25?

When my friend Chris and I went to Québec City on vacation in August, I immediately fell in love. That's not to say I didn't run into complications. One evening after we got dinner at Le Comptoir in Old Québec, we decided to stop at the convenience store for some beer and snacks.

I should point out (if I haven't previously) that my French is far from perfect and that the Canadian accent adds an additional layer of difficulty. At university in the States, professors always said that we were taught "middle-class Parisian French." I had some experience with Québec French from when I worked in a call center, but not much.

I hadn't encountered many problems up to that point in our trip. I had done just fine at restaurants as such. I found what I wanted at the convenience store and took it to the counter. I paid and the cashier gave me my change. You would think that everything was fine as the transaction was over, but that was when the trouble started.

Cashier: "Vingt-cinq?"

Huh? "Vingt-cinq" is "twenty-five" in French. You can understand my confusion seeing as I had already paid and received change.

Me: "Comment?" ["What?"]

Cashier: "Vingt-cinq?"

Me: "Um..."

Then the cashier said, in English: "Do you speak French?"

Me: "I thought so, but now I'm not so sure." (Okay, I actually said, "A little?" I speak more than a little but I was so confused and would rather pretend like I had no French training rather than admit that I have a Bachelor degree in French and still had no idea what she was saying.)

Cashier: "Do you want a bag?!"

Me: "Oh! You mean, 'Tu veux un sac?' ['Do you want a bag?']" (Actually, I just turned a nice shade of red, feeling like a complete idiot.)

So, I was just A LITTLE off in my comprehension. In my defense Canadians seem to use the informal ("tu" instead of "vous") much more frequently than the French and as I had been taught. I would have never been listening for the informal from a stranger. Lesson learned. Similar language, very different culture. It's all part of the fun I suppose.

I didn't really want a bag but after the trouble I figured I better just say "oui" and be on my way.

***

This blog started as a way to chart my immigration progress but got a little off track when I decided to "cheat." Even though I've deviated from the original intent, I've decided to bring you along on my adventure anyways.

I am writing this from the passenger's seat of my friend Chris' Hyundai Sonata (packed to the brim with our treasured possessions) as we cut across Michigan (we started in Wisconsin three hours ago) on our way to Canada.

So, join me on this ride that is the life of an American gay in Québec.