Brotherly Wisdom: Buy a French Phrase Book (guest post by Joanna Charnas)

My brother, Charles, visited Paris a few weeks earlier than I did in the spring of 1988. Before my trip, he instructed me three or four times to buy a French phrase book. I didn’t understand his insistence on this matter. He spoke fluent French, so his advice wasn’t based on his own needs. After being told for the umpteenth time to buy the book, I went to a bookstore and purchased one. This was two decades before smart phones were available, which can now translate for travelers.

My brother must have been psychic, because my host in Paris, a friend from high school, had a family emergency and had to return home to the U.S. after the first day of my six-day visit. My trip to Paris would have been much more challenging without the little phrase book.

Eight years later, I worked for a large AIDS Service Agency full of young people with extra cash. My colleagues were always darting off to Europe on vacation. I lent my little phrase book out several times, and it was always received gratefully. I’m a minimalist and don’t need the phrase book now that I have a smart phone. But I can’t bear to part with this treasure.

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Joanna is the author of three books:

A Movie Lover's Search for Romance

100 Tips and Tools for Managing Chronic Illness

Living Well with Chronic Illness