Out of bounds

I thought that this internet cafe was great. A real fusion of old and new(ish)! However internet cafes were out of bounds for the duration of our holiday. This sign particularly struck a chord with me as we've had a friend staying with us recently who lived in France for a while. She studied French and Linguistics at Uni, and is now in Mumbai doing voluntary work for a woman's charity for 6 months.

Speaking of French, I did standard grade (oh, the heady heights of standard grade French!?), and used to still remember a fair bit. However I have found that since I have been learning Hindi, it is almost as if my French has been pushed backwards into my sub-concious, and I am not able to access the information any more. We met quite a few French tourists in Kerala (randomly I think, as I don't think there is any special connection between France and Kerala), and when I tried to speak a little French, I found Hindi coming out!

Unfortunately all our language learning was worthless in Kerala, as the locals don't speak Hindi. I realised that I actually use Hindi a lot in Mumbai, and more than that, I like the fact that when I'm out and about it makes me seem in a different league to the commoner garden white person here (otherwise known as a tourist). Without being able to communicate with the locals on holiday, I felt stripped of something. More than that, when I use Hindi in Mumbai, people respond to me differently. There is a warmth and acceptance, and it's easier to barter as well!! Without Hindi, In Kerala I was viewed by the locals as just another white person with a fat wallet, and maybe that's what I was...
... for a while...