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RE: uLog #36 - It Really Is All About Community!
LOL, this bugged me too as soon as I saw it. ;-)
The funny thing is, when I went to Luxembourg, I was already signed up to take German classes, thanks to the German lawyer/banker for whom I was going to do legal research.
It took me roughly a nanosecond to realize that most of what you hear spoken in the street is not German, or even Luxembourgish (which is a German dialect), but French.
C'est la vie.
And did you already speak French?
LOL, I wish, but no, not worth a damn. My French was, and remains, fairly abysmal, though it remains a language that both Marek and I would love to learn.
But the funny thing about the French, despite all I was told about them "hating Americans," is that that's a complete fallacy. They do dislike being treated rudely, and are masters and handing it right back, which in context I find completely understandable. I dislike rude Americans too. ;-)
But the French I met in Europe, whether in France, Luxembourg or elsewhere, were exceptionally nice people, and went out of their way to be nice to me as I attempted to speak their language, just because I tried.
The few words and phrases I speak I can pronounce fairly well, though I have nowhere near enough of a vocabulary to hold even a meager conversation, but managed to communicate at least marginally through a combination of a handy phrase book, charades and pointing.
I have no doubt that, for an onlooker fluent in both languages, it was probably pretty hilarious. ;-)
I've never been to Europe but it sounds wònderful. I've stryggled to learn french but it's never "stuck" so I'm sure they'd have a good giggle...it's nice to know they are good about it. Lol... I sometimes DO need to know where the bathroom is. Lol