We Are...Penn State!
We walked into our new favorite local kebab shop, and there he was.
The Nittany Lion.
I looked at Jordan and whispered, "Look! He's wearing a Penn State shirt!"
I hoped the man would overhear me and respond in English. He didn't. Eventually I found the courage I needed and initiated a conversation in French. "Do you know Penn State?" I asked the man as I pointed to his shirt."
"Of course!" he replied with a smile.
"I went to Penn State for university.... my husband, too!" I told him.
The man was, perhaps, as excited as we were. He asked where we lived and was surprised to hear we lived in the center of Aix-les-Bains. His wife is American, and she teaches English at the local high school. His brother-in-law lives in State College; they visited him 2 years ago and plan to go again. He likes State College a lot - "Us, too!" we replied enthusiastically. Suddenly the man pulled out a pen and paper. He wrote his name, address, and phone number and said, "Call me!" He explained that they leave for England on Tuesday and won't return until the end of the month, but that he would really like for us to call.
"Super!" he repeated over and over again. "Je suis d'accord," we said in agreement. Seeing his Penn State shirt was like a taste of home.
The Nittany Lion.
I looked at Jordan and whispered, "Look! He's wearing a Penn State shirt!"
I hoped the man would overhear me and respond in English. He didn't. Eventually I found the courage I needed and initiated a conversation in French. "Do you know Penn State?" I asked the man as I pointed to his shirt."
"Of course!" he replied with a smile.
"I went to Penn State for university.... my husband, too!" I told him.
The man was, perhaps, as excited as we were. He asked where we lived and was surprised to hear we lived in the center of Aix-les-Bains. His wife is American, and she teaches English at the local high school. His brother-in-law lives in State College; they visited him 2 years ago and plan to go again. He likes State College a lot - "Us, too!" we replied enthusiastically. Suddenly the man pulled out a pen and paper. He wrote his name, address, and phone number and said, "Call me!" He explained that they leave for England on Tuesday and won't return until the end of the month, but that he would really like for us to call.
"Super!" he repeated over and over again. "Je suis d'accord," we said in agreement. Seeing his Penn State shirt was like a taste of home.
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