Hulley's avatar

Hey, so just so you know it’s really common these days to use the word ‘retraite’ for a retreat - particularly in the yoga, breathwork, personal development space. My yoga teachers use it, but I’ve seen it for creative writing workshops, meditation weekend, women’s retreats, it’s really very common! (Source: ten years in France :)

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