With us at the back of the church at the christening were another couple. Probably English but since we were English we didn't say anything to each other :-)
When we met up with the family party it was obvious that they were part of the event and we exchanged a few words. After navigating our way to the party we eventually got chatting properly.
Usual questions: Where do you live? (never heard of it, as far in the other direction as we are from the party.) How did you meet the family? (same as us, they had had work done by Ruby's dad.) How long have you been here? (eight years.) Got lots of visitors this summer? and that started them off.
No they hadn't got lots of visitors this year because their house was put on the market last year so they had not booked in any visitors in case they weren't here. They were quite pleased about not having any visitors, it was much nicer sitting in their house enjoying it than trolling around the countryside taking people to places they'd been to 50 million times.
Turns out Mrs Guest hates the winters with a passion. They have a flat in England somewhere and she leaves him and goes back to it for the winter. Nothing to do, horrible weather.
They'd both been having french lessons every week for 6 years and had got nowhere. When they went to village events they were looked at with dismay and no one wanted to talk to them because they didn't speak good enough french.
After a bit more of this and a couple more glasses of wine I was beginning to think that it wasn't anything to do with their lack of french, it was just their total negative attitude. I would be dismayed. There followed another couple of tales about how negative 'the french' were, how rude the other expats were to them, how prejudiced expats were against northerners........................
Fortunately lunch was then served which was the most delicious curry. Such a treat.
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My French is the pits, but I have so many French friends. I agree it is the way you come across and a negative attitude makes it impossible. I have yet to find a French person who is rude or an expat, well I don't know any of the latter!! why did we move to France??
ReplyDeleteRosie, I should think you're right. I'm the same with fluent English speakers here ;-)
ReplyDeleteThey sound hideously familiar.
ReplyDeleteI like having visitors...my only wish when we were in France was that they'd get up earlier so we didn't inevitably arrive at chosen spot to visit just as everything closed for lunch.
I've met them too, Rosie. The trouble is that when you move somewhere else, you take yourself with you and that means all your negativity, discontent, etc, etc. sadly they may never be really happy anywhere.
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