The Funny Side of Language Barriers

Palais Garnier, Paris — Photo by Jacqueline Abela, taken from the rooftop of Galleries Lafayette

My first solo trip overseas ended in the city that held a lot of expectations and high hopes for me — Paris. It was the city that I would always dream of living in, with that view of “the grass is always greener on the other side”, and I expected to fall head over heels in love with it. I had been told that I would be disappointed. That Paris was dirty and the French were rude and wouldn’t want to speak to me unless I spoke…