When Aaliyah died (TEN YEARS AGO), my classmates and I asked our French teacher if we could turn on the TV and watch CNN’s coverage. (Was there even coverage?) She told us, “No, I’m sorry. Big deal, a gangster rapper died. This is French class.” A “gangster rapper”? It still hurts. RELATED/UNRELATED story, two of my favorite classmates ever were in that French class - BFFs named Amber and Courtney. One day Amber asked, “Madame, how do you say head in French?” “La tête.” “Madame, Courtney gives lots of la tête.”  Madame was as oblivious to the meaning of “la tête” as she was to the importance of Aaliyah.
Pop-upView Separately

When Aaliyah died (TEN YEARS AGO), my classmates and I asked our French teacher if we could turn on the TV and watch CNN’s coverage. (Was there even coverage?) She told us, “No, I’m sorry. Big deal, a gangster rapper died. This is French class.”

A “gangster rapper”? It still hurts.

RELATED/UNRELATED story, two of my favorite classmates ever were in that French class - BFFs named Amber and Courtney. One day Amber asked, “Madame, how do you say head in French?”

“La tête.”

“Madame, Courtney gives lots of la tête.” 

Madame was as oblivious to the meaning of “la tête” as she was to the importance of Aaliyah.