Mais je ne parle pas beaucoup francais.
Sorry to say, but I do not speak or write much French anymore. I do understand it when I read it from time to time (you just returned from paris last month?)
I have been away from that language since I was in my very early teens. My family is all French, having migrated to the Maritimes and Costal Maine. Seems like they had a thing for Islands.
Then again, seems like my heritage had a thing for Islands. My aunt from Iceland spent years on researching out family. We are of Viking decent from the Normandy region.
Kind of cool, actually. She could not figure out why the men in the family were huge, most well over 6 feet and 200-250 pounds. Many of the women are blonde hair, blue eyes.
If I am not mistaken, she completed much of her research in Halifax. Seems like we drank, raped, blundered, and pillaged our way across the ocean. Probably just bored.
When I was in southeast asia, people were thinking I knew and spoke Vietnamese. Man, I was speaking French. After all, it was called French-Indochina. The only ones that knew any different were the other guys who spoke French. Sometimes they would call for an interpreter and call me. If they didn't speak French then I couldn't help.
But I realized during my fathers funeral several years ago that I have lost part of my heritage. Many French speakers. I knew Latin, Italian, Spanish having been studying that for years and thrust into those cultures.
I actually have some discs on French instruction. I think I may take those out as a refresher course one day. Of course, I also have Chinese, Greek, and Portuguese language programs.