I was 13, a 'teenager' if you want to call it that. I get up one morning and say to my Ricky Martin poster "I have realised something chico. The languages being 'taught' to me in school are not enabling me to decipher this highly complex world. I don't know how to break this to you but I have decided something, I am going to learn French."
After mustering all my courage and draping my only dupatta on the poster, I walk up to this temple hall like place one evening to meet up with this famous french professor I had heard about.
The temple hall was this rundown place which held karate classes in the evening and would moonlight as a french school on school nights.
I stand outside the temple hall. Around me a bunch of fresh-out-of-karate class 8 year olds are arguing with each other. They all look pumped up on sugar.
First brat: I have a blue belt what about you?
Second brat(with arrogance): I have a brown belt
Third brat(with pride): I have a yellow belt
First two brats: eee.. yellow yellow dirty fellow
And they start kicking in the air..
"Enough", I say to myself and enter the temple hall.
I am welcomed with fresh foreign abuses "Sapajou"..."Batarde".. I look around. A tall man in his late forties is yelling at a 15 year old boy. "You rascal.. Why are you staring outside the window again and again? I am correcting your book here and you are more interested in the views of the outside world. Is your girlfriend waiting outside?" The frightened boy replies "No Sir". Sir goes on (ignoring his reply) "Well then ask her to lay out a mattress on the ground and sleep there. You are not getting out of here anytime soon."
The boy (by now on the verge of collapse): Yes Sir
Sir (just getting warmed up) : Shut up you rascal
And thus began my french connection...
It was a roller coaster ride..
From getting my education in high level french abuses to watching Sir bang his fist on his desk which also housed a goldfish bowl (the goldfish never survived long enough much to Sir's astonishment)I saw it all.
Around 50 teenagers occupied the temple hall taking candle sticks in their hands whenever the power was out and listened to Sir as he gave his own rendition of 'The Last Supper'.
I baby sitted his dog, I trained the dog to chase some people around.. and I also learned French..
In the end it turned out to be an enriching experience!!
