I've been in Paris for over two weeks now. It's time to address the issue of language. Yes, I've taken French classes for six years. Unfortunately, my oral skills leave something to be desired... I've had many interactions with the French; some experiences just turn out better than others.
Going to the American University of Paris, thankfully I don't have to deal with the language barrier at school. However, everywhere else I'm expected to speak French. I am in France, it's just polite to speak their language. Of course, there are the people who realize immediately that you're American and switch to English for you. Sometimes you know it's meant as a nice gesture, and sometimes it's just a slap in the face.
One of the very first times my friends and I went out to eat at a restaurant, we had the former experience. We had found this cute little cafe near campus and went in for lunch. We ordered our food in French and afterwards the waitress politely asked us where we were from. We told her America and she was surprised! Apparently she could tell we weren't French, but assumed we were at least European. Strange. But, the rest of the meal she would talk to us in English (because she wanted to practice) and we would answer her in French.
Unfortunately, I have had the latter experience as well. Nothing too major though. The other day I went to the post office to buy some international stamps. I walked in with a "Bonjour!" and the man at the counter said (in French) "What can I do for you?" At that moment I realized I had no idea what the french word for 'stamp' was and I froze. I stood there staring stupidly at this guy for what seemed like a lifetime, when finally he said, "You speak English?" I laughed and thanked him and told him what I was looking for. He helped me find what I needed, but when I tried switching back to French for him, he didn't seem to appreciate the gesture and was a little rude the rest of the time. As I left the store, he and his coworker had a little chuckle, most likely about me, and I was glad to get out of there.
Then you have the awkward experiences when a French restaurant serves American dishes. In this situation, you're not sure whether to simply order completely in English, or try to finagle the French pronunciation of something that is clearly American. So you just end up sounding like an idiot that can't decide: "Je voudrais les 'chee-ken pop-airs' s'il vous plait, avec les frites et... ketchup."
So it's definitely been an adventure, this language thing. I've been trying to work on my French skills as much as possible. My host speaks both French and English, which helps a lot. Most of our conversations are in French, but she speaks slowly for me and corrects my grammar politely as I tentatively spit out sentences. It's a work in progress, but I have three more months to get the hang of it!
A bientot!
One of the very first times my friends and I went out to eat at a restaurant, we had the former experience. We had found this cute little cafe near campus and went in for lunch. We ordered our food in French and afterwards the waitress politely asked us where we were from. We told her America and she was surprised! Apparently she could tell we weren't French, but assumed we were at least European. Strange. But, the rest of the meal she would talk to us in English (because she wanted to practice) and we would answer her in French.
Unfortunately, I have had the latter experience as well. Nothing too major though. The other day I went to the post office to buy some international stamps. I walked in with a "Bonjour!" and the man at the counter said (in French) "What can I do for you?" At that moment I realized I had no idea what the french word for 'stamp' was and I froze. I stood there staring stupidly at this guy for what seemed like a lifetime, when finally he said, "You speak English?" I laughed and thanked him and told him what I was looking for. He helped me find what I needed, but when I tried switching back to French for him, he didn't seem to appreciate the gesture and was a little rude the rest of the time. As I left the store, he and his coworker had a little chuckle, most likely about me, and I was glad to get out of there.
Then you have the awkward experiences when a French restaurant serves American dishes. In this situation, you're not sure whether to simply order completely in English, or try to finagle the French pronunciation of something that is clearly American. So you just end up sounding like an idiot that can't decide: "Je voudrais les 'chee-ken pop-airs' s'il vous plait, avec les frites et... ketchup."
So it's definitely been an adventure, this language thing. I've been trying to work on my French skills as much as possible. My host speaks both French and English, which helps a lot. Most of our conversations are in French, but she speaks slowly for me and corrects my grammar politely as I tentatively spit out sentences. It's a work in progress, but I have three more months to get the hang of it!
A bientot!
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