L'AIMER EN ANGLAIS
Happy Sunday, dear readers.
I'm in love. Well, it didn't just happen overnight, it's been going on for months now. It was love at first sight, something unexpected and delicious. I've been thinking about writing this article for a long time, not because you need a press release to find out how my love life is going, but because I'm going through something quite confusing...
We love each other in English.
He's Danish, I'm French, he doesn't speak French, I don't speak Danish. And yet we knew within moments, without saying a word, that we were going to experience something crazy. Looking back, I think it's crazy, because 9 months ago I didn't speak what you'd call good English. I didn't suck, but it was all very basic. I was already ashamed to speak English in public, because I thought my accent was terrible and I was used to comparing my level with that of other speakers. So on paper, this story was off to a bad start. But then I said to myself "shit", if you really want to make it work, you're going to have to do something about it. It's a bit like trying to pick up someone in bowling shoes, because it's too easy in pumps. Step out of your comfort zone, and boom, happiness, freefall and hot air...
Well, today I'm not bilingual, even though I speak English every day, and he doesn't speak much French, even though he lives with a French woman every day. My accent is still terrible, but I think it's fun, and anyway I wouldn't know how to do otherwise. We've found our language, I'm completely capable of saying things like "your moufles are in the tiroir"... And I'm even sarcastic in English, that's telling you... Our love lies somewhere between two languages, it's our frequency.
Even if it's not always fluent, if sometimes I'm lazy and swear in French, it's much easier. Let me explain, I've stopped this typically feminine thing of trying to take twisted paths to communicate "Straight to the point". I feel like I've wasted too much time and energy waiting for someone to read between the lines, only to be disappointed and frustrated...
Well, now I don't have that kind of complication in my life. In the beginning, it was a revolution. I didn't mince my words, and neither did he. Straight to the point, no frills. Of course we say the most wonderful things to each other, but when a message has to get through, it's clear, limpid, as if communication had become the most important thing, because at first sight, it's not obvious, and therefore precious. I no longer send encrypted messages that I'm not sure he'll pick up, firstly because he's a guy and secondly because we don't speak the same language... And it's become a kind of universal rule in my life, to speak, to communicate, without detours, the key to happiness?
And what happened the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone?
You can find the english version here.