Learning French

Learning a language is difficult.  The one-in-the-morning commercials for Rosetta Stone could tell you that.  In my twenty years of life I have tried my hand at Spanish, Latin, and, most recently, French.  Considering my memories from Spanish class are only of the songs about the colors and alphabet and considering also that Latin is a dead language which few people speak, starting French in college was my first attempt at actually learning a language.

The Chateau at Villandry in the Loire Valley

My love affair with French is a long-lasting one.  I fell in love with the language with the release of the movie, Les Choristes.  A story set in WWII France, Les Choristes follows the trials and tribulations of a choir for young boys, some of whom were orphaned in the war.  Unfortunately for my parents, who do not necessarily love French-subtitled films, my love of French cinema did not stop there.  My parents sat through countless of French films even though I was the only one who wanted to watch them.  I believe I even went through a phase where the only music to which I would listen was the soundtrack for Amélie.  Let's just say that twelve-year-old Sarah thought she was quite cultured.

I've spent the last three months in France, living at first in Paris and then with a host family, in order to learn French.  I've long wanted to immerse myself in a culture and live with a host family and, in the process, I've learned a bit about myself.

1. Language-learning inspires humility:  I spent last summer teaching English to pre-literate refugees, but I could not appreciate until now how difficult it is to learn a new language.  I have to be like a child - open and curious - while also retaining my sense of self as an "adult" (I say this in quotations because I'm in denial that I actually am one).  The process is a arduous and humbling one, but one in which I am incredibly privileged to partake.
2. Moments of facility in a new language are rare: French is a Romance language, so it draws on my previous knowledge of English, Latin, and Spanish.  On occasion I am able to say an English word with a French accent and it just so happens to be a word in French. Thank you, Norman Conquest!  (I say "on occasion" here because this rarely works.) 
3. I can accept constructive criticism without getting defensive.  A long-term problem of mine, my defensiveness rears its head whenever I am critiqued.  As the French are forthcoming with their grammatical corrections, I simply cannot afford to take offense to them because the advice given is helpful and valid.
4. I have accepted the fact that I will make (numerous) mistakes every time I open my mouth.  To date I'm (fairly) sure I have not seriously insulted anyone.  Here's too keeping up that impeccable record.

I find it incroyable that I only have one month left here in France.  The semester has flown by (insert more clichéd statements of the passage of time here _____).  I still have so much more to learn and not nearly enough time in which to learn it.  But I hope to return to France in the future, so these past three months will not have gone to waste. 

Until next time!

A stunning valley in Provence