The Half Way Point: Looking Back at The Progression of My French

Before I left for France I found myself thinking at times, just about how my French would progress throughout the year. To be completely honest my first thoughts were wrapped around the fear that I wouldn’t learn enough or be able to keep up with others in conversation. Now, being almost six months and over the halfway point for my time in this beautiful country I've realized just how far my French has come.

I had taken IB French for three years at my high school and upon my arrival was rather satisfied with the language skills that I had and wasn’t as much nervous in a way about the difficulties that could arise with a language barrier. However, maybe it was the fact that I hadn’t practiced my French enough during the summer, but after orientation finished and I joined my host family and really ‘begun’ speaking French did I realize that it had major gaps. I remember in the beginning and first three weeks having to use a translator many times throughout the day with my host family and truly it was frustrating! The perfectionist in me was rather disappointed in myself that I didn’t know more, wasn’t improving fast enough and could not understand or be understood. I remember making cookies one time as I wanted to do something normal and incredibly botching the recipe as I had completely mixed up the words on the french ingredients labels. I absolutely laugh about it now but when and if I become a language teacher in the future I am absolutely teaching cooking in a different language!

After I changed host families at the end of September and settled into the family that I am currently with, my French started to get better. Yes, even in the beginning I had to ask, ‘can you repeat please’ or ‘I don't understand’ but with my host family's patience, I began to understand more and more. Then and still to this day, when I don’t understand a word my host parents and host sisters included are excited to explain the word to me and work around the words I do know to explain the ones I don’t. At the beginning of my time with the family, we referred to my youngest host sister who is 9 that she was my ‘google translator’! When I was unable to understand something she would use all of her energy and either… wave her arms about miming the word, use other words or come up with a dance to make it so I understood the phrase better. My host dad however, is incredibly good at mixing my French up (in the best of ways of course) he always has what is called a, ‘jeu des mots’ which is words in French that are pronounced slightly differently that mean exactly the opposite. Every time, it's my host dad that tells the joke, and my wonderful but poor host mom who has to explain it to me.

A couple weeks ago, while on a trip to my host family’s beach house we visited an aquarium in the area, and I will admit that I have never visited an aquarium before where the names of animals were written in French! I had fun following my host sisters around while they said, ‘Gretchen come look, Gretchen see that!’ I even enjoyed sharing a bit about where I come from; through the different exhibits and explaining how the pacific ocean crabs and tidal pool fish are from the area in Tacoma Washington of the Pacific North West where I grew up! While I don’t remember every fish type that I saw in French I do however know how to say now that seahorse is hippocampe and jellyfish is méduse.

At the college, I find myself speaking less French throughout the day as I am in the classroom environment of speaking English or talking with students outside of classes to improve their conversational levels. However, at the elementary it is essential that I use a great amount of French with the younger children and a few words learnt in English. I have realized that while I am teaching children the vocabulary in English, I am in fact improving my own French speaking abilities. As 45 minutes of a class period often results in taking the time to explain grammar, games, songs and activities all in French so it can be understood better. I enjoy the times throughout the day when I can converse with other teachers eating together during the lunch break. I have most especially appreciated just how many of the teachers here at the college De Ste Emilie genuinely like to hear how I am doing; how things are with my host family, travel plans for the upcoming break and what my life in America looks like.

After a few months of getting better acquainted living in the French culture being able to comprehend, understand and speaking better, I noticed that there were problems in my speaking not exactly due to lack of vocabulary or the conjugations but that I needed to as equally, put the time into studying the grammar. Ive come to find that you can learn to speak a language as I have through being immersed, learning vocabulary and memorising certain questions but until the grammar is as easily practiced as speaking then the language becomes as easier to learn. To begin solving this problem, my host mom suggested that we find a French grammar and exercise book at a store in Angers and i’ve been really grateful for the times when i’ve done the exercises and sit down with her and correct them. Truly having and working through a French exercise book while living in France is almost richer than spending time in a classroom in the U.S. I've been able to put the grammar and methods learnt into constant exercise throughout the day conversing with others and living with a host family.

At this point, you may be thinking.. Gosh! Learning French and speaking it throughout the day while living in France sounds great! I can without a doubt say that this experience has been life changing and amazing but the language elements have been incredibly hard at times. As my French has progressed throughout the months, the perfectionist in me has constantly thought, its not enough, its not enough and being frustrated at times, i've had to work through the fact that my French will never be perfect or as much as a native speaker. Through this, I’ve learned a whole lot about confidence as well. When I have a conversation with others or I’m ordering food at a restaurant, even with a seemingly “good french accent” my own American accent instantly shows people that I am a foreigner and automatically different. This specifically has been something new and hard for me to adjust to at times as I’ve been so used to in America going to school, work, eating out and living around others who have the same language and accent as me. At times, I don’t love being the ‘different’ one in the room, being identified as an American through my accent while speaking French but it has taught me to be confident in who I am. When I go down the self conscious path about how my French speaking skills may be interpreted by others, I think instead about how I can’t change my accent and I can’t change how others see me. And this automatically gives me more confidence and inner peace in who I am as a person, American and someone still learning the French language and culture.

Bonne semaine et Bises!