I love it, love it, love it when Paul tells me stories about his boss, especially when he imitates his Russian accent. It just *cracks me up* every time. And, lest you think he's being a big meanie, he and his boss are super close friends, so any poking of fun isn't done behind his back, it's done right to his face. Ha! Paul's boss is from the Ukraine and has lived in the US for - oh, I'm thinking maybe a dozen years. He's taken English classes, and obviously, being a government employee, speaks English fluently - but, dude. I can barely understand him! Paul says a lot of people at work have trouble understanding him, too, and they're always turning to Paul for translation! It's a good thing his boss is so charming and funny, or people might get annoyed with it, you know?

I didn't realize it, but there are firms specializing in teaching language to business professionals, and people emigrating here from other countries can take Executive English courses to help them build their language skills. I'm pretty sure that's what Paul's boss did, although perhaps it's time for a refresher course.

You know what the funniest thing about all of it is? Paul's pretty much perfected the Russian accent, but whenever he has to tell any kind of story or joke where someone has an accent, he uses the same one - whether he's supposed to be British or Mexican or whatever. Paul's friends and I CONSTANTLY tease him about his "all-purpose accent!" I wonder if there's a class HE can take, to properly imitate people in other cultures? :-)