THERE IS SOMETHING delightfully simple about 'bonjour'. Not that it has taken me a year to realize this, but I just got thinking about it again today. I was walking down the street and I saw a guy about my age walking toward me. It was just him, me, and the 50 feet that separated us. Similar situations in the States often caused a mild amount of stress to creep into my body. What should I say? Should I go with 'how's it going'? What about 'hi there'? But wait, he's about my age so maybe a 'what's up' is the right call. Of course, there's always 'hey' with an accompanying head nod. Ah screw it, I'll just pretend that I'm getting a call on my cell phone and avoid the situation entirely.
No so in France. At the appropriate time, a simple 'bonjour' is just right.
CJS
1 comment :
This was a nice post. I agree with you on the whole bonjour thing. I feel the same way about the cheek kissing: it's just a nice thing.
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