We finished our grammar class yesterday, which was unfortunate because it was my favorite class with my favorite teacher, Kristof..... but it ended well and a short test that I took on Tuesday was returned to me with great marks! I really felt like I nailed the work that was asked of me, and will walk away with an amazingly solid understanding of french grammar! I got to the level I had hoped (the level that I hoped to attain, that is, after arriving, realizing the limited time I had, and revising my goals so as not to set myself against unrealistic "fluency" attempts).
It's also clear to sense the progression I've made when I think about how volleyball practice plays out now (hm pun intended? :) The first couple weeks I had nothing to say to these girls, let alone a knowledge of the words for "bump," "set," or "spike." Now I come to practice and pick up casual conversations with the girls all the time..... I communicate on the floor in french like second nature..... and I'm acquiring more encouraging phrases to say to my teammates each week. : ) It's great to have french come out of your mouth when you haven't thought ahead of what you were going to say!
Yesterday, the Christmas market opened in downtown Grenoble. Oh man, it didn't disappoint. I WILL be frequenting that place every day that I can-- it's set up perfectly with wooden huts, lights galore, and trees decked! I will be writing about it more, surely. : ) I loved wandering around, enjoying the ambiance, the free samples, and the conversation. As I browsed with my friends yesterday, I sensed an environment that fostered free conversation with a lot of the booth owners, so I'd ask them questions about how they made their products, which type of bread they baked was their favorite... n'importe quoi (whatever!). All this seemed to render an almost tangible, visible essence to my confidence level. I felt richer in it--confidence--and it's a treasure for which I have fought and in which I am still progressing. Whereas at the beginning of the semester I would have had a pit in my stomach if I had to go up to talk to someone, playing millions of times a phrase in my head before stumbling over it out loud, now-- though vocabulary is still limited and my accent can always use work, now I can have 'natural' conversations! I am thankful.
Don't get the wrong impression-- you're catching me on a positive day. There are many days, preceding or following encouraging times like this one, during which I am discouraged. And I am nowhere near talking like a native. That would take many more months and much more true 'immersion' (aka I would need to avoid all other Americans). Yet the few little instances this past week have really allowed me to step back and grasp a bit of the language skill that has been amassing over 10 weeks!
By the way-- I have included some photos from the end of semester party that our class had-- Kristof is the french-looking man in the white t-shirt. He is definitely a free spirit, taking his job as a pleasure and himself not too seriously. Sometime soon I will sit down and explain more of what I HAVE been studying this semester.... because it dawned on my recently that, for all you know, I have spent this past semester in France hiking and eating baguettes. Absolutely nothing is written about my classes! C'est dommage, ça (that's too bad). That will change very soon (so as to preserve my reputation as a student : )
most of the class hanging out in our classroom..... this was our favorite room, check out the tech-no-lo-gy!! that's a smart board, it was way cool!
junko thought it would be fun to take a picture of me taking a picture
haha there's Junko again, from Japan, with a muffin in her mouth.... and Liliana from Colombia and Mariana from Mexico!
we're all bunched up outside the class but there we all are! I have all my classes with this same group.
2 comments:
So glad to hear you're feeling more confident linguistically. :) It's a great feeling to have French words come to mind before any English ones...I'd say you've made great progress! Looks like you had a nice, laid-back teacher...and smart boards! That's a new development for sure. What building was this class in?
ahhh... get a ton of street-vendor food! that always seems to be the best just about anywhere you go
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