The plump red cherries beckoned. We pass this market coming and going to the platz where we get the tram or the bus, and those beautiful cherries sat in the blue box right in front...Imagine my surprise when I picked up a small box of cherries, added 5 apricots and went inside to buy them - eleven Swiss Francs - more than $12! When the owner realized I spoke American English, he asked where in America I was from. when I replied, "California", we "communicated" - he in mostly Swiss German and me in English - that he sells produce from California. "Oh no," I thought, "I hope I didn't come all the way to Switzerland to buy California cherries!". But no. He showed me the box that had come from California - Dates! Note to self...next trip bring dates as gifts.
As I am writing this, Hannah and David are having a French lesson in the living room. Their teacher is a fun-loving young man that the kids adore. When he arrives, they go into full French, and I am amazed at their fluency and accents - they have not said one word in English to him, and both kids are enthusiastically conversing with him. Derek explained that when the teacher first came, he would speak in French and the kids understood him (he teaches at their school) but they would answer in English. Then one day it all changed, they could say everything in French, and they must be thinking in French and not translating. It is so interesting to observe!
Love, Liz
Sent from my iPad
No comments:
Post a Comment