Always a Little Lost in Translation

Living in France as an American who does not speak French is certainly a humbling experience. To compensate for the language difference, I have dressed modestly, lowered my volume, and developed a metro stare that Medusa would envy. Still, the Parisians can always tell that I am an American. There are many opinions on how Parisians can identify us: our noses and makeup, how we look around at the buildings, our loudness, our tendency to wear tennis shoes, the way we walk, etc. I started off very concerned about fitting in, but after about a week I decided to just be polite and do my own thing. That's been going relatively well, but I still catch myself inadvertently doing dumb things.

Take today for an instance...I have had a little bit of a cold so I went down the street to the pharmacy that looked the most inviting. Walking in, I was a bit overwhelmed by all of the boxes--some with brands that I recognized, but all descriptions that I did not understand. As I was wandering around looking for a box with a picture of someone with a cold, I failed to notice that I had walked into forbidden territory behind the desk. One of the pharmacy attendants came out and politely asked me if I would step away from the medications and join the line at the front counter. Another American moment, and I could feel my face burning with embarrassment as the man explained how to take the pills in a tone that implied I was a simpleton.

I shook that experience off and headed back to the apartment and stopped at the corner store where I always go to get my Schweppes Agrum fix. The couple that owns the store recognize me now and are very friendly, so I thought I would let the woman working know that a flock of birds had descended on the fruit.
"Parlez-vous anglais?" I asked.
"Un peu," she responded.
"The flock of birds is stealing your fruit."
"Burrrhs???"
To demonstrate what a "burrrh" was, I found myself tweeting and flapping my arms to get my point across. She had a good laugh and then went to beat the birds off her plums with an umbrella. I felt rather silly, but at least this time I communicated efficiently.