Re: Sometimes you really *can't* get by in English

HVS <usenet@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

I found this really quite giggle-inducing; guess I'm basically mean-
hearted, or something:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7270401.stm

Two observations. First:

Mark Boyle, 28, who set out four weeks ago with only T-shirts, a
bandage and sandals, hoped to rely on the kindness of strangers
for food and lodging.

...

But in one of his last entries, he wrote: "...not only did no one
not speak the language, they had also seen us as just a bunch of
freeloading backpackers, which is the complete opposite of what
the pilgrimage is really about.

I have to wonder just what he thinks a "freeloader" is if it isn't
someone who expects others to provide things like food and lodging
without payment.

Second, French doesn't appear to be the only language he has problems
communicating in:

Mr Boyle said he could not explain in words the disappointment he
felt at abandoning the journey ...

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Evan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------
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1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |weighted down with concrete blocks
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