Today I was sent to a school to observe an English class. I met the school's director before class started.
"Where are you from?" she asked me. When I said 'Chicago,' she nodded knowingly. "You have an American head. I have a friend's who's father is American. He has the same head. He's from Boston. You look very American."
I've thought about other things that might sell me out. Wearing sweatpants in public, or not styling my hair before I leave the house, or my accent. I never really considered the shape of my head.
It really doesn't matter much. I'm proud to be American, and I can tell you (in French, if you wish) exactly why. So I'm not ashamed of the shape of my head. I just didn't know it was so telling, that's all.
editor's note: Apparently I kind of gravely misunderstood this conversation. It was just an expression I translated too literally. Read the comments for a more detailed explanation.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
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5 comments:
That's as bad as the Austrians telling me that I had a "Canadian Nose"... yeah... Like they'd ever met another Canadian!
Hahaha. Normally it's only the shoes that give Americans away. No one wears white athletic shoes like the Americans. Sometimes it's the cargo shorts too, but no one has ever mentioned an American head before.
Your head is very American. It is one of your defining characteristics.
I like Strunk and White. My dad gave me the book in high school.
Delete unnecessary words. You have to teach that rule to your French kids.
Haha, did they say this in French or English? Because if they said you have a 'tete d'americain', I'm pretty sure it doesn't actually refer to your head, but your general 'look' :-) ie, 'you look american'
Haha, Yep. It was definitely a conversation concerning "tête d'américaine." Now I feel like a dummy. I guess that's part of the reason I signed up for this thing. I expect to see many more lessons in humility in my future.
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