worth every penny

A lot of people ask me why I got a degree in French since I don't want to be a French teacher or a translator. What they don't understand is that French comes in very handy in everyday situations- like filling out crossword puzzles. They like to throw in clues every now and then like "Summer in Paris" which, of course, is "ete." Plus you will find in literature that authors will include little phrases in French without giving you the translations for them. Had I not spent all those years studying French I would miss out on all those subtle nuances. 

Yesterday I had a moment that made all the money I spent learning French seem worth it. I went to the Pirate exhibit at the Field Museum and then was walking along the lake front and ended up next to the Buckingham Fountain. 

A frazzled looking man walked towards me and said, "Parlez-vous francais?" The relief on his face was evident when I told him that I did in fact speak a little French. 

So I'm not going to say that this was the smoothest conversation I have ever had. It did involve a lot of gestures and pointing. It also involved me saying, "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you are asking. I just don't know that word." He finally was able to convey that he was asking me where the Spire is. Rather than being disappointed when I told him that it didn't exist yet, it was still being built, he seemed almost happy. Like, "Aha! That explains why I can't find it!"

I helped him out with a few other things. He told me that he speaks very little English and was having a very hard time finding anyone who speaks French. He was so happy to have found me. It made me so happy to be able to help the poor guy. And that my friends, is why I was a French major.