Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire
^ One of my high school teachers liked to tell a story about insisting on being served in French at the Emerson, MB port of entry... he had to wait a half hour while some off-duty staffer who could speak French drove in from Saint Jean Baptiste.
Personally, I don't know that I'd get that insistent about proving a point with border guards!
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It can go either way.
They can just wave you through to avoid potential complaints as I alluded to above.
Or you can get treated badly if they think you're a troublemaker.
I usually choose the middle ground: I approach them with a "bonjour" (and usually get an accented, cautious "bonjour" in response.
And then I switch to English. I often exaggerate my French accent a bit to give the impression I am being conciliatory in spite of my legal right.
If they were to bring me over for a search, though, I'd lose my English right away. Even the guy mopping up the floor better speak to me in French or they'll have Graham Fraser on their ass within days.
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