We live, we are constantly told, in bubbles. On social media, in politics, in our suburbs, our cities, our countries. Our class, our profession. Tribes, parochialisms, identities. Divisions, distinctions, distributions, detachments. Borders everywhere.
I just had a French class and we were talking about Egyptology and my tutor asked if I knew the Frenchman who deciphered the Rosetta Stone and I immediately blurted out Champignon! Which is of course “mushroom”. (it is Champollion) Mon dieu 🤪
Beautifully written Tim, and I could relate to your experience of feeling achingly inadequate to express in another language what you'd like to say (even though your French is probably better than you think.) I think the fear is exacerbated by the fact that so many Europeans are pretty fluent in English, because they're exposed to it so much, whereas we only really have a few years of school French (or whatever language) to draw on, unless we have a motivation to do further study for travel or work reasons. You will make huge progress the longer you live there, for sure, so just keep trying because I'm sure the locals will appreciate your efforts.
Ah yes, that English-only speaking bubble is beyond my capacity to burst. As the token Aussie travelling to France with my UK family who are all fluent, their easy chattering to the locals renders me nearly mute. I couldn't muster the courage to vocalise anything. But wow, what a great location, just wait till you visit Antibes (there is an Aussie barista at Nomads) and if you get up the hill to Vence then do visit Patisserie Palanque and taste a "Craquelin".
I just had a French class and we were talking about Egyptology and my tutor asked if I knew the Frenchman who deciphered the Rosetta Stone and I immediately blurted out Champignon! Which is of course “mushroom”. (it is Champollion) Mon dieu 🤪
"Après moi, l'addition."
Beautifully written Tim, and I could relate to your experience of feeling achingly inadequate to express in another language what you'd like to say (even though your French is probably better than you think.) I think the fear is exacerbated by the fact that so many Europeans are pretty fluent in English, because they're exposed to it so much, whereas we only really have a few years of school French (or whatever language) to draw on, unless we have a motivation to do further study for travel or work reasons. You will make huge progress the longer you live there, for sure, so just keep trying because I'm sure the locals will appreciate your efforts.
Ah yes, that English-only speaking bubble is beyond my capacity to burst. As the token Aussie travelling to France with my UK family who are all fluent, their easy chattering to the locals renders me nearly mute. I couldn't muster the courage to vocalise anything. But wow, what a great location, just wait till you visit Antibes (there is an Aussie barista at Nomads) and if you get up the hill to Vence then do visit Patisserie Palanque and taste a "Craquelin".
By the way, Tim, as a holder of a degree in film, I appreciated the Marcel Pagnol reference in the title.
After seven years here in Brazil, every time I hear English being spoken in public, my head whips around, despite my being fluent in Portuguese.