Le week-end!

This morning I had my second on-line conversation class. A lot has changed in a week, including THE TEACHER. This was a much different format with way more structure, and far fewer students, meaning I had plenty of time to participate! And embarrass myself!

It’s amazing the things you’re asked to share in a foreign language class. I mean, can you imagine asking a complete stranger if they ever sucked their thumb? Facts and stories about your life, work, children, etc., can get oddly intimate pretty fast.

Here’s what I don’t get about this experience in Paris. I can barely understand the native speakers — or the teachers who slow down the language to simplify it for me — how on earth am I expected to understand other students from other countries trying to speak French? Ce n’est pas possible pour moi! It’s a conundrum, and one that keeps repeating itself. Groundhog Day, Paris style. French is already foreign, so now add a Peruvian, Italian, Colombian, Egyptian, Iranian, Turkish, Vietnamese, Czech, Basque, American, or Portuguese accent. Lol!

Anyway, the conversation class was difficult in a way that I need, so I will push myself and just keep working on it. Embarrassment has to go out the window with this adventure. Bon courage!

Meanwhile the B1 class is mired in grammar, and very little speaking. I like it, but it’s not what I ultimately want, and honestly, I can do the grammar with AF at home. Next week, we’re going to be introduced to the Passé Simple tense. Do you know what that is? It’s Passé Composé (or past tense), but a tense used only in formal writing, (literature or historical), never spoken. The conjugation is different and of course, there are exceptions to those rules with irregular verbs. It is used less and less, but we will nevertheless still study it.

Anyone who tells you can can learn French in a month is lying. And as far as just living here and picking up the language, well, no. No. Absolument non.

I’ve been here for 5 weeks, going on 6, so I’m no expert, but I’ve studied French for many years. I’m learning intermediate/advanced grammar, but I’m not speaking that way. I’m operating on so many different levels, none of them aligned. Ranking my abilities, highest to lowest: pronunciation, writing, speaking, hearing. Menu reading is high on the list, too.

I’m definitely leaning towards conversational French for my remaining time here. Otherwise, I’ll be spending all my time in the books, and there’s too much to see now that spring is around the corner. So, the timing works. We’ll see.

Now that the winter is ending, I’ve finally figured out how the mini heater in the bathroom works. I don’t feel too bad since the landlord didn’t know how it worked, either. He said it was new. I will say, it’s a treat on cold mornings. But I just realized the number setting is Celsius. Yeah, I’m that American whose been thinking it was minutes. I knew it wasn’t making sense, but went about my business. Then I asked aloud, “Why isn’t it a temperature setting?” quickly realizing, OMG IT IS. It’s just not Fahrenheit.

Laundry weekend. À tout à l’heure!