Well, I'm slowly getting better at everything as each day passes: driving, finding my way around, understanding the language, understanding my tasks, getting used to the way of life...
 |
| And I have to get used to military time! |
With driving, I'm more afraid of getting lost, etc, than not being able to drive a standard properly, but I am still far from perfect with the driving!!! I can say, however, that I'm thankful for mistakes because they teach me what to look for next time. For example: I stopped at a stoplight and put the car in first, or so I thought; it took me two and a half light cycles with people passing me for me to figure out that I was in third instead of first! Oh la la! I felt like an idiot after that, but now I know that that's something I need to be especially careful of and something to look for if I have the same problem again! With the traffic, there are a ton of round-abouts and, particularly in the smaller towns, the streets have no rhyme or reason to how they are organized, and so it's hard to learn how to get around. But, I'm getting by, even if it means arriving somewhere a little late because I got momentarily lost.
I don't know how to track my language progression except for basic explanations. For the most part, I can understand almost everything that is said with a combination of current knowledge and context clues, but there are still many times when I simply don't understand. I'm still pretty bad at speaking because of a combination of lack of vocabulary and stage-fright/thought translation lag, but I'm hoping that all of my "absorbing" with oral comprehension will soon translate to better speaking!
My French classes start on October 1st, and I'll be in the same class as Claire (we are the two American au pairs of Gex!); I'm ready for them to start because I hope they'll help me with my grammar so that I'll feel more confident in speaking. I'm also using Duolingo to brush up on basic vocabulary (and as I advance in the program, learn more difficult vocabulary), and I have a little phrasebook that I skim through. Soon, I'll also start using Livemocha and see how helpful it is, because I got an all-access key for really cheap. I get motivated for language work by Benny the Irish Polyglot, who stresses immersion, among other things.
I'd say the most stressful thing is learning how to take care of two small children, as I've never done so before. Erine is in the stage of testing me to see if I'll respond to bad behavior like the parents do. Oscar is still warming up to me, but it's coming along. My patience is definitely being tested, particularly when I don't know the vocabulary to tell them to do or not to do something or to explain an answer to their questions.
I'm sorry I haven't posted any scenery pictures, but it has still been so foggy that I can hardly see the Alps in the distance. But here are some pics of my current room vs. future room!
 |
| My current little space |
 |
| The insulation being worked on in my future room |
 |
| The walls on opp side being finished |
 |
| The main view from the door |
(I don't know what's up with the spacing, btw. I worked on it for ages and it wouldn't work right.)
I'm going to learn how to make a Croque Monsieur (typical French dish- like a toasted ham sandwich, basically) tomorrow, so I should have a lovely food post for you on Friday!
No comments:
Post a Comment