A French point of view

(From Mali - observations on the margin)

A general:
- The French language rules the world
- Even if some people don’t agree with this statement, they have no other choice but to accept it, especially when they happen to visit a French speaking country
- Yes, we do speak also English – sometimes and when we want to – it is you who has to make a try. You don’t understand enough…? What a pity! But we don’t bother.

A particular:
- Poland is not situated in Europe. Ok, it is not Asia, but it is certainly not Europe.
- Polish people are very complicated (= boring) and drink much too much. Every experience has seemed to confirm these assumptions.

The stories about the French not bothering to speak English are well known. But still in France the French cannot develop their national linguistic pride fully. At least some steps to facilitate the international contacts must be taken. Otherwise the European Commission could possibly intervene. But don’t lose hope! There are many places all over the world where the power of the French language can be exercised with a subtle feeling of superiority and where the English appears to be lingua not grata.
The previous French colonies, among them Mali, are without doubt the main area of the French linguistic dominance. Nowhere else is it so natural and easy to claim the priority of the French language. For the obvious reasons Bambara and the other local languages are also tolerated. But having mentioned to a Frenchman (by the way quite neutrally) the fact that the Malian museums lack descriptions in English or having expressed the feeling of being lost in a realm of the French sounds, you risk being blamed for considerably pessimistic attitude on the whole, and in this case in particular.
Therefore when you happen to find yourself in the company of French residents in the previous French colony, you need to take into considerations some circumstances. Letting you sit confused and lost without understanding of the conversation, being held in French of course, should by no means be interpreted as ill-mannered. The French courtesy intends to give you a unique possibility of testing your listening comprehension in French on the spot. Taking it for granted that sooner or later you have to learn French it is indeed a real thoughtfulness.

Uff…
Being an English speaking foreigner in a French speaking country may be tough. And it doesn’t make the situation better if you come from such a vacuum between Europe and Asia, as the area where Poland is situated is said to be for the time being. Just forget about Western and Eastern Europe. Even if such a division does exist, it does not matter, as it is only the western part which actually deserves the name. Accordingly, it is quite unusual to consider Poland as a European country.
After being defined as an out-of-Europe subject I had to face the truth. The Polish lifestyle can be summarized by two standard features: being complicated and drinking too much alcohol. Which of these two is the prior and which the latter or if there is at all any connection between them remains a puzzle, but such are facts. Quite well known facts indeed, not only in France, and the observations have confirmed them too many times.
Not drinking too much, as I never do, I managed at least to fulfil the expectations of being an exceptionally complicated Polish person. Being so complicated I used to consider everything to be too complicated, or much more complicated then it really was. I found it also very complicated to express myself in French and to understand French. But it was me who made it so complicated. If I were not so complicated I would not have found it as much complicated. After all it was not my first contact with the French language, so I should not have found everything so complicated.

P.S. To all my French friends, those from Mali in particular: J’aime beacoup la langue française et un jour je vais parler français et comprendre français bien. Je promis! Vous avez ma parole! Et merci beaucoup pour mon magnifique sejour au Mali!