Thursday, October 31, 2013

A little bit of French goes a long way

A few weeks ago we popped into a shop here to buy some appliances. As we paid, we asked the lady at the counter where we go to collect the stuff. She rattled off something long and fast in French and we both stood there, staring at her blankly. Noticing that there were people in the queue behind us, we said "Pardon" and she repeated it slowly in French again.

At some point in that reply I picked up one word and said to My Man "We fetch it from behind the shop."

He looked at me stunned and said "How do you know?".  I smacked him on the bottom and said..."You have a nice derriere". 

Needless to say the couple behind us thought it was funny. That was the only word I picked up - but who said knowing how to say "Nice behind" in French wouldn't help one day.


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Monday, October 21, 2013

A Bah Humbug Post

*Warning: A little rant ahead....

Perhaps it is like this everywhere, but since I have never gone in and out of the city on public transport, or walked around a city as often as I have here, I wouldn't know. Another thing has really struck me. Most people, and not only the younger generation, grip their cell phones and have their headphones in as though they relied on them as a personal life-giving charger.

When I see them on the bus, plugged in and hooked up, and on FB or watching a movie on their phone, I want to gently shake them and say, "Please, at the least, greet the person you're dumping yourself down next to, and wow, what if you actually tried to have a conversation with them?"

When I see friends walking down the road next to each other, phone in hand and earplugged in - I want to shout at them - TALK TO EACH OTHER!


Bah humbug - social media may be succeeding in making us anti-social in real life situations.

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