only my family...

'twas an *interesting* drive back home from michigan, indeed.

an excerpt of our in-car conversation while approaching canadian customs:

mom: oh look, we're going to the bilingual customs booth.
customs officer: hello! bonjour!
dad: (completely out of the blue) bonjour! ça va bien? parlez-vous français?
customs officer: oh, ça va bien, merci.... (trailing off into more french as my dad's smile began to slowly fade into a blank expression; coming to the realization that the extent of his fluency in the french language was restricted to the few phrases that had already exited his lips)
dad: (pauses for a few seconds at first, not really knowing how to respond, and then eventually brings himself to look the customs officer right in the eye) indi ako ka balo mag sugpon. (which is ilongo for "i don't know how to follow that")
customs officer: (rather confused and still in french mode) pardon?
dad: anglais?
customs officer: parlez-vous anglais?
dad: français.
customs officer: français?
all of us in the backseat: ANGLAIS!
dad: english.
customs officer: (with one eyebrow raised) ...okay. (and then goes through everything a second time in english with much more success)
mom: (as we're driving away) ...why did you do that?
dad: because she said, "bonjour!"
mom: but you're not bilingual, daddy.
dad: (smiling calm and contentedly) well, i wanted to be trilingual.

*sigh* i love my family - ruckus and all! :oD