since the only other places i’ve been in europe were english speaking countries, i expected to be hit with a large case of culture shock when i got here. but mostly for me i’ve been hit with a big case of “my academic french is good, my real-life french is horrible.” i feel like i can barely communicate anything, and since all my roommates speak english, it’s easy to fall back on it. i think it’s a combination of my last french classes being so literature/grammar based there was little opportunity for conversation, being aware of my lacking language skills which only makes things worse, and being exposed to a completely different french accent than i’ve heard. the northern part of france is known for it’s accent, and it’s often indecipherableness (is that a word? if not, i think it should be), comparable to a strong fargo/minnesota accent on crack.
it is really frustrating to know that i’ve been studying french off and on since 8th grade but i can barely order a meal, yet if you threw some camus & a pencil at me, i could analyze it until the cows come home. i can hear in my head what i want to say and how i should say it, but the link from thinking to speaking is just NOT there. and i know, i know, i’ve only been here 4 days, but i didn’t expect to be drowning in language problems.
despite that, i’m being honest when i say really like it here. i went out with a girl who helped me a lot online before i moved here. we went to an australian bar (which was full of wood & rugby), and i had some delicious drink with gin & cassis.
here’s to hoping my brain synapses start connecting so i can start speaking.
Girl! Them head snappers will link it – give them time and enjoy being a foreigner. Before you know it, you’ll be local. Indecipherable is definitely a word.