Stupid social anxiety

[diemme]

I think I feel a bit "piggy in the middle" like Andrea and Gila; the enthusiasm is lovely, really, but a bit overwhelming. Voy a jugar "Scene It" con los estudiantes de mi escuela. Son de paises diferentes de Latinoamerica. Manana tendremos neustro examen final. Estoy nerviosa. You can't learn off examples of grammar and sentence construction like poetry or you get rigid. I'm familiar with my tenses and my grammar rules but stupid little things in sentence constructions trip me up sometimes; is "a" or "en," "por" or "para" for instance.

This experience has taught me that I want to keep learning languages. Just in the region people speak French and Dutch as well as English and Spanish. I loved French my first year of high school but my teachers in second and third form killed it off completely. In third form we had Mrs. Alert, one of the school deans who would nod off during morning assembly. Lovely woman but uninspiring teacher. I can remember her greetings us "Bonjour, mes eleves" in her heavy, sing song voice and asking us about the weather. We'd chorus, "Il fait beau et chaud, extreme chaud!" I don't remember what we said when it was raining.

We used "D'accord!" each year, sort of like the Standard Book of Spells with the degree of difficulty increasing every year. They featured the same French family - Monsieur et Madame Marsaud, Marie France, Jean Claude et Claudette. I wonder what their fate eventually was.

Comments

[andolinn.livejournal.com]

*snorts* We used the same French text in college. Imagine that. I dug it out before we went to Provence. I'm not sure if I liked it or not...

[diemme.livejournal.com]

Which colour? We used the orange, blue and green. They were a bit dry but I loved the little comprehension passages that started each chapter. I remember Marie France going to market and Claudette talking to her mother about "le petit dejeuner," papa, Jean Claude et amie Pierre watching the Tour de France and the boys being late for school with Monsieur Lafayette.

I think I'd be intimidated to speak French around native speakers, in books and on TV they always seem to be looking down on tourists' attempts at French. Does art imitate life?

[andolinn.livejournal.com]

No, art does not imitate life. Hubby almost wouldn't go to Paris because of the tales he heard, but everyone there was very nice. I think it helped that I spoke a little French and tried.

Parisians live in very cramped quarters and they have social rituals to deal with it. You walk into a shop and you say "Bonjour." And they ask if they can help you and you say "Oui" or Merci, non." And you say goodbye and please. That and smiles seem to pave the way beautifully. Even if your accent isn't perfect.

[diemme.livejournal.com]

It's funny how that misconception persists. I was watching an old episode of Babylon 5 the other day in which Marcus and Ivanova go out searching for some of the First Ones (advanced aliens) to join them against the Shadows in the coming war. Ivanova makes a comment to the effect of "They know our language, they just refuse to speak to us in it." Marcus replies "Who knew they were French!" It's nice to know it's all hooey!

Parisians live in very cramped quarters and they have social rituals to deal with it. You walk into a shop and you say "Bonjour." And they ask if they can help you and you say "Oui" or Merci, non." And you say goodbye and please. That and smiles seem to pave the way beautifully. Even if your accent isn't perfect.

That's about the extent of my French. :(

[andolinn.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* I need a B5 icon!

I speak a bit more than that. I can point to a menu and say what I want in French and I can read things. But a smile and the niceties are what make the difference. Also, speak quietly - no one likes a loud Ugly American...or T&Tan!

[diemme.livejournal.com]

The raspberries are quite beautiful! :D

I'd fit right in then. My school career was one long chorus of "DM, speak up!"

[andolinn.livejournal.com]

*howls*

See now my school career was a long (silent) chorus of teachers wishing I would stop pointing out inconsistancies and fellow students thanking dieties that I had asked the question, because nobody understood. Eventually, i worked out that if i was confused, so was half of the rest of the class. LOL

[diemme.livejournal.com]

I was always grateful for someone like you in the class. I was so self conscious that even giving the right answer and having attention on me was agonizing, far less for saying I didn't understand. And my voice was so timid that I think some teachers called on me the bare minimum out of sheer pity. It wasn't until college that I felt comfortable answering questions and contributing to discussions and even then it was "a little louder, DM."