Hey everyone, I'm just interrupting this regular broadcast for an emergency announcement.

That's right, you guessed it. Little baby Otis was born yesterday. So Mother's Day in France, a beautiful gift to us. We're super

excited. Lena's doing really well and the baby's healthy and Lena says he's the spitting

image of me, poor thing. But anyway, I thought it would be also nice to do this emergency

announcement over the sound of hiccups rather than the sound of crying.

A lot more pleasant, don't you think? As for me, I am on paternity leave. I'll be back after

Paris on air finishes. Enjoy the show and thanks so much for listening. And now I think it's time I

learn how to change your nappy.

Wish me luck.

Hi there, this is the Earful Tower podcast with Oliver G.

Usually, this is a weekly show about Paris and France with a special guest,

but I've just become a father.

I'm taking a short break from the regular schedule.

And instead, you're about to hear the second of nine chapters from my

2020 memoir Paris on Air.

Chapter 2.

A roommate, language lessons, fruit flies and terror in Paris.

I made my first cheese and wine faux par within the same hour.

And while it wasn't because of my terrible French, that was a factor.

You see, I'd figured that after a few months in France, I'd have relearned French fluently,

or at least to a strong level.

After all, I'd studied it at high school and even university. Surely it would

...