Week 3, Entry 2

This weekend I traveled to Paris. It was the first time that I have ever been to a country where the primary language is not English. Needless to say, I was fairly nervous about communication. I wasn't sure what to do; I knew if I tried to speak in French (which I have never studied), I would completely butcher the language and probably offend someone. On the other hand, I had been told that the French appreciate people at least trying to speak their language and not simply expecting them to speak English. For this reason, I found myself hesitant to ask for help. I don't enjoy being bad at something, and so I don't like to draw attention to it. This however is a flawed philosophy. There is no way to learn if I don't try, and if I'm afraid to talk to anyone then I will never experience anything!

I once again found myself thinking about Nazneen in Brick Lane. In the book, it is mentioned that some of the women from Bangladesh had been in London for over a decade and still did not speak a word of English. At first this concept confused me; if one is completely surrounded by a language, wouldn't one simply be forced to learn it? However, now I can see that it can become very easy to never emerge from one's comfort zone. Feelings of ignorance and embarassment are ones I like to avoid, and so I could completely sympathize with a women from Bangladesh never learning English properly.

However, I don't believe that it is just the individual's lack of gumption that is to blame. The surrounding communities also reinforce this ignorance. While in Paris, it seemed that everyone who looked at me simply knew that I was American. After my first "bonjour", they would speak to me in English, assuming my ignorance. Of course, they were correct in that assumption, but it made me realize that I could, theoretically, survive in Paris without ever really learning French. In the same way, Nazneen was surrounded by her own little Bangladesh bubble. Although she lived in London, she lived in an area surrounded by people just like her who spoke her native language. Who then is to blame for ignorance of the country's native language? Is it the people who come to the new country, or is it the country itself that engenders this lack of motivation to learn? To simultaneously be offended by my "American-ness" and accommodating to it is a confusing notion.

Our group actually did manage to have one person fooled. Apparently our "American-ness" did not stand out to him, for he called to us "bonjour, mademoiselles!" However, right after the words came out of his mouth we had him pegged, just as all the French had us figured out the moment they saw us. We realized why he thought we were French. He was an American.