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| Lucille Ball, Keith Thibodeaux, and Desi Arnaz as the Ricardos. [Online image] 1956. |
Whether at home in Paris or back home in California, I get asked the same question.
Where are you from? It's like I have "foreigner" stamped on my forehead no matter where I go. (Well, stamped on my tongue is more like it.) After 10+ years living in France, my English does have a bit of a lilt to it, and I end up "searching my words" (and, yes, translating French expressions directly into English). And as for my French: well, I never could pronounce "r," "ou," or "u." My French in-laws love trying to make me say words like "
citrouille" just so they can hear the tortured syllables escape my American mouth, as my brain searches in vain for safe alternatives: "
potiron"? There's only one thing I can do: swallow my pride and admit that the person asking me the question has the home advantage. . . though I do have the advantage of having two homes.
