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| A random wall in Paris |
There must be a middle path in here somewhere. We'll start today and see where we go...
...and speaking of things getting out of control...
Last week I called EDF (the French electric company) to request a refund for a fee they charged in error (another long story.)
After punching all of the appropriate numbers and symbols on my telephone, I landed in the headset of a fellow named 'Sébastian'. I explained the situation and my request for the refund, which was met with a pause on his end. I usually fill this quiet space by rattling off something like, "Est-ce que vous comprenez? Je suis desolée. Je ne parle pas bien français."*
* Do you understand? I'm sorry. I don't speak French well.
His quick response of "Si, si! Vous parlez très bien. J'ai compris tout ce que vous avez dit,"** was very encouraging but it got better.
** No, no! You speak very well. I've understood all that you've said."
He continued (in French but for the sake of speed here...), "In fact, you have a very pretty accent. What country are you from?" and before I could squeeze an answer into the small space he'd provided, he added, "Are you English?" (I get this a lot. I don't have that American 'r' that ends up sounding like a car grinding gears. The French 'r' can be a little tricky for American tongues to manage.)
"No, I'm American," I replied.
"Ooooh! American," he cooed. "Why are you in France? Are you being punished?"
I laughed, but it's not uncommon for people to ask in an incredulous tone why I left the US to move to France.
"No, no. I'm not being punished," I said, "in fact, I made the choice to live here."
"C'est pas vrai!" He continued in this vein - like a miner sifting for gold. "From what region?"
"California," I said.
Voilà! He'd struck it rich. There was gold in them thar words!
"Californieeeeeee!" he sang. "Take me with you!"
To be continued...
Bon dimanche à tous!
leslie
4 comments:
Sounds like you might have met a friend? Oui? But the main question here is "will you get the refund"? HA
Hope your weekend was good!
Kris
Kris, ha! That is a big question. You'll have to wait until tomorrow! until then...have a good rest of your Sunday!
Sebastian's immediate outlook just brightened unexpectedly. Wonder what's next?
Citing last week's theme, I can report we have your rain in San Diego.
John, oh how nice to see you, master of all things internet and html related! As to Sébastien, I'll bet he says such things to *all* the girls...at least all the California girls! (Rain, huh? Unbelievably mild here. Makes winter much more doable!)
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