Notes On Parlez Vous Francais - 1289 Words

Parlez-vous Franà §ais ? â€Å"Vous aimeriez prendre le voiture?† the shuttle driver asks my family as we stand impatiently in the spot where the hotel shuttle was supposed to pick us up a good half hour ago. My dad doesn’t speak any French, but he takes charge and nods at the driver as we are guided into the shuttle. It’s been a long day of looping through the ins and outs of â€Å"hidden† parts of Paris (my mom hates tourist attractions) and we sit quietly in the van, admiring the stunning European scenery that flicks past us as the driver recklessly zooms through the streets. Oddly, there are no other cars on the road, and the driver takes full advantage of it as he swerves and makes sharp turns, every sudden step on the brakes jolting us awake from our half-asleep countenances. Our colossal van keeps along its manic path alone in the street until another car, this car being a small taxi that made our vehicle look even more gigantic, catches up to us a nd begins to pull ahead. Our driver’s stereotypical French disposition makes him extremely susceptible to competition, and he won’t have any car cutting him off, much less a tiny taxi. Before we knew it, the drivers were playing an intense game of seeing who could be in the lead, doing crazy stunts to surpass the other car. They’d drive on the grass rather than the road to cut in front of each other, and act as if they were about to scrape the other’s car as a way to get into the front. By this point, the taxi driver has had enough.Show MoreRelatedThe Art Of Medicine : Healing And The Limits Of Technology Essay2605 Words   |  11 Pagesall smooth sailings though. Our first interaction went something like this: â€Å"Where is Johnathan, is he here yet?† I get up from my chair outside his office, â€Å"Yes sir, it’s very good to meet you.† We shake hands. I hear you’re from Ottawa. Parlez-vous franà §ais?† â€Å"Um, yes sir, but no, I don’t speak French†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mind you, that I never learned French having been raised in Jamaica and didn’t really see the use for it in Toronto. â€Å"What? Are you sure you’re from Ottawa?† Shut down right off the bat. Why was