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Originally Posted by GameMaster
JS, could tell us whether your extensive knowledge of the French language gave you any edge over the typical American tourist. Did you still find yourself at loss when in coversation with the native residents? What advantages and disadvantages did you encounter in your journey?
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I would say that I was definately more advantaged than a typical tourist would be. I was able to converse with people in the cafes, get directions, and tell guys that I was not interested.
A couple of stories:
As part of one of our classes we had to go out and talk to local citizens and ask them questions. A few of the people I talked to told me that I spoke French very well and when they found out I was from America, they complimented me on my accent. That was a great confidence boost.
I had a hard time talking to my teacher sometimes. She kind of intimidated me. I made many grammar mistakes that I shouldn't have made around her.
I found out that I can not talk about complicated computer stuff in French. I made a movie for my conversation class and the cds got messed up. I had no idea how to explain it all to Julie, my monitor. So, I ended up telling her in English. She understood some of it...
There was this guy at my favorite sandwich place. He spoke English. So, often times I would go in there and I would speak to him in French. But then he would speak to me in English. It was fun and interesting.
I also discovered that I can converse more easily in French after I have had a bit to drink. 6 drinks to be exact, I was speaking more in French than in English to my friends who spoke english.
The most interesting part was meal times. Because we sat at big dining tables, you often end up sitting next to people you don't normally converse with. The people who were there from other countries didn't speak english, naturally. So our common language was French. But then, one of my friends did not know very much French so she always spoke English unless she absolutely had to use French. So I found myself bouncing back and forth between the two languages. I spent a lot of time translating between my friend and someone who didn't speak english.