this trip has been less about sightseeing and more about talking. it’s like my inhibitions fell out of my pockets and scattered all over the atlantic on the way here. when i arrived in paris, the french turned on in my head and full sentences came out. actually, it was less turning on the french and more turning UP the french. i was a bit surprised and quite delighted. by no means am i fluent; i still struggle with vocabulary and complicated verb tenses, but overall i’m able to spit out what i’m thinking and people get it. many times i say “je parle un peu de francais, alors, je vais essayer,” which alerts my listener and softens them up a little. a little bit of charm goes a long way. but sometimes i don’t even say that, i just start talking. and they understand!
(i must interrupt my post here to write about how WINDY it is in st. remy today; when we arrived last thursday it was equally as windy; our host told us that when the rest of france gets rain, provence gets wind, and that it would die down thursday night and be nice for a few days. indeed it did; it’s been gorgeous and sunny, with only a slight breeze to cool us off when it gets too warm. it’s amazingly dry. my lips are chap, my hands are scaly, i got a bloody nose yesterday morning. our host told us the mistral winds blow about 60 mph nonstop during the winter. it’s house-shaking windy. the windows rattle, the shutters flap against the side of the house, the doors slam shut if a draft comes through. it’s like a constant storm, but with clear blue skies. very dramatic.)
so i’ve talked to many people: shop owners, waiters, etc. a saleslady was making me a sample of chanel no. 19 eau de parfum in sephora, and i told her how one can’t buy the edp in the states. she told me only americans buy chanel 19 anyway. i walked into a perfume shop in uzes and told the owner, i only speak a little french and he said, well i speak it really well. i asked the rosy-cheeked waiter/owner of the teeny restaurant in gordes how many people lived there, he told me 5000 in the summer, 2500 in the winter, that there are a lot of “maisons secondaires.” i called a restaurant in town last night and booked a table for 5, and it worked! these sound like the smallest things but to me, they’re huge. they’re about me not caring if i sound like a tourist, not caring if someone will judge me for my poor french. it’s a joy to get little slices of humor; when i was here before i always felt like i didn’t get the jokes. it feels good to try, and i’m enjoying my successes, tiny as they may be.