Submitted by Amelia Ritter on the 2018 winter session study abroad program France sponsored by the Department of Art…
Having learned Italian in high school, the only French that I know is how to introduce myself and how to order ice cream. Just the important things, of course. I’m trying to learn French, but it’s not going too well. The language barrier causes some problems, but mostly it’s okay.
This week, I went and bought some clementines from the little store down the street and interacted with a cute little Parisian lady who didn’t speak a lick of English and we had a whole conversation in hand signs and charades. She talked on and on in French and asked another man, if he understood what I was saying, but to no avail. However, the transaction was completed.
Similarly, I go to the cafe on the corner of my street almost once a day and we converse in broken English and French. There’s something so raw about not actually conversing with words that makes people so much more interesting. Maybe due to the fact that there’s little to understand from the vocals, you pay attention to the physical presence much more and it results in a deeper connection. One of the waiters refers to me exclusively as “girl” (like the Faceless Man in “Game of Thrones”) which is probably his translation of mademoiselle into English. A different waiter greets me enthusiastically every time he sees me and shouts out “Do you love Paris!” randomly to me every once in a while. So far, I’ve learned how to order in French with them, although I don’t pronounce a lot of the words correctly, but hopefully by the end of the month, I will be able to have a basic conversation in French with them!
