« I'd figured out the e-mail system and how to remap my keyboard ; as long as I didn't look too closely at what I was doing, it would perform like a QWERTY layout and communicate my intentions. Perhaps this will become a metaphor, I thought. » 

The American-in-Paris shtick of gawking at the French and drawing confused conclusions from manners and language is pretty hackneyed, but this made me smile because I’ve never learned to type with AZERTY either.
