I have been in Paris for almost two weeks now. I can't say that I have mastered the French language (yet) but a handful of vital catch words and phrases (e.g. où est les toilettes?) have been pulled out of the recesses of my brain and onto the tip of my tongue. Nothing grammatically correct but when push comes to shove, I can get the job done. Most of the time...hand gestures are also useful, as is having a drawing utensil and paper on me at all times.

What I have also picked up, suprisingly, is a voice in my head that speaks in English as a second language. This happens specifically when I am writing. So, if I can't think of a word, a voice in my head will say, "ehhh, how you say"? Or, I will feel the desire to slightly rearrange a phrase or word so that it is slightly "off" from how we would say it in the U.S. (e.g. in a recent email from Spain, I referred to salsa dancing as "dancing the salsa".)

I have, thankfully, been able to interact with Europeans (in Spain, and now France) who generally speak excellent English. It has been humbling (read: I feel like a dumb American). But there are points of hesitation when it comes to certain words and phrases- I like it when this happens. I like the way it sounds when Europeans speak English more slowly, with thoughtful pauses, more formally and with fewer colloquialisms, even if they aren't 100% correct in the way of vernacular. So my mind, if not my tongue, must be picking up on it. But, sometimes it kind of feels as if the Alex character from Everything is Illuminated is in my head.