C'est francais!

Alright, so, I know I mentioned a few weeks ago that I'm working on my French again in preparation for my graduation trip to Paris.  London is included in that trip package, btw, but I don't need to learn a new language for that as long as I don't try to buy waterproof pants like my friend Liz did..."pants" means "underwear" over there, if you didn't already know.  Anywho, so during this week while my mom has been here, we keep ending up near people speaking French.  I keep picking up on it, probably due to a heightened awareness since I'm working on relearning it.

Anyway, on to tonight.  My mom and I were out for drinks for her last night here.  We've just paid the bill, and my mom ran to the bathroom while they were processing the card and all that jazz.  While she's gone, I discover that the table of 7 people that had recently been seated near us are all speaking French.  I'm guessing they're from Quebec since Massachusetts is rather close.  So, I'm listening, not catching much because I've forgotten a lot PLUS I've had two martinis.  That's not a TON of alcohol to me, but I was swaying a bit on the walk back to the train station.  I'm still having an interesting time typing right now.  I have to focus very hard to catch the typos.  I'm sure you can tell I'm a little unfocused since I seem to be going off on tangents instead of staying on topic.  Anywho.  My mom comes back and I whisper to her that they're speaking French and I want to say that I think it's funny since I keep encountering people doing that now that I've started relearning.  She says I should.  Being somewhere between tipsy and drunk, I do it.  But in French.  Here's roughly what I said.  (Translations as necessary.)

"Un moment...un moment.  (One moment...one moment.)  C'est interessant, parce que j'ai oublie un peu de mon français, mais je desire... (It's interesting, because I've forgotten a little of my French but I want...) to remember..." (at which point one of the women reminded me what it is, I believe she said souvenir, which is the verb for to remember)...

And then I finished in English by saying "and I keep ending up near people speaking French ever since I started working on it again."  My mom added some things in English about how we've ended up near people 3 or 4 times in the past week.  And then I said:

"Je desire visiter à Paris en......deux mille...dix.  (I want to visit Paris in......two thousand...ten).

One of the men then responded in French to tell me the dollar will be higher at that point (referring to the exchange rate, American dollar will be a little better, basically...).  Then I said goodbye and we left.

So, anyway.  It wasn't anything brilliant.  But I certainly feel that I'll be ready for my Paris trip when summer of 2010 rolls around.  They didn't want to kill me.  They didn't cringe at my accent (actually, I've known that won't be a problem ever since my 3rd year high school French teacher said I have a perfect accent).  They were accommodating when I got stuck and had to switch to English (granted, they were visiting my country so it's a little more acceptable to speak in my own language at that point).  They'll probably talk about it for the rest of the evening, but they were pleasant and happy to speak to me and that's what counts at this point.

And now, I feel the need to present you all with the lyrics to a song I wrote when I was still a music major back in my Sophomore year of college...before I switched to Sociology.  There's a long story you may never hear...

Dans mon jardin avec mes fleurs,  (In my garden with my flowers)
J'attends, j'attends.  (I wait, I wait.)
J'attends pour toi  (I wait for you)
Mais tu ne viens jamais.  (But you never come.)

Et tu mon ange?  (Are you my angel?)
Ou un mirage?  (Or a mirage?)
Les fleurs sont mort  (The flowers died)
Mais j'attends tojours.  (But I always wait.)
Et tu ne viens jamais.  (And you never come.)

Dans mon jardin avec mes fleurs  (In my garden with my flowers)
J'attends pour mon amour,  (I wait for my love)
Et il ne viens....
Jamais... (And he never comes...)

Pardon the translation there at the end, gramattically the "ne....jamais" around a verb means never.  Ne...pas just negates the verb, like, "je ne condius pas" means I don't drive.  And ne...plus means not anymore.  There, I just taught you something.  Something rather advanced if you can't even conjugate the verbs in the first place, but there you have it.  =)

Alright, well, I know my mom and I were out for drinks which provides a bit of an excuse for being up late, but I should head off to bed now.  Goodnight all, and I hope you had a wonderful holiday filled with laughter and love.  =)

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