The French Connection
It always fascinates me how the tiniest piece of information, gleaned in a most unexpected way, can surface as a bubble rises through water. I spent last week at a conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Fortunately, my flight home was non-stop and would only take about four and a half hours. As I settled in to my window seat, a young woman took the middle seat next to me. As she was settling in, I noticed her passport was not a US passport, and in my limited traveling experience that was unusual. However, I didn't feel it was my business, so I didn't ask the question that was in my mind, "Where are you from?" As time would have it, we started conversing and it turned out she was going back to Berkeley, CA, after assisting a friend to move out to Nashville. However, she had a slight accent, very light and almost undetectable. So, I finally did ask her the question that was foremost in my mind. It turns out she is from France, and is a visiting scholar at UC Berkel
