"Bonjour! Comment ce va?" I exclaim with my red beret smartly positioned on top of my head. "Ce va," the kindly French person says in response, smiling at me--an American who took the time to learn her native French language. I walk on, feeling as though I made the world a better place through saying "Hello, how are you?" This is how I envision my time in France; me wearing cute little French outfits and speaking with a perfect little French accent. I see the French people looking at me adoringly and accepting me as one of their own. I sit at a cafe and tut along with them as a woman with large hair waves her arms and speaks with a southern drawl.
In my imagination I am quite the snob, which is not like me at all. That's why I like my imagination. I get to try on different people and test out different scenarios. What I don't like about my imagination is that it can make some things seem more important than they really are.
The reason I want to go to France is to see the Louvre and the many other lovely buildings filled with art and history. I want to sit in a cafe and sip tea while drawing the people that pass me by. There is a romantic quality to France that I want to capture, and it has nothing to do with the people or fitting in. It is more about being mysterious and wandering around in unfamiliar places.
I would dearly love to go to France one day, and while it would be helpful to speak French for the two to three weeks that I'm there, I don't know that I would find any other use for speaking the language. I might find a lost French woman in Portland, but she would inevitably speak English and I would sweetly smile at her as she said, "Hello, how are you?" with her cute French accent.
It's hard for me to admit, but I can't justify learning French right now. I will just have to settle for the French-gibberish I speak in my imagination. It goes something like this, "Floo blah tutu le blah." It's really quite elegant in my mind.
5 comments:
you made me laugh out loud!!
Does the French in your head sound like the French Joey speaks on Friends? Toot ta la fruit!
I work with a french woman, Rhania. You can come by the store and speak with her anytime. She is really very sweet and kind and loves to speak french with anyone who is able!
In my imagination you ARE French and have the best accent and you're not too much of a snob to be my good friend. We sit at cafes, you with your tea and me with some espresso sketching and talking and watching. It's a good life.
I was so laughing out loud! You are too cute and funny...AND you speak French MUCH better than I do! :)
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