It’s Friday! Woot! Except that Friday in B1 is different from Friday in A2 in that we have quite a bit of homework. I actually did most of it already, but stopped to take a break and update everyone.

I honestly didn’t know it was Friday until about noon. It’s been busy, an the days ran together a little bit. Fewer students in class today, and I’m not sure what that means, other than more work for those present. I do know that we had two people leave class, and one with some drama. Tears. I felt so bad because she was speaking in her native language of Spanish, so I didn’t know what was going on until later. For the record, le prof Caroline was speaking to her — in Spanish — when we returned from la Pause.

This young woman has apparently been struggling mightily with pronunciation, which I thought she would be able to correct in no time. I learned today that she has taken A2 three times, and I don’t know why because it really doesn’t prepare you for B1. As it was explained to me, her issue is this: Spanish and French are so similar in so many ways, that it is quite complicated when it comes to pronunciation. You might think she had an advantage, and in some ways, she did. The structures and grammar are similar, however, the pronunciation couldn’t be more different. Where in Spanish, you pronounce nearly every consonant/vowel, the French tend to ignore as many of them as possible.

Personally, I thought she was a great student, and felt it wouldn’t take much for her at all to correct her pronunciation, but I think I must be ignorant to what she is struggling with. We all have our own inner dialogue and struggles, but I wish I’d had the opportunity to talk/listen to her. I found myself wishing my friend Irene (from A2) was in class. You may recall she’s from Spain and has the same struggles. Alas, she took the month off to visit family back home.

Another friend left, as well. Family life is a lot to manage on a good day, let alone in a foreign country. I think my friend just needs a slower pace that fits with her lifestyle, because she’s a brilliant architect, and her grammar and study skills were top notch. She’ll be fine, but I’ll miss her.

There were other absences, too, and I don’t know yet if they’re returning. It is a lot, and the demand for accurate pronunciation is strong. I happen to like that part. My conversation class starts tomorrow. En ligne, so you’ll remind me I said that. You all know by now my struggles are with understanding the spoken word.

I’m taking it one day at a time, some days I feel better equipped than others. If ever it seems like too much, I’ll make adjustments somewhere/somehow. It is a fast-paced intensive course, and there are other options/smethods. I sincerely hope my friends find them!

Despite all of this, the class started to gel today. We had a lot of laughs, possibly as a form of relief to the tension, I don’t know. But we really went off on tangents and sharing and we were all engaged as Caroline happily led the way down all these quirky conversational sidetracks. Apparently, someone made a crack about class turning into a “Squid Game,” and le prof assumed they were talking about different series to watch, so we did that for awhile. OMG. For the record, I have never watched Squid Game, and my kiddos tell me I don’t want to. Suffice it to say, I think it’s a do-or-die game in the most literal sense.

Tomorrow, is not only my first day in conversational French, but it’s the first cultural event of March. « On se donne rendez-vous au Pont Neuf sur l’ile de la Cité où se situe la cathédrale deNotre Dame. »

I’m looking forward to seeing Notre Dame, though I know most of it remains closed to the public.

Masks are still required, as is the morning routine of using hand sanitizer upon entering the building, before one heads to class.