me: Bonjour Isabelle, comment vas-tu?
Isabelle: Bien, et toi?
me: Bien, merci *smiles*
That is how my day at work kicks off each morning.. not so much the.. 'Gday, How's it going?'
FYI, I'm still working in Melbourne..but this time surrounded by a bunch of wacky French speaking Europeans all the way from Luxemburg (I'm working with them in a pretty huge project)..
Only a few years ago I was dressed in my baju kurung school uniform in a Govt school in Subang Jaya.... going for Bahasa Melayu tuition after school... preparing for SPM! (Don't want to screw up BM in SPM, nanti SAP *gasp*)
Its very interesting really.. the different cultures, different languages.. I lurve it! I lurveeee the way the French speak English!! No way did I ever expect to be explaining to someone what a kang-gah-hoo is (kangaroo)... wombat.. koala bear.. platypus.. possum.... kookaburra?!
At midday, the girl in front of me goes "Jooh-leey.. what day izz today?"
Errmm... 16th.
"NO! NO! What day izz TODAY?"
Crap. What is Friday in blardy French? lundi (mon), mardi (tues), mecredi (wed).. jeudi (thurs)... "Err.....Vendredi?"
Wah lahhh
Before some of you may think I've lost the Malaysian in me... you're wrong! I've already thought my French friend how to say 'Terima Kasih'.
Yay! One point Malaysia!!
A few nights ago, we went for dinner at a Belgian restaurant at St Kilda Rd.
Here's a pic of Isabelle in between conversations:
Its quite hard sometimes... messages do get lost in translation.. (jokes especially)
And also, the introduction to more 'sophisticated' beer...
Yea.. and we thought Stella's, Hoegarrdens, Leffes were cool beers??.. (apparently Stella's are like the Aussie Fosters.. locals don't drink it in Belgium)
And today we discussed chocolates.... theres premium Belgian chocs... then there's the Cadbury's, Kit Kats, Tim tams.. and of course.. Fur-heh-hoh Hoh-chey... YUM!
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