Day 52: Be Brotherly.

Ah, it's 4th of July here in Paris which means only one thing. Nothing. The big brew-ha-ha of nation pride is in a week from now when the fireworks of Bastille Day explode around the Eiffel Tower but for us Americans here en France, the 4th came and went without much recognition and for me, without a hotdog and a margarita. Life can be cruel sometimes.
Today got me thinking about my fellow Americans here abroad and can't help but be a little disappointed. So the stereotype is that the French are rude and impatient when it comes to their beloved language? Correct? I have actually found that to be the exact opposite and they are in fact sympathetic and gentle with their corrections. I have never felt deflated when being corrected by a native French speaker.
My frustration is that in the two years that I have been here, a growing pet peeve of mine is how hard Americans are on each other in regards to their french language skills, almost to the point of being catty as they pick apart who speaks terrible, who speaks just ok and who makes mistakes that they shouldn't be. I may be generalizing but I have seen it more often than not and excuse me for being bold but I think it is ridiculous. What makes us such an authority on the french language?
Yes, we are all expats living abroad with different lives and perhaps have obtained different personalities but today is a day that we recognize that we all came from the same place. The good ol' U.S and that it doesn't matter how well you parlez especially when we are all speaking to each other in English anyway! When it comes down to it, really...who cares? This is what happens when I don't get my 4th of July marg...I get cranky. Happy 4th of July.