made it to Meetup!

Posted in French, learning tools by

entree a la clavier

So I finally got myself back to a French conversation Meetup for the first time in at least a year. After putting off thinking about it all day, then purposefully making myself late to leave work, feeling nothing but dread walking the six blocks over to the location, and using all my resolve to actually walk through the door, I prayed that the bar would be empty. But nope, a crowd of people were clustered together, chatting away.

Within a matters of seconds I broke into a conversation and everything was fine. The usual self-consciousness that paralyzes my French-speaking brain like a parasitic fungus calmed down after the first few words came out of my mouth, and I felt inexplicably at ease for the rest of the evening. I had thought I’d have to force myself to stay for a half hour, but by the time I left an hour and a half had breezed by without me realizing it.

Dalia

First I spoke with Dalia, an Arabic teacher who is originally from Palestine but moved here 15 years ago and now lives in New Jersey. She was super impressive because she learned French when she was young, forgot it all, picked it back up and started teaching herself just one year ago – and she was speaking beautifully, like she was fluent. Two good online tools she told me about that I will definitely be checking out in the hopes they can do for me what they did for her: Shared Talk (a free service provided by Rosetta Stone for language chats) and Anki (flashcards for vocab building).

Dykeman

I also had a long conversation with Dykeman, a publisher of books about the South, from which he hails (Tennessee/North Carolina to be a little more exact). Normally I just shoot the shit in French and make banal small talk but we actually covered a lot of interesting ground that I would have been just as happy to chat about in English: he suggested I watch an Antonioni film set in Barcelona (the Passenger), we discussed our angst about contemporary media distribution models, and I was excited to meet someone who knew about the Lost State of Franklin.

All in all an excellent and encouraging evening. I think Duolingo is to thank for getting me out of my habit of translating and thinking through every word before I say it out loud. Sure, when I speak as quickly as I did tonight (which, sadly, is still quite sluggish), my sentences come out sloppy. But on the other hand when I can actually say something without turning bright red, halting and/or reversing course every five seconds, that’s got to be an improvement.

I’m looking forward to going back in a couple of weeks. Which makes it official: facing down fears is my new favorite thing. (Don’t tell that to any roaches.)

(Top photo: Frédéric Bisson, Creative Commons license. Middle and bottom photo: Me.)

Fifty shades of Duolingo

Posted in French, learning tools by

legoticons

French took a while to become as weird as Spanish Duolingo but now it seems to be on a roll. So much so that I’ve come to think of it as “him” – a strange little person with a serious personality disorder, hiding in my phone. Here are some of my favorite examples of the many sides of Mr. D.:

Morbid mind Duolingo

L’animal meurt, en étant mangé par le lion. / The animal dies being eaten by the lion.

Il mourra plus tard. / He will die later.

Dirty old man Duolingo: 

Il y a sa chaleur contre mon corps. / There is her warmth on my body.

C’est sympa d’avoir une belle fille à chaque bras. / It’s nice to have a pretty girl on each arm.

Low self esteem / passive-aggressive Duolingo: 

C’est trop pour mon petit cerveau. / It’s too much for my little brain.

Apocalyptic Duolingo (my favorite): 

Tous les organismes vivants sont en danger. / All living organisms are in danger.

Strange thoughts on farming Duolingo:

C’est ma premiere vache. / It is my first cow.

Elle perd un cochon. / She loses a pig.

Big brother / creepy voice-in-my-head Duolingo (because he produced this one while I was sitting anxiously on the subway, running extremely late for work):

Pourquoi est-ce que vous êtes toujours en retard? / Why are you always late?

After two months of daily usage, I’ve pretty much run out of steam with this little appy app. Only the prospect of discovering more strange and ridiculous statements keeps me going. Maybe it is intentionally wacky for that very purpose! (Cunning Duolingo.)

(Photo: Daniel, Creative Commons license.)

 

it’s the weekend!

Posted in learning tools, travel by

 

And it’s supposed to be in the 70’s, which is the least that May could do after the travesty that was March and April. So far it’s just been more of the same – I wore my winter jacket all this week. INAPPROPRIATE. Fingers crossed that the weekend brings sunny skies and heat at last (and at the same time for God’s sake).

Til Monday! and in the meantime, links links links:

A speaking exchange program that is highly adorable, and also a very good idea.

If I learned French and had a bazillion dollars I, too, could renovate a centuries-old chateau in the countryside.

10 secrets to learning a language without spending a dime. (So you can save up for the chateau instead.)

Pre-immersion makes anticipating a trip more fun than the trip itself.

(Photo: Ian Turk, Creative Commons license.)

the best of words, the worst of words: aurore and concubinage

Posted in best words & worst words, French by

On Sunday I went to a gathering at which there were not one, not two, but three French transplants. So I subjected all of them to my little favorite/least favorite words exercise, and I’ll share their responses one by one as I get around to typing them up. First, there’s Anne Cecile aka Anna, a journalist who is working on an intriguing documentary that I am not at liberty to discuss. But take my word for it, it will be good.

Anne Cecile favorite word

I am a fan of Anna’s choice. Aurore is a lovely-sounding word and her translation of it is even more lovely. While Google tells me it simply means “dawn,” Anna insisted that aurore has a more complicated meaning no one English word can completely capture. So why is it her favorite? Translated from the French (to the best of my ability!): “It’s a word for a fleeting moment that is beautiful and precious. The word could be ugly if it were said in a harsh way but it’s said with softness. And it’s a hopeful word for when things are fresh and new again.”

On to the least favorite:

Anne Cecile hates the word concubinage

Funnily enough, concubine is one of my favorite words but I can see how it’s not for everyone. English concubine and French concubinage have different connotations. Concubinage is basically domestic partnership or common law marriage. Anna points out that while she is all for the concept of concubinage, it’s the word itself that she doesn’t like. Too many of the same sounds back to back. “It’s almost like the word was designed to be ugly so people wouldn’t do it.” A word with a conservative agenda!

I love how both of Anna’s choices require a multi-word explanation – more of a definition than a translation. So, thanks to Anna for her powers of description, and for lodging these two new words firmly in my brain!

(get over the) hump-day inspiration: C.S. Lewis

Posted in inspiration & encouragement, travel by

CS Lewis quote

Because 34 is the new 14.

This photo, by the way, is from my first glimpse of South America along the Chilean coast. It would have been a more profound moment had I not flown through Toronto and been delirious with exhaustion. In retrospect I peg it as the kick-off to my new era of crazy dreaming and scheming. At the time I just stared and stared and thought, I will process this after I sleep.

solo in Paris – or anywhere really

Posted in French, inspiration & encouragement, travel by

strolling couple in paris

My favorite thing is to wander aimlessly around a densely packed city and take in the sights. That’s basically all I did in Buenos Aires from early in the morning til the wee hours of night: walk and gawk, walk and gawk, stop to sit in a park, walk and gawk, stop to eat steak (always, steak), walk and gawk, walk and gawk. I must have covered a forty square mile area by foot and every single block had something to be in awe of, whether animal, vegetable or mineral.

Apparently the French have a word for people like me: flâneur, or stroller. Stephanie Rosenbloom wrote a piece for this week’s Times travel section about strolling Paris on her own, and it perfectly captures the magic of solo travel. The way that being alone enhances the senses and imbues every experience with both grounding stillness and skin-prickling energy.

Paris, she convincingly writes, is a city that “deeply rewards the solo traveler”:

In a city that has been perfecting beauty since the reign of Napoleon III, there are innumerable sensual details — patterns, textures, colors, sounds — that can be diluted, even missed, when chattering with someone or collaborating on an itinerary. Alone one becomes acutely aware of the hollow clack of pétanque balls in a park; the patina of Maillol’s bronze “Baigneuse se Coiffant” that makes her look wet even on a cloudless day in the Tuileries; how each of the empty wine bottles beside sidewalk recycling bins is the embodiment of someone’s good time.

I have only spent a few days in Paris and that was years ago – but I remember it as gray, snobby and overrated. I’ve never felt the need to return until I read this article, which had me wanting to jump on the next plane. Instead I practiced my flânerie / joggerie along the Hudson River on a drop-dead gorgeous New York City day and was thankful to be living in the walkingest city in the world.

(Photo: I took this picture when I visited Paris in 2000. Everything about this elderly couple, from their classic dress, to their slow unhurried stroll, to their arm-in-arm charm, felt perfectly suited to the city.)

l’amour est fou

Posted in French by

useful romantic expressions in French

Saw this list of French phrases that are “useful for romantic situations” on Pinterest today, pinned from this apropos Tumblr. I love how it starts out syrupy sweet but midway through the other side of love starts peeking through – the “Are you crazy?”s and the “Leave me alone!”s.

Funny because my biggest love / hate relationship at the moment seems to be with Duolingo. When I’m not forcing myself to do it, it’s the most breezy and satisfying thing ever, but when I’m just trying to get through it so I can move on to other things, I feel nothing but resentment. As though Duolingo is the cause of my angst instead of my own tendency towards OCD. Anyway, I was upstate with friends this past weekend and ruined my 53-day streak on Sunday, which made me really sad. Ah well, c’est la vie.

duolingo doldrums

Posted in French, learning tools by

I have seen the Duolingo owl a few too many times this week.

Over it.

The Duolingo owl, the Twitter fail whale – what is it with cute animals bearing bad digital news?

investing in experiences

Posted in inspiration & encouragement, travel by

piggy bank

I love this post by Design Sponge’s Amy Azzarito, about rechanneling her money from “things” into “experiences.” She’s committed to that practice in theory, but as she points out, “it’s easier to say that you’re going to stop buying things (and invest in experiences instead) than it is to do it.” Especially in New York City, I would add.

It’s really hard to keep from buying stuff I can technically afford – whether a pair of shoes I really want or the new mattress I actually really need – when the alternatives seem to be spending the money on some other thing instead, using it for a fairly small beans experience, or putting it away towards a far-into-the-future goal that is too lofty and nebulous to feel real (i.e. saving enough to ever retire).

It became easier for Amy when she earmarked that money towards a specific, medium-term “experience” goal instead – in her case (and mine), travel:

One of the best things that helped me through my detox diet was deciding what my next travel experience (my ultimate goal) was going to be. Looking at travel books (which I checked out from the library) and pricing out trip options seriously helped curb spending. Those Vans shoes basically equaled a night in a hotel and once I started looking at things through my travel goggles, I was much less likely to even consider spending the money on them.

“Travel goggles” is an apt term for what happens when you commit to a plan that requires lots of vision and tenacity and temptation resistance but that makes you super excited and motivated, too. Ever since I decided to do a self-styled study abroad sabbatical – and priced out how much it will cost – I’ve found it easier to pass up non-essential purchases. I know that to make my trip a reality I’ll have to aggressively reroute all my disposable income – for two years – towards that dream. God knows I won’t be able to stay the course for a third year, so it’s really important that I don’t cheat on my saving commitment.

That means I’ll be whipping out my travel goggles often – whenever I am staring down a pair of miraculously comfortable heels, or burning soup in my paltry excuse for a saucepan, or feeling sad about the state of my apartment’s furnishings. Another night (or 700) on my glorified futon now means another night in West Africa later.

P.S. Here’s another one of Amy’s posts – about facing the fear of learning a second language – that seemed written just for me, apart from the fact that I’m sure a million people can relate to it.

(Photo: Philip Brewer, Creative Commons license)

(get over the) hump-day inspiration: louis c.k.

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Words of wisdom from Louis C.K. in the new issue of GQ:

“You’ve got to embrace discomfort,” he said. “It’s the only way you can put yourself in situations where you can learn, and the only way you can keep your senses fresh once you’re there.”

This needs to be my mantra as I psych myself up to go back to French conversation Meetups for the first time in more than a year. I find them so awkward and deflating. My everyday self-consciousness balloons seven-fold at the prospect of not understanding anyone and/or butchering such a melodic language. And it’s exhaustingly hard work to catch every word the person speaking to you is saying and to formulate a response that both makes sense and talks around the words you don’t know. Without fail, I leave feeling like Sisyphus instead of patting myself on the back for taking the baby steps that will eventually add up to progress.

But! Meetups are the best, cheapest way available to me now to get over the listening and speaking hump and the more I do, the easier it’ll be when I go abroad for full-on immersion.

One of the reasons I started this blog, actually, was to force me to go to Meetups so I’d have something to write about.

I’m giving myself the month of May to dive back in. With this blog as my witness!

P.S. This week’s inspirational quote is pretty much a reframed version of last week’s quote. I’m a one-trick quote pony I guess.