Pour Mes Amis Aux États-Unis

Ok, on y va... Je connais quelqu'un aux États-Unis qui a dit à moi que je dois écrire quelques fois en français. Alors, c'est pour vous. Pour rester avec le thème du français, je vais écrire aujourd'hui de mon progrès avec le français.

Je suis pas contente avec mon français maintenant. Je ne sais pas si c'est possible, mais je me sens que mon français et pire maintenant qu'avant. Et ça c'est triste. Il faut penser trop quand je parle avec mes amis belge ou ma famille d'accueil. Et c'est vrai, je veux parler correctement, mais ces dernier jours étaient horrible avec le français. Je comprends tout, ça c'est pas un problème. Mais mon accent est moche et les conjugaisons sont pas tout à fait correctes. Je pense, et c'est logique, je parle anglais trop. Et je suis ici pour apprendre le français, donc, pourquoi parle anglais? Parce que c'est plus facile. Mais si j'ai voulu facile, pourquoi j'ai fait cet échange ? À cause de ça, Talia et moi avons décidé de ne parler que le français. Ce sera très difficile, mais c'est vraiment nécessaire. Si je ne suis pas fluent à la fin d'année... Je ne veux pas penser à ça maintenant.

Aujourd'hui, je n'ai rien fait spécial. Je suis allée à l'école, et car il est le mercredi, c'était une demi-journée. Mais j'ai réalisé aujourd'hui que je suis très fragile, et je vais me casser à tout moment. Comme aujourd'hui, je ne sais pas pourquoi, parce que normalement je suis la plus calme pendant le première heure avec le Père Boly, mais aujourd'hui, je m'ai cassé. Je me suis senti vraiment stupide et je ne peut pas faire ça. Et j'ai crié un peu. Pas de tout les choses impoli ou mauvais, juste frustré et fâché. Mais ça va. Je vais essayer rester calme et contente. Mais c'est vraiment difficile, parce que tout m'énerve à ce moment. Hier, j'ai trouver que je dois porter les lunettes pour la reste de l'année parce que j'ai développé un allergie de mes lentilles. Donc, je ne peux pas les mettre. Si j'en veux, j'ai besoin d'aller chez médecin pour les nouveaux. C'est chiante, ça. Et c'est cher. J'ai payé pour mes lentilles aux États-Unis et maintenant, j'ai tout les lentilles pour un an, et je ne peux pas les utiliser. Rawr. En plus, je déteste mes lunettes.

On va inscrit à la salle du sport à Hannut. Talia et moi. On allait y aller demain, mais Talia est malade, donc c'est pas possible sauf si j'y vais toute seule. Ah bien. Je pense ça c'est tout. Oh j'ai fait des cookies aujourd'hui. Vous connaissez, avec les "Hershey's Kisses". Oui. Mais sans le beurre de cacahouète. C'était juste les cookies du sucre avec le Kiss. Ils ont un bon goute. Mais c'est pas vraiment le goute je veux pour les cookies du sucre traditionnel. Alors, je vais essayer encore une fois. Mais maintenant, je vais coucher parce que je suis crevée. Bonne nuit.

A Note On Fluency

So these last two days, I have absolutely nothing to write about because I have been sitting at home, sick. But I think I need to just get out some of thoughts, as I do every so often. This time, my topic of choice is language, and speaking it.

I have been told by different people that it is possible to achieve fluency of a foreign language by the emersion method within three months. Actually, Miss Courtney Burnside over there at Baguettes, Berets, and Mlle Burnside just blogged about this particular topic a few weeks ago. My point is that I will have been here for three months on Thursday, and there is no way that I have reached fluency. However, I do believe that fluency is upon us. I cannot say that I have yet dreamed in French, even though basically every other exchange student that I have talked to has, and I don't quite think in French yet either. I feel very behind on the whole process. However, I do find that words that I didn't know that I knew, I hear coming out of my mouth. And there are times when I speak without thinking, freak out, but then think back over what I said and realize it was very correct. These are all obviously steps to fluency.

But fluency comes differently to different people. For example, the majority of people achieve comprehension first. But my dear friends Brittany finds that that is the hardest part for her. And then there is whole conundrum of reading and writing. For someone like Talia, who has never studied French formally, this is the hardest part for her, while for someone like me, I would rather write than speak because I almost always write correctly because I have more time to think. The hard thing about becoming fluent is having the chance to practice. Because, sure, you can talk to your host family or your friends, but it gets to a point where they don't want to listen anymore because you have such the urge to speak correctly that you speak slowly and back up sometimes to correct yourself. Of course that gets aggravating! And then you realize that and you want to give up. But you can't. You force yourself to keep trying and you continue to be rejected, even though you know that in the long run, your French will be better for it.

Well, that's my personal experience anyways. It can be quite disappointing and a little discouraging, but like I said. You can't let it stop you. I know that by the end of this year, I will speak French almost the way I speak English. That prospect is wonderful, and I cannot wait to achieve it. And although people say things about becoming fluent in three months, I guess some people would say I'm "fluent". I understand just about everything that is said to me. "I can get by and hold everyday conversation. People understand me when I speak and I am able to joke and laugh and understand nuance. So I guess in a way, it's also about how you define "fluency". For me, I define it as speaking easily, without thinking. So have I reached fluency after three months? Not to me. Do I think I can get there? Definitely. In fact, I think by the end of month four or five I will be at a point where I can call myself almost fluent. But I don't want to make any rash judgements.

For now, I'm just going to continue to try to write my English novel, speak French, and absorb as much of the language as I can. Well, first, I'm going to sleep. Bonne nuit!

I Miss My Vocabulary...

Since I apparently don't have any faithful readers, I don't really know why I'm writing but here goes another day in Beligum. (hehe just kidding)

Ok so let's just talk a minute about the French language. It is so freaking complicated, I can't handle it. AND it doesn't even make sense that it's so complicated because there seems to be so many less words than the English language! There are far less idiomatic expressions, and when there are 5 ways to say things in English, each with a different intention or a different connotation, and then you find out there is one, expressionless, way to say it in French. Now I'm not trying to bash the French language. After all, it is gorgeous and I really do like it. I just wish there were more ways to express myself. But there are so many words in English that I would use that were "my" words. Like calling people "love" or "darling" or "dear". But you can't do things like that in French. There is no translation for "cool beans" or "that's so bomb!". I just find it really difficult to say what I want to say. There is one word that means both "always" and "forever" when they are different words that really do mean different things when you really think about it. I spent so many years building up my English vocabulary, and I like to think I speak fairly well. But even if there are translations for these words, there is no way that I can build my French vocabulary that much in just a year. It is just a little disheartening to know that I will never speak French the way I speak English. That's kind of a duh statement, but I don't like to think about it...

Anyways...

Today, the schedule at school changed. Which means next week, we start with a new schedule. And I really don't like the new schedule. I go from having two study halls a week, to having five. I don't get out of school early any more either. It makes me a little sad :( Also, I'm beginning to get a cold, and for reasons that I'm sure you can figure out, I have excruciating cramps and am pretty sure I'm gonna have to go to the doctor soon...

But it's not all bad! I am going to France tomorrow with my Rotary club to spend the night. I'm very excited for that :) And I had les frites with lunch and cauliflower with cheese sauce with dinner. Yumm

Now, I'm going to bed. Early. Because I cannot believe how tired I am. Goodnight all :)

Flying... :/

I got an email yesterday that told me all about my flight. Which airline I'm taking, where I'll be leaving from, when I'm leaving etc etc. Now I had already known that I'm leaving on August 17th and I was told I'll be flying out of Philadelphia. I had also been told that I had to find my own way to get to Philly. Due to that fact, my parents and I had decided that it would be best to drive there and it was all going to work out perfectly because I was going to get to visit my Ryan (boyfriend :D) on the way there! (He is leaving on the 11th for the University of Pittsburgh) But also my sister had said she wasn't sure if she would want to come with us to see me off because of band camp... really... I'm not kidding...

HOWEVER!!!

Upon getting this email yesterday, I discovered that I am still flying out of Philly, but they have already scheduled me on a flight from Cleveland to Philadelphia! It was all included in cost, and I would leave around 11 30 in the morning... I think... If I recall correctly... So this works out for my sister being able to see me off and for the majority of my best friends to be there too. But what about Ryan?! Well then I later find out that he is coming back!!! He has to be there on the 11th for ROTC stuff, but he doesn't have to be there for class for a while after that, like the 23rd or something. Which I had already known, but he was just going to stay there in between that time. Well now he has decided that he will come back on the 15th!!! :D :D :D :D :D

I apologize for my super girly lovestruck ahhh moment, but it was necessary hehe Afterall, I am a teenage girl. It happens. I'm sure all you ladies out there would be just as ecstatic :)

So basically, I fly out of Cleveland on the 17th around 11 30am, get to Philly around 12 45, and have a 5 hour layover. Ughhhhhh. So then at 6 15 I leave Philly to go nonstop to Brussels and I'm supposed to get there the next morning at like 8 o'clock. Gahhh it all gets more and more real every day. Every time I find out something new about this trip it's like someone is smacking me in the face with a fish (I have no idea why I used that analogy) and I just have a reality check. Woah I'm going to Europe!!!

I have no real qualms about flying. I find it enjoyable. Though the last time I flew anywhere was 6th grade... But I remember liking it! Hehe I just hope I don't end up next to someone with bad motion sickness... I don't handle puke well... At all. Actually I'm quite scared of it. The only thing that I am really concerned about with the flight is doing it alone. Once I get to Philly I know that I'll be with a bunch of other exchange kids that are also on their way to Belgium. But I'm pretty sure I have to handle this first flight from Cleveland by myself and then figure out what I'm doing once I get to Philly. By myself. That is the scary part. And then once I do get to Brussels, what then?? I don't speak enough French to understand what people are going to be saying! And then I find my host family and then what?? How do I speak to them!! I speak some French (I had 4 years high school French) but not enough to have conversations... GAHH

Ok well I think that is enough rambling/complaining/rejoicing/whatever else emotional rollercoaster nonsense for one post... Wow this post has all kinds of emotion in it ha

Ohh Emm Gee

I leave in 21 days. I can't handle this!!! I have so much to do before I leave and not enough time to do it in. However, slowly but surely, I have been making progress on my list and going to buy the things I need and take care of the things I have to take care of.

One of my random thoughts: I've been thinking about the French language lately since I'll have to speak it all the time very soon. In French, there are two forms of "you". There is an informal and a formal form, which also doubles as singular and plural forms. Of course, in English, there is one. "You". Obviously. But it's actually been bothering me lately. Like, I feel rude when I use the word "you" with someone I do not know well, or an adult, or just someone I should be super duper polite to. For example, today I went to go babysit like I do every week. And I met the grandmother. And I just felt so impolite saying "you" to her. Which sounds really weird, but that's just how I felt. I felt like there should be another, more polite word to use. But due to the failure of the English language, there isn't another word. The English language has a lot of flaws. But I'm not going to get into that now.

That was slightly ramble-ish but I that's how my brain works I guess. I've also been thinking about how often I end sentences with prepositions... Wow I am a nerd... What kind of 18 year old girl thinks about stuff like that? But every time I do it, I think about how wrong it is and how I should fix it. But then I don't feel like going back and changing the entire sentence around to make it okay.

Anyway, I really am rambling now. The point of this post was to say OMGILEAVEIN21DAYS!!!! And I did that hehe :)