Parlez-vous français?!

In an attempt to keep myself occupied and in order to actually try and speak this language I decided it was best that I sign up for at least another week of intensive French lessons. Towards the end of last week I got a real taste of what it's like to be a bum (sleeping all day and up all night) and as nice a change as it is from my hectic life back in Melbourne, its not the life for me!

So on Monday I dragged my butt out of bed and walked the 400 or so metres around the corner to Alliance Française to sign up. As I was wondering along I started to practice in my head how I was going to approach the person at the desk.

*Bonjour! Je voudrais etudier ici?!*

or

*J'étudiais à Bordeaux pour deux semaines et je voudrais continuer ici?!*

I convinced myself the latter sounded better, even though I wasn't 100% sure it meant what I actually wanted to say. So with the sentence going round and round in my head I walked up to the counter and was greeted by a young guy.

Desk guy: 'Bonjour'
Me: 'Ah...Bonjour....je vou... j’étudiais à Bordeaux....ehh... j’étudie ici maintenant?! *Ugh thats not that I wanted to say!!*
Desk guy: 'Insert incomprehensible French phrase here'
Me: *Oh God* 'Ouhhh... oui?! (When all else fails you just agree right?!)
Desk guy: Continues to speak in French but this time I hear something along the lines of 'test' and '1st floor' then 'D'accord?!'
Me: 'D'accord, merci beaucoup'


Ok... so my first interaction didn't exactly go as planned, but I survived, I bluffed my way through and was now to go upstairs and complete this test. 


I found myself in a room full of people sitting around at tables completing the same test. Wow, there were so many people wanting to learn French! I automatically felt much more at ease as I pulled up a chair and began writing. I completed as much as I could (a grand total of about 4 questions) and made my way over to the chairs where we waited to see the teacher. He called me over and after a brief awkward conversation, he assessed my level and I went on my merry way.


It felt good. Right. Finally a place aside from Starbucks I could go without being scared of having to talk to people. I wandered around for a little while absorbing my new surroundings, had a bite to eat, then made my way to the class.


When I walked in I was greeted by the friendly slightly crazy looking face of my new teacher. She welcomed me and asked me a couple of basic questions and I found a place to sit down. Slowly but surely more and more new faces entered the room. Some with smiles of familiarity others with the look of fear and like the true predictor I didn't even realise I could be, I decided they were the ones that would become my friends. When everyone was seated, she asked us to introduce ourselves to the class by telling them our names and where we came from. China, Columbia, Brazil, Israel, Australia... What?! Rewind. Another Aussie!?? Woo Hoo!! The first Australian person I had come across in my studies so far. I let out a little 'hallelujah' (although it is altogether possible that came from the Columbian Nun sitting next to me) and so began my first French lesson back in Paris.


Upon opening the exercise book, I quickly realised the teacher downstairs had totally overestimated my level and they were 4 chapters ahead of where I was up to. Uh oh. I spent the first hour concentrating so hard, I truly believe my head almost exploded. In the break, I had a chance to talk to the other Aussie and it was bliss! She felt EXACTLY the same way I did and it was such a relief that I wasn't alone. Most of the other people in the class seemed to have a grasp on what the teacher was saying, where as I just sat there most of the time lucky to string 2 or 3 words together. By the time the lesson finished 4 hours later I was truly exhausted and happy to go back to my apartment and rest.


And so this continued for the rest of the week, every day I would venture over off to school for my 4 hours of lessons with my Manuel from Fawlty towers like teacher and come home feeling like there was actually cotton wool in my head. It is an interesting and humbling experience learning a new language. As someone who prides themselves on their writing and pretty much being to talk underwater, this has been an excruciating challenge. I have no problem packing up my life and moving to a foreign city on the other side of the world, but trying to communicate to the guy at the supermarket?! Unbearable! Can anyone say ironic?! People always tell you; 'Its ok, we all felt that way at the beginning' or 'You'll get there just you wait' and all I want to do is bang their heads together and scream!! I KNOW it will get better, but this is how I feel NOW!!


During the week I stumbled across this delightful post by Parlez Vous Loco? and it made me laugh out loud as I felt like she was talking about me!! This is EXACTLY how it feels, somewhere between being a 3yr old toddler and Colin Firth in Love Actually. After reading this and debriefing with my new Aussie friend I felt inspired and have decided to try and embrace the situation and throw myself head first into the unknown. 


I signed up for a conversation exchange which is essentially meeting up with a native speaker of the language you want to learn and spending an hour together, talking for 30minutes in one language followed by 30minutes in the next. I had my first conversation exhange on Friday and it was a hilarious experience. I met up with a French girl who had me in stitches most of the time and was amazingly patient with my broken French. Exactly what I needed. Her advice to me (which is not the first time I have been told this) was to find myself a French boyfriend as that way I would learn very quickly. Between hearing this and having flash backs to my French dad telling me what it means to finish the bottle of wine, I am sensing a theme in this country!! Hmmm.


So I decided to sign up for 2 more weeks of intensive lessons to finish the current course I am on. It is hard, but I can't imagine any place I would rather be right now! What a week!!


Oh and one more thing....