The other night I had a terrible nightmare that the Dollé's took me on an intense spelunking trip. I'd forgotten my coat and my gloves, and I didn't have enough food and water for the week-long trek in the freezing cold. It was a terrible nightmare and the sad thing is, after waking up, I was still scared that something similar would happen in reality. I absolutely love the Dollé's, but I honestly cannot keep up with them. This weekend, my host parents are going on a 2 day cross-country skiing trip in the mountains (complete with sleeping bags). I was lucky to get out of it this time because I'm going to Nîmes with Mathilde, but there won't always be an excuse.
Now that I've said that little piece, I'll shift things in a completely different direction: the French language. I have often shared my troubles and victories in learning French, and I'm going to do it yet again. About a week ago, I decided to take a little more radical approach to mastering my new tongue. I've cut out reading English books and watching Desperate Housewives :( (and other films) in English, and have substituted them with all things French. This weekend, I finished my first real French novel (Oscar et la Dame Rose - 100 pages) and watched three or four movies in French. I haven't even let myself watch them with English subtitles. I'm starting to listen to French language tapes and am currently memorizing approximately 15 new vocabulary words per day. Right now, I understand enough to follow the plots and understand some jokes and dialogue, but I'm still having a little trouble with verb conjugations and comprehension.
The only connection I have to English is this blog and the occasional Skype call. All these changes haven't been exactly fun, but I want to be as fluent as possible. Some people could probably stretch the truth a little and say that I'm bilingual now, but I'm still not bilingual by my standards. My main problem is that I continue to think in English. I need to go back to Germany, because for some strange reason, while I was there, all my thoughts were in French. I've gotten in a terrible habit of daydreaming in classes and at the dinner table when I should really be trying to follow the French. But, like most things in life, easier said than done. It takes so much effort to concentrate on things you don't always understand, and it's an automatic response to resort to daydreaming in English.
My goal now is to be fluent in April for when my sister and my mom visit. I'm going to translate everything and I'm looking forward to the day when I can proudly say, "Yes, I am fluent in French." That day will be the most satisfying day of my life, and I'm going to do everything possible to make sure it comes sooner than later.
Yes, since Gigi and I will only be fluent in faking French (BWA-VOH!, tsk-tsk-tsk-, Ahhhhhhhh! M*rd*!), we will be depending on you to get us through train stations, restaurants, and bathroom hunts. It is a big job but someone will have to do it. The only problem - will we be able to communicate with you en anglais???
ReplyDeleteIt appears that your ordeal in the Alps has affected the netherworld of consciousness known as dreams. At least when you attain your goal you can look forward to nightmares en francais.
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