Back to Tumbling Down

Let me just say, my head hurts. The hurt that pulses behind your eyes and makes your lids heavy. My ears and brain are packed full of my new language and the words are floating around in a nonsensical way. Various phrases and sentences are stuck between the folds of my cerebrum and I can't seem to shake them out. Today was my first day of actual class.

I definitely had reason to be intimidated. First of all, I woke up late and it took me forever to climb out of bed. I got dressed and joined my host dad and a family friend for my breakfast, their lunch. I lost track of time talking to them and had to run out the door into the bitter wind to catch the tram. The tram is maybe a 15ish minute walk from my new house. This was my first tram adventure alone, and I could NOT get lost. I ascended the tram a few moments after I had arrived and found a seat. I watched the city pass by under the gloomy clouds and terribly cold temps. I watched the people on the tram, there are so many types. 

College and high school students standing and sitting alone with their earphones plugged in their ears or looking around like me, elderly women sitting together chattering loudly away much like in the US, and middle aged people who were reading or had their heads in their phones, looking nervous as though they had forgotten something or were late to work. There was one woman, who I had seen my first day here walking around downtown, who wore very bright clothing, whites, pinks, blues, yellows, and her dyed-white dreads were also partially dyed to match her attire in said color scheme.

Rue Froide Caen, France

The tram passed by the castle, which is my signal that my stop is two stops away. I payed attention, but almost missed it. I glanced through the other tram's window to see Crous. I flew off my seat and squeezed through the doors, just as they were closing. I made my way to the building where my class was supposed to be held, after asking another English speaker (we are all in the same boat, they are less likely to tell me the wrong way) I found where I needed to go. Running up to the door, a bit out of breath, I began talking to the only other English speaker standing there.

Everyone else was speaking Chinese, Spanish, or Japanese. I was only two minutes late :)
Our teacher rounded the corner after about ten minutes, and we went to sit down. This is how the first two hours passed. "Bonjour," she welcomed us in French and began passing out a questionnaire. (Assume that my teachers are always speaking French, I am just translating on here.) Nothing horrible, basic things like nationality, if we plan on applying to a French university later, and our major.

Then she began passing out another paper, before we were finished with the first one. It said oral test on the top. Crap. We had three tries to listen to a news report and had to answer questions and think of alternative ways to say things on this paper. While that was playing for the last time, she passed out another test. Grammar this time. I killed the grammar, but then again, I must contribute that success to a wonderful grammar teacher I had in the States last semester :)

Centre Ville Tram Stop

Last was a free writing sample. We had to fill a page with a traditional letter, addressing a company that uses fur in making clothes as if we were writing from an activist group against it. There are only so many ways you can say don't kill animals for clothes. There are only so many ways to say that there are alternatives to fur. Filling the page was interesting, I probably came across as a beggar. 

I really wanted to use threats and horrible language, just to keep it interesting, but I resisted the temptation. Then, I got to the "sincerely" part. I don't know what is the standard closing in a French letter except for a bientot, which is see you soon. So I wrote cordialment. Yes, an angry activist is going to sign "cordially" to a hate letter. Needless to say, I felt defeated after that.

We had a little break and I ran into another woman from UNT. She tested into one of the easier classes along with the rest of the group from UNT, minus me and our lone man who tested into the same level as me, but we don't share a class. She said they went over things like "Who is your best friend? What are they like? Describe where you live?" Give me a break. No assessment test for them, no super-stress, nada. I have to keep reminding myself that, to improve, I have to feel a little lost. It has to be a challenge

After the break, we paired up asking questions in French and then presenting each other to the class. We also did a reading exercise that is pretty much synonymous to a TAKS reading test. Ha.
That was fun. We understood it, but she asked us to summarize things and answer questions. Everyone fell silent half the time, because we were too afraid to speak or didn't catch what she said. This semester will be interesting.

Oh, and to stay in France, I have to get my lungs X-rayed Friday and have a doctor's check up next week. Fun, fun. Anyway, time for dinner!