***Getting back into speaking French and trying to remember French words. Result? Now I can’t remember either French or English words. Brain-lock. It happens every trip, but dumbfounds me each trip. Hopefully, it’ll soon wear off.
***English conversations overheard:
- At the Louvre: a frustrated husband “Mary, you never told me this place was so BIG…”
At the Foire de Chatou antique fair: An antique dealer standing with an American couple who were strategizing furiously and audibly in English about what to offer the dealer for a small sculpture. “Tell him our highest offer is 2000 euros, but you know I’m willing to pay 3000.” The dealer maintained an admirably straight face, despite the fact that he speaks perfect English…
***Meanwhile, I wander around reading advertisements in the Metro and on the busses, trying to understand what they mean and often wildly misconstruing them. Oh, those idioms! Trying to cope with a different language is such a salutary exercise in humility and frustration. So good for empathy.
***Speaking of reading, Warren took at French class at Metro State last spring and really improved his French reading and writing skills. Nevertheless, I was dazzled yesterday when he read aloud an informational sign outside a museum and his translation of the vocabulary and tenses were truly masterful. Turned out he was reading an English sign while I struggled with the French.
***Not only do we have severe language problems, but we’re both getting deaf as posts. We’re at the antique fair, and an announcement comes over the loudspeaker, and Warren asks me what they said. I translate that (I think) they said that some house keys had been found left in the toilet. Warren says “Poor guy…” I’m confused and say “What guy?” Warren responds “The poor Husky somebody left in the restroom.” I go off into gales of laughter while Warren worries about an abandoned Malamute.
ed. note - For those of you who have asked, an earlier post (3-9-15) showed the purported "Angel of the Pushpin", it is actually half of a set of candle holders for church candles sitting in front of, or on an altar - Msr. LeMond
ed. note - For those of you who have asked, an earlier post (3-9-15) showed the purported "Angel of the Pushpin", it is actually half of a set of candle holders for church candles sitting in front of, or on an altar - Msr. LeMond
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