I'm writing this to procrastinate - I have to write a 1 page narration of a story, and it's just not happening. There's a moth in my light that's making it incredibly hard to concentrate. (I also got internet at my house - can you say "danger"?)
To put it lightly, this weekend was a full-force, jam-packed weekend, Provencal summer style: from visting art museums, tasting fabulous wines from Bordeaux and la fete de la musique on Thursday, through bars and nightclubs and sunny Mediterranean beaches, to fire festivals and beautiful lakes. Oh, right, and those lovely things called Midterms that we took Friday afternoon. It's been tiring, but so worth it. And, as the half-way point in our program, it seemed like the perfect culmination of the last three weeks and the beginning of the next; the somewhat notable progress in my French speaking ability and the level of comfort I feel in Aix truly became apparent in the last few days. I also came to realize how lucky I have been in regards to the number of French students I have been able to meet - it's truly remarkable how many people I've been able to connect with. It only adds further to my admiration for the people who live here, that they are willing to invite and put up with American students with a base knowledge of French. I feel like I would do the same, but I can't be sure; the language barrier can be so frustrating for both sides.
But the value of speaking French with French people is absolutely incredible - that really is the advantage of being here, in France, as opposed to something like the Middlebury program in Vermont or California. While the language pledge is incredibly helpful, it just can't replace the fundamental difference between speaking with other students who know as much or less than you and speaking with real native speakers. Speaking with native French is more work, bien sur, but it's much more rewarding; they speak quicker, more fluidly and more familiarly, something you just can't replicate with other students at our level. Also, when you speak with other students, you're making the same mistakes as each other, therefore you keep internalizing those mistakes, since no one is there to correct you. With a native speaker, they will probably correct you or not understand what exactly you are trying to say. They will attempt to clarify, and you're forced to re-evaluate and make a change in your linguistic knowledge. It gives you basic, quick phrases and expressions that French people use daily, and it makes you quick on your feet and really stretch your vocabulary base. It's really the only way to fluency, because books and literature can only teach you so much - the point of learning to speak the language is to be able to communicate effectively and succinctly with native speakers of the language, something you only gain from actually attempting to practice with them. That is not to say that I don't believe in speaking French with other American students. On the contrary, I think it's also quite helpful, both in proving that you can communicate in another language as well as continuing to force you to think in French.
Overall, this weekend was incredible. I managed to get a little bit tan (a little bit of sun-burn, but so it goes), speak a lot of French, and learn/visit even more of Aix and the Provence area. I can't wait to see what the next three weeks has in store!
Bisous! xoxo
To put it lightly, this weekend was a full-force, jam-packed weekend, Provencal summer style: from visting art museums, tasting fabulous wines from Bordeaux and la fete de la musique on Thursday, through bars and nightclubs and sunny Mediterranean beaches, to fire festivals and beautiful lakes. Oh, right, and those lovely things called Midterms that we took Friday afternoon. It's been tiring, but so worth it. And, as the half-way point in our program, it seemed like the perfect culmination of the last three weeks and the beginning of the next; the somewhat notable progress in my French speaking ability and the level of comfort I feel in Aix truly became apparent in the last few days. I also came to realize how lucky I have been in regards to the number of French students I have been able to meet - it's truly remarkable how many people I've been able to connect with. It only adds further to my admiration for the people who live here, that they are willing to invite and put up with American students with a base knowledge of French. I feel like I would do the same, but I can't be sure; the language barrier can be so frustrating for both sides.
But the value of speaking French with French people is absolutely incredible - that really is the advantage of being here, in France, as opposed to something like the Middlebury program in Vermont or California. While the language pledge is incredibly helpful, it just can't replace the fundamental difference between speaking with other students who know as much or less than you and speaking with real native speakers. Speaking with native French is more work, bien sur, but it's much more rewarding; they speak quicker, more fluidly and more familiarly, something you just can't replicate with other students at our level. Also, when you speak with other students, you're making the same mistakes as each other, therefore you keep internalizing those mistakes, since no one is there to correct you. With a native speaker, they will probably correct you or not understand what exactly you are trying to say. They will attempt to clarify, and you're forced to re-evaluate and make a change in your linguistic knowledge. It gives you basic, quick phrases and expressions that French people use daily, and it makes you quick on your feet and really stretch your vocabulary base. It's really the only way to fluency, because books and literature can only teach you so much - the point of learning to speak the language is to be able to communicate effectively and succinctly with native speakers of the language, something you only gain from actually attempting to practice with them. That is not to say that I don't believe in speaking French with other American students. On the contrary, I think it's also quite helpful, both in proving that you can communicate in another language as well as continuing to force you to think in French.
Overall, this weekend was incredible. I managed to get a little bit tan (a little bit of sun-burn, but so it goes), speak a lot of French, and learn/visit even more of Aix and the Provence area. I can't wait to see what the next three weeks has in store!
Bisous! xoxo
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