Laughable Language Oopsies

We knew very little French when we arrived, so even shopping was an experience.  A few weeks after we arrived, we had promised the little ones a pastry treat for breakfast on Sunday.  Saturday we scoped out the delectables in the boulangerie/patisserie shop catty corner to our house.  Lyndee and I were going to share a chocolate éclair and Don and Cris were going to share a jam filled pastry.  We had scraped together enough loose change to afford this little treat and we were all excited.  Don came in and 2 little shining faces were smiling as they waited at the table.  I cut the pastries.  No surprise with the éclair, but the one Don had picked looked…strange!  He took a big bite expecting sweetness and got something quite different.  I asked him what he had gotten.  He said he’d gotten the one that said, “Jambon!”  Bon means good, and he had assumed that since the word for jelly was very similar, so must the word jam be similar.  Thus he assumed it meant good jam!  Jambon is the word for HAM, though we hadn’t known that.  He had gotten some kind of minced ham thing.  He looked so disappointed, and we knew Cris would be disappointed, so I let the 3 of them share the chocolate éclair.  The upside is, our vocabulary increased to include the word ham.

Later, we had obtained a very old, very tempermental Volkswagon van.  It only had the driver and front passenger seats.  We literally packed the people in every Sunday, usually making 3 trips to get everyone there.  The rest of the time was another story.  We had to be careful with abrupt halts, because the 2 older children would go rolling, and Shan’s little carrier would come sliding all the way to the front.  Looking back, I know God was watching over us in an especial way!  So many dreadful things could have happened, but didn't!

At that time, there was a billboard clothing ad with a naked (backview) family ; dad, mom, and small child.  It was everywhere you looked.  One day as Don gently slid to a stop at a traffic light, the billboard was directly in front of us.  We heard this heavy sigh come from 4 year old Lyndee as she said, “There they are again, Crissy!  The 3 bears!  Mama bear, Papa bear and baby bear!”  We both nearly strangled trying not to laugh out loud!  I have wondered ever since what other kids think when they hear that story!

Another time, Lyndee was just convinced her friends mom, who was in her late 30's was going to run a race with another neighborhood mom.  I asked her why.  She said she had heard them say, "Nous allons faire les courses!"  That actually means shopping, but course is also the word for a race.  I tried to explain it to her that that phrase meant shopping, and to faire une course was a race!  She puzzled over it for a second and then shot back, "Oh well, they'll shop first and race later!"  I think it might have been funny to really see those 2 women tearing off down the road trying to outrun each other!  But, non!

Eventually, we got it all down, and now we have difficulties in English!  Can't win!  Hahahaha!

Have a great weekend!  Hope it is one shared with He who loves you best!