Maciej, well I found mine in Chicago, as she was visiting there while staying in Iowa City for a fellowship. So you never know where you'll bump into one. Because I bumped into her I now live over here most of the time- and with our two kids.
stevegong, maybe that Italian girl was one of those you spoke of who is always studying. And maybe one reason French people love Italians so much is because French people are not always so, uhmm, polite with one another; whereas the Italians seem so nice and relaxed in contrast.
But hey, both French and Italian people, and any person from anywhere, can be very nice. It is always best to look for the good in people. And especially in women.
And maybe Apple will help us out by releasing an update to VoiceOver that can indirectly help us learn to communicate with them in more languages !