Le Françias

I am happy to report that I am now fully bilingual! I’m lying but I can definitely understand most of what people say. I had a exam last Saturday testing my French communication level and I am at Intermediate Low, which is enough to finish training. When I got the results earlier today I was super excited because a month ago I was really discouraged that I would never learn (pronunciation of some English words is difficult for me so French was definitely going to be a problem). Thankfully, I have improved. My confidence has improved which means I practice more and therefore get more correction if I do make an error.

- Each week I have 2 to 4 two-hour classes in French which helps with my grammar and pronunciation. We are all divided up in classes based on our French level so we get the proper guidance. Our times is spent reviewing different real life scenarios (shopping, attending celebrations, etc) and we learn the vocabulary and proper expressions. This has also taught me a lot about the culture and the culturally correct way to do things.

-Every weeknight my host father teaches a French class for 18 men. They all speak Moorè fluently but they only know a little French (usually what they learned in grade school). The class is mainly to assist them with reading and pronunciation. I have attended class for the past two weeks and it has definitely helped me. Each night, we focus on a different consonant and pair it with a vowel; each student takes a turn reading the syllables and words out loud. I am also now considered a member of the group, which is kinda cool.

-If we are not too tired, I will also have a conversation with my host father or host brothers during dinner. We talk about our cultural differences, politics, the economy, our work, etc. Every time I say anything incorrectly, my host father waits until I am done speaking and then restates my question/statement in the correct form. He is a good teacher. Unfortunately my host brothers do not always understand my French and we spend the majority of the time trying to figure out what each other is saying. Our newest solution has just been for them to practice English with me (they learn English in high school here) and I practice French. It is very funny and cute when you have 12 kids saying “Good Afternoon… How are YOOOOOOOUUUUUU?”

When I get to my site (my home for the next two years), I am supposed to get a tutor to give me even more assistance in French. It is good to know that volunteers who came in with know French are now fluent and have no problem conducting their daily business. So I will be bilingual… trilingual if you count Spanish (wink wink SEO).