Besides having a sweet beard, this man also had very relevant words to say to us as American students studying in Paris. Born in Quito, Ecuador, Telmo has since lived in Australia, Canada, Germany and the United States before finally settling down in France in 1978. Beyond analyzing his "mise en scène" (or direction), of the play, Telmo was really able to connect to us as a fellow foreigner who fell in love with the Parisian way of life. Or as he so eloquently put it: "J'ai resté à Paris pour l'amour. C'était un coup de foudre" (I stayed in Paris for love. It was love at first sight).
I also had the privilege of interviewing Telmo myself, as part of my classwork, and I truly admired the way he was able to deftly express himself, even in a language that was not his own. It shows me that if you really love a place, or a language as the case may be, it is completely possible to make it your own.
If any of you can get your hands on the play or the film Un Air de Famille, I highly recommend it!!
Bisous
