Normandy is near and far from England

     This is a photo of a sailboat off the coast of Normandy in the English Channel. England and France are not far from one another and even closer now with the train from London to Paris under the channel. They worked together during World War II to fend off the Germans. But, one senses that all of the wars and acrimony over the many generations has kept them from being complete  friends.
      A good example of this is how they treat one another when it comes to language. Many - might we say most - Frenchmen speak English or at least enough to get by. Yet, they will not let on until you try to speak French. You need to at least give it a go before they take pity on you. But why should they speak English? When the French come to the United States they rarely find someone who speaks their language.
      When an American goes abroad, he needs to prepare himself for the native language. To expect everyone to accomodate us is rude. Being rude often means getting a rude response back. When we get a rude response to our ignorance some folks come home and indict a whole nation. It makes the channel and the oceans even wider.