So I was speaking with a French customer the other day, giving my usual song and dance about how my vocabulary sucks, and thanks for his patience, etc, etc, but he was like "that's all bullshit. I'm listening to you right now, and I can understand everything you're saying. We [french people] always try to speak english, and most [english] don't even bother, even if they can speak it."
Well, I won't get into the quebecois politics of it all, but suffice it to say (I don't even know where I stand), I do make an effort to speak French with francophone customers. Not just because it saves the sale, but it is respectful. I'm in Quebec after all. But the point of it is that when he said that, I realized that I suddenly can rather speak the language. I've been dancing here for four months, and suddenly I listen to the changeroom chatter (that flies at 90 miles an hour), and I understand 75% of the conversation. That, considering my crap French before I worked here, is coming a long way. Amazing what semi-immersion really does for a person.
Then today I happened to see this french movie on TV (The Rocket...so Canadian, but really good, I must say) and I realized that I wasn't even reading the subtitles. That is a new thing.
So hooray for stripping. It did what 8 and a half years of public education could not do. Amazing all those little fringe benefits, you know?![]()



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