Parlez vous français?

It’s been almost a year I have been to Paris. Luckily I went alone, lucky because if I am in a group I will be very busy talking crap, deeply into the discussions that I won’t notice how the city has changed. I had to give medical test in Paris. None of the guys there know English and were talking in French which I can’t understand a word. So I was relying on the sigh language. I was directed to one of the rooms there and the rooms were numbered from which I understood that I have to go thru all the rooms serially. The first room was simple with two chairs, a bed, weighing machine, tape. The lady in room said something in French. I immediately nodded and sat in the chair she was pointing to. She understood that I don’t know French and signed to me that I have to place my coat and sweater on the chair. Everything in the room went on fine expect that I have put on 3kgs, But I was more worried about how to communicate with people in the next rooms. I decided that as soon I enter I shall tell them that I don’t understand French in French. After staying for a year in France the only French sentence I can say fluently and used it many time is ‘je ne parle pas français’ which means I can’t speak French.

I went to next room and a handsome guy greeted me. French guys are really handsome. I think it’s their eyes which are really attractive. Bluish green big eyes with fair complexion, tall and nicely built. The room was very similar to the one before with 2 chairs. There was a pram with very cute baby and one of the chairs is next to the pram. He said something in French pointing to the chair near to the pram. I was about to tell him the sentence I was practising in my mind from the time I left the first room. But then I felt I understood what he said. It was very similar to what I heard in the previous room. But then I thought for a while, the chair he was pointing to looks new and the other chair cushion was little crumpled and old. So I concluded the new chair is for my coat and that why it looks new as no one sat on it and old chair is to sit. The pram is next to this new chair and sitting next to pram with kid seemed little odd. So I walked to the new chair and left my coat and sweater on it and sat in the old chair. The handsome guy pointed to the new chair and said ‘No no no….sit here’. I repented for not using the only French sentence I knew. I went and sat and on the wall I saw alphabets and number written in different sizes. If only I had seen these alphabets before, I would have understood that its eye checking room and sat there. I also leant that in french, similarly sounding words may not have same meaning.

Then he asked me if I have glasses, of course using sign language. Then he went to the wall and pointed to one of the letters. I was confused whether to pronounce the letters in French or English. I knew French alphabets. I was tempted to show my French skills to the poor guy. The looked at the letter he was pointing to and it was ‘R’. I was really depressed as that the letter difficult to pronounce and many time I pronounce it wrong. So it came out from my mouth R, in English.

I realized the other rooms will be even tougher. Actually they were tough with more complicated term and signs. Finally my test was over and my report says everything is perfect. I made a resolution that I will learn French at any cost.

I had dinner in my favourite Indian restaurant. Bought Indian spices and frozen parathas. Paris did not change much and I felt like I am in a place which I know very well. Even though hospital was little disappointing, the day was very good. I roamed around Paris entire evening. I decided that I should visit Paris more often.