Today was our last day of classes before the Christmas holidays. It was filled with mixed emotions. My prof, Caroline, has been my favourite so far. All the profs I have had have been very good, but I particularly like her and her teaching style. My fellow classmates have also been delightful. One student stands out among the others. Alvero is from Columbia and strikes me as a very bright young man. What I find most endearing about him is his passion for life. He literally wears his heart on his sleeve especially when he talks about his family, friends, football or country. He has certainly convinced me that Colombia is a place well worth visiting.
My Class - Caroline, the prof, is at the back in the middle and Alvero is on her right. Several of my classmates were not here today because they have already left on their vacation.
The adage "you are what you think" has been haunting me recently. I wonder if some of my progress learning French has been inhibited because I don't think I can understand what others are saying and therefore I can't. It's like I put up some kind of a block. To overcome this, I am trying to be more positive and open to learning opportunities to improve my comprehension. This week, I invested in a private 1 1/2 hr. lesson with a very gentle prof who helped me with my pronunciation, comprehension and vocabulary. I think I understood about 70% of what she said, so needless to say, I still have work to do, but then again, I understood 70%. There are all kinds of language learning programs on the Internet and I am a consumer of many. I also purchased several additional manuals to work through to improve my vocabulary and communication skills. Once or twice a week, I meet with people to converse in French over a cup of coffee. Emily, my aquaintance from Canada, received wonderful news this week (not so good for me) that she has been offered a great job in Vancouver that starts in February. We'll likely meet again in the new year, but her time will be limited. Another aquaintance I met at the Bookshop is Sarah. Although she's French, she is quite anxious to learn English. When we meet, our conversation often resorts to English. I have leads on a few more people that might be interested in an informal French conversation and I will follow-up with them when I get back.
For the last couple of weeks I have also been wrestling with the decision of whether or not to move up a level or stay put when I return to school in January. Today, I finally decided to take the plunge and move up to B2. At this point I have nothing to lose and if I find that it is too difficult for me, I can always ask to move back. I hear that they speak much more quickly in B2 but, then again, so do most French people. It is just something I am going to have to get used to and it is part of the steep learning curve. I must rise to the challenge and go forward.
My wise sister-in-law, who also happens to be an ESL prof at the University of Alberta, sent me an email recently talking about the "culture shock roller coaster" experienced by most students living in a foreign country and studying a new language. The 'highs and lows' I have felt are perfectly normal. Although I continue to work hard and try my best, I am also putting less pressure on myself. The arbritrary time line of six months to master this language is likely unattainable. Now that I've realized that, I am in a much more comfortable place. If need be, I can always go back to school to continue my language learning at a later date. Right now, I am excited to return to Edmonton for the holidays to spend time with loved ones.
A couple of days ago, Patricia and her cousin Carol bought a new little artificial Christmas tree to put in the small granary window in the living room. Together they decorated the "Charlie Brown tree" laughing and singing the traditional French Christmas song "Papa Noel". It was so much fun watching them, so I will end this blog with a few pictures of their escapades.
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