June, 1993

After the web server had been up for a couple weeks for testing and the like, we started noticing we were getting a few hits from somebody in France. Having not yet announced the site, we wondered where this person came from.

So, we modified the pages that this person was looking at to say something to the effect of: "Hey you! The guy from France! Email us and tell us how you found our site".

Now, I had taught myself a little French summer after freshman year, because I had a lot of friends at this living group at MIT called French House, where they speak french sometimes. I knew enough to carry on a basic conversation over dinner and that kind of thing.

So, after we put up this billboard to this random guy in France, he sends me email. Turns out we guessed well, his name was "Guy". In any case, he wrote us in French. At this point I found out that the french involved in answer the question "tell us how you found our site" and such is not at the same level as "please pass the milk".

With the help of a number of other people who had taken French in high school, we translated his mail. I replied in French as best I could, avoiding asking him to pass the milk. He replied, again in French, and must have noticed the quality of my French and pointed out that (as should've been obvious) that he can read English, but can't write it so well. After all, he was reading our website which was totally devoid of any french at that point. From there on in, we wrote to him in English and he wrote to us in French and we had a splendid time.