Bonjour!

WARNING! Should you visit France, take note that it is only acceptable to say “Bonjour!” once a day per person you meet. I found this out after a month of using “Bonjour!” the same way I would use “hello”. I would say “Bonjour!” to my colleagues every time I entered the staff room, and every time I saw them in the hall. I must have said “Bonjour!” to some people upwards of 5 times daily. I laughed really hard when I discovered my folly. I wonder why nobody else clued me in! I guess I’m going to have to start using the other “hello” option “Salut!”.

Recently an acquaintance named Gildas told me I’m the reason people aren’t allowed to talk on cell phones and drive. Everyone in the room laughed, and I was clueless. Someone was kind enough to explain that the gestures I rely on to be understood are creative. So I joined the laughter, and promised I won’t need gestures in February. Later I told Gildas, “I like to help”. He responded, “I don’t understand”. So after carefully reconsidering the construction and vocabulary of my phrase and adding a few gestures for good measure I restated, “I like to help”. Gildas laughed at me, and said that my phrase was correct the first time. At that moment it occurred to me that I was being teased about my logic and habits. I had a good laugh about this. It was relieving to be misunderstood on a pseudo intellectual level after a month of being told countless times daily that someone didn’t understand me, because what I said was incomprehensible. I spent the weekend with Gildas and he tried several times to joke with me, but I don’t get jokes, sarcasm, or teasing in French yet. It’s all I can do to understand the literal. It must have amused him to watch me struggle, because he also spoke in French proverbs which are much harder to understand than jokes. My first French course starts next Friday.

Myself and many French women are in love with Christophe Mae at the moment. Check out the video of my favorite song! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_kAH8GyNNA