I'll put it on the list

One of my clients just came back from France. It's his second attempt at learning French by going to France. Strike Two. He did however, learn how to touch type. Going to France to learn to touch type. He's got a good life. I want to someday go to France just to say I learned to touch type (even though I already know how).

Before fixing his computer, he told me about going to the Basque region with its incomprehensible/unpronounceable language with direct lineages to the Neanderthals. No conquering armies from East Africa, no marauding troops of various world wars, just the Basque. He said the food was fabulous and you can get away with a few French and Spanish words. The language itself is simply based on itself without any Romantic language root ties.

I mentioned in the middle of his stories that I had never been to Europe. He pauses, pulls back in a bit of shock, "but you are so Paris!" he said. "You are a Paris person! You have to go!" I told him that it's on my life's todo list and that a cousin of mine was moving to Spain. "No, not Spain. Paris!" Yes, yes, I'll remember...Paris.

This is the second time someone said I was French. A friend looked into my refrigerator once, barely filled with various cheeses, crusted baguettes, and an opened bottle of wine. None of the bagoong or leftover rice in a typical Filipino ref. She closed the door, looked at me, "Michelle, you are so French!"

So, now I've added Paris to the life's list of todos that include skydiving, writing a NYTimes best seller, a house in Hawaii, 2-3 kids, and a few poetry books as well. Does learning the French words to the Beetle's song "Michelle" count?

My client's words resonate in my head again, "No, no, Paris! PARIS!" Oui, Monsieur....Paris.