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Mom, I didn’t think this would happen so soon but it has. Ahora, mi Español es mejor que mi Frances. In other words: Maintenant, ma Francais est ma langue troisieme, et Espaniol est ma langue deusieme. Below is an account of the realization of this fact.

It was the second night on the boat, and we were finishing our meal with the rest of the aristocracy at the table reserved for the camarote/suite travelers. Keep in mind that any time the tables are down in the dining positions, people are displaced from their hammocks on this boat (the therefore most uncomfortable boat for hammock dwellers thus far). So there are people basically lined against the sides of the boat staring at the aristocracy while we ate. Some guy near us (although clearly not a member of the aristocracy) says in Spanish “La Premier Class”, to which I replied very sarcastically, “Muy Chistoso” (very funny). He doesn’t understand at all, asks me to repeat, which I do, and I repeat again. Finally he starts to talk to us in Spanish that has a very weird accent - especially the ‘r’s. We finally figure out this guy is French. His accent sounds like mine when I first started trying to speak Spanish, but I clearly out-pronounce him now.

We have a few beers and I make the mistake of telling him that I speak French a little bit. Now I know why all the French people who speak English never admit that they speak English. There is no way to slow him down, he’s going 80 mph with his French and I’m just barely keep ing up. When it is my turn to speak, my “French” is littered with necessito, para, and no (instead of ne-pas), and I can’t even come up with simple verbs like regarder and I had to ask him “Quelle est le mot Francais pour mirar?”

So I finally just said screw it and spoke to him in Spanish and when he wanted to speak to me in French (which got more and more frequent with more beers) I would try to follow him. Trying to speak three languages made my head spin. Then we run into our friend Ricardo, the Brazilian, who of course speaks Portuguese. I like to talk to him in English since he likes the practice and considers it his second language, and he loses me with his Spanish. Next thing I know, Ricardo is speaking rather fluent French with the French guy (i.e. Ricardo is using his 4th language better than I used my heretofore 2nd language), and now I feel like jumping off the boat and trying my luck with the Piranhas and Alligators.