Paris: Week Two, Day Three
Tuesday, July 4
Happy Independence Day to those of you who celebrate in the US. It’s not really my thing, but I know some people really enjoy it. For me, it was just another day in Paris, and day two of French class.
Class today was extremely challenging. I cannot express enough how difficult this situation is. Never in my mind did I imagine the hardship I would face in my French class, and it’s only day two! Today, the teacher gave us an assignment to work in groups and read a newspaper. We had to choose two articles from the newspaper, read them, and then summarize them. Afterwards, we were supposed to present them to the class. As we went along, she expected us to take note of all the things we didn’t understand. Of course, I was paired with two of the most advanced students. I felt so insecure about my French ability. I couldn’t speak, and I certainly couldn’t read those articles.
I convinced my partners to do one short article about an elephant.
The article was tiny, but I had to look up every other word. I was so embarrassed and tried to hide it from the other guys in my group. Then, they decided to choose a large article about how to make a road trip easier.
It was so long and I didn’t understand most of it. My morale was very low at this point. There was no way I was going to be able to prepare a summary for both articles in that moment. I needed all the time to just understand them!
Thankfully, the teacher sent the articles home with us for homework. I planned to prepare something great to read to the class the next day. She gave us a ton of other papers too. I was happy to get worksheets and things to study. But, now I have too much! Here are just a few of the things she sent.
After class, I was demoralized. I felt like crying. I’ve never been so awful at anything in my life. What is it with French? This is my second time trying to learn this language and I’m having a similar experience as my first one. A classmate encouraged me to feel better, to keep trying, etc., but I have my doubts. Should I drop to a lower level? I don’t know. I’m so confused about it. I wish I had clarity. I think I’m going to stay in the class since the materials are currently reviewing what I already know. The major issue is the speaking and listening. I just need help.
After class, I just needed some way to decompress. I decided to go to the nearest cemetery and just take a walk. Maybe record a video or something. So, I did. Learn more about it in my blog post Montrouge Cemetery: Life After Death?
After my visit to the cemetery, I walked home in the rain. On the way, I saw two pretty cool buildings. Decided to grab some photos of them.
I went home to upload all my media to my laptop. At night, as is my custom, I took a moment to appreciate the view.
