the reason why

Not sure if I've ever told you why I'm taking French...

Actually when I was going to school, I thought that I might be able to work at the U.N. after college. I found out that you needed to know 5 languages. So, I signed up for German at a community college, but that class was always cancelled because I was the only one who signed up for it.

Then, in college I majored in Japanese, and when my conversation teacher told me in the 3rd year that I should change my major because I'd never speak the language, I studied in Japan for a year.

Anyway, none of that has to do with French but one year when Satoshi and I travelled to Montreal, we had dinner at a restaurant.

I can't remember what cuisine the restaurant was, I don't even remember what we ate.

I do remember being seated in a really teeny corner. And being brought warm beer then having to wait almost 30 minutes for our food.

I remember noticing that all the people who spoke French were being seated in nicer areas and receiving their food faster.

At the end of the meal, the waiter demanded a 20% tip thinking we didn't understand English because we had been chatting away in Japanese. I told him in English that tips were for "good service", but he wouldn't back down, until I asked to speak to the manager.

And then he "shooed" us away.

So, I've always wanted to take French, to be able communicate with people in their own language. I've still got a long ways to go until I can actually carry on a conversation with someone.

Hopefully I'll pick up more with my French class coming up next week.

September has come and gone...hope you had a nice month, Autumn is kinda here, though Summer seems to be putting up a fight!