Cultural Exchange

“Have you ever been in an orgy?”

I tried to think of what the real question was, how I could have misheard it, but no. When I walked into the middle school teacher’s lounge that was the first thing said to me. A group of teachers stood in a circle and waited for my response.

“Uhhh. No? Why?”

Apparently, thanks to MTV, they thought it was a common experience for American teenagers. And here I was thinking that the French had the reputation for promiscuity and decadence.

“Isn’t that more of an ancient Rome type of thing?”

Confused looks.

“Huh? I think you lost some of your French while on vacation, Shawn.”

Damn. My comment got lost in translation. I tried to think of some other joke, a way to suggest that it was them, the French, who are known for sexual indulgence.

Nothing.

“Yeah. An orgy every weekend.”