A Sequence of Life
After breakfast at Hotel Fibonacci, he circled the block before heading towards the beach. Amazed by the foreign environment, his mind expanded to take in the island’s exotic, colorful details.
By the seaside, a magnificent picture opened up: a vast, turquoise-blue sky over warm, vanilla-colored sand. In the background, the mighty, azure-blue sea and in its center, the showpiece: two sisters, with long, coffee-colored hair over tanned shoulders, sitting on generously big, impeccably white towels.
Overwhelmed, he stopped a few seconds to admire the picture before stepping into it.
In a plastic bag, he carried a faded, small towel and a pocketbook, The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Glancing over to the girls, he saw sunscreen, hairbrushes, combs, sunglasses, hats materializing from their elegant tote bags. Two books: Sartre and Camus. Smilingly, he tested his school French by reading the titles out aloud: “Le Mur” “L’Etranger” They heard him and echoed him mischievously by pronouncing the title of his book, “Ze PeRl,” while giggling.
The wall was torn down and they were not completely strangers. The girls were thrilled at having a conversation with the white-skinned, blue-eyed young man who was mauling their beloved French like a German tank. They counter-attacked the English language, keeping their uvular R’s, stressing all word-endings, and fighting a courageous battle with the mysterious h-sound.
After interrogations about favorite philosophers, musicians and authors, they went for a swim. He wondered why they screamed, “Oh, messieurs!” after each dip. They insisted that it was “Oh, mes yeux!”, “Hand hin Hinglísh, zis meanz ho, my highs!” When he didn’t understand, they challenged him, “Yu put yoR hown ‘ed hundéR ze oatéR, hand yu oill zee!” Indeed, the salty water did hurt his eyes.
His nose had turned intensely red by the time they had to break up. The girls proposed a rendezvous next day, “Yes? TomoRóv? Oui mit ‘eaR? Hat ze zame time?” Overwhelmed, he smiled, “Wee, che vieng demán!”
An invisible, creative spiral had started to take shape. In its further sequence lay hidden many trips to France, French language studies – a life dedicated to French culture.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleIncredible picture, incredible story, Christer! From the first mention of the Hotel Fibonacci, I was hooked. Your description of the scene was so complete, I was right there on that vanilla sand. But the best part is your imitation of all the accents, fractured and otherwise. Something tells me this is a true story from your past. I know you were a language teacher and a linguist – how many languages do… Read more »
Yes, Fuji, this is another 350 pixel piece of my life, partly inspired by the enigmatic Fibonacci sequence. It seems as though a lot of emerging life, weather systems, art and even galaxies are formed according to its principles and I tried to attach it to this old memory from when I, as a 20 year old Swedish, uneducated country boy happened to get in touch with a French high class family.… Read more »
Just because you asked for it, Fuji, I made an audio version of this story. But I’m not sure how and where to find our recordings. Maybe you know, or maybe VoiceClub could step in here and tell us where to go to listen to our voices besides the “Feature recordings” that show up once in a while.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleHi Christer – At the moment, all voice recordings are published in the “Featured Recordings” sidebar, and on Alexa. However, Alexa is only available in the USA at this time. We are exploring the possibility of expanding Alexa to other countries, but that feature is expensive, and so depends on the amount of patron support we receive. In the meantime, your story is currently being featured!
You did it! I just listened to your recording which is really wonderful. Not only do you bring the story alive, but your French sounds like a native speaker. I also love hearing a few Colombian birds in the background. Thanks so much for doing this, Christer. Your voice is perfect for these recordings.
Hello Christer – I also enjoyed the story. I had to read the phonetic pronunciations out loud to get the gist, but it was fun! I admire your knowledge of so many languages!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI had a lot of fun remembering/making up those sentences, Juma. And you are right: they should be read out loud, preferably with some talented actor’s voice in your head, for example Peter Sellers. Thank you for your nice comment.
Hello, Christer. Hats off to you. I am impressed and amazed by your linguistic ability. I learned a lot and enjoyed it so much.
I hope that you understood that strange English, Lotchie. It’s possible that you have to know how the French speak English for it to make any sense, though. Thanks for your generous comment.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleYou’re welcome, Christer. It is a bit difficult for me, but it’s kind of interesting to learn.
Christer, I really enjoyed reading this. I love the line ” The girls were thrilled at having a conversation with the white-skinned, blue-eyed young man who was mauling their beloved French like a German tank.” It made me laugh, thinking how it must sound to try and speak French in a German accent. I read your comment to Fuji and find it fascinating, first of all that you can speak all those… Read more »
Thank you so much for your generous comment, Marianna! Yes, its a true fact that that single meeting took my young life in a new direction. The phrase you quoted was partly a hint at the two world wars that France and Germany were fighting during the first half of that century. But when I wrote the phrase that the girls were attacking the English language with their French pronoun citation, I… Read more »
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleChrister, that is so interesting! There’s a fascinating episode of Midsomer Murders called “Ring Out Your Dead” where some unknown person is avenging a murder over a hundred and forty years earlier. Not quite as old as your Joan of Arc story, but indicative of a mindset! No country is immune – some people here are still fighting the US Civil War.
How fascinating! I never heard of that during the 12 years I spent in Wisconsin, but I can imagine that it could be the case in some southern states where I haven’t been. What I did experience a few times in the Midwest, though, was a suspicion and negativity to people with a university degree and entire cities where there was a university. (“They can’t think in Madison!” “What makes you say… Read more »
I know this kind of attitude exists in parts of this country. I live within a few miles of three major universities. Most of the baristas and waiters and cab drivers in town have advanced degrees. Please don’t tell anyone in the Midwest about our little spot here, which we think is paradise. I love being around educated people from all over the world, much like this club! I’ve never understood the… Read more »
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI agree with Julie, this is very interesting. It is fascinating how people’s mindsets are not easily changed, no matter how much time has passed.