Dear Reader,
My first blog post served as a way to introduce myself and share some experiences I have had connecting with my group members, thus far. For this post, I will discuss, further, my expectations and goals for my trip, why I chose Abbey Road, along with what I plan to do with my French-speaking skills in the future.
First, I have one silly yet puzzling question for the people at Abbey Road. I know we should speak French and only French, but when do we start? The group meets at JFK airport where we have several hours to get to know one another before the flight. We have even more bonding time during the flight before we finally land in France. Do we get to know one another in English and then start speaking French when we reach our destination or do we speak French the moment we meet at the airport? I can't help but giggle at the idea of someone saying, "Okay, start speaking French right..............NOW"!
As I venture across the globe, I expect to be nervous, but a good kind of nervous. You know the feeling that overcomes you just before you go onstage? Your stomach ties in knots, the adrenalin pulses throughout your shaking body, and your heart races like crazy as you await the moment when the curtains are drawn and you are transported to a new world upon the stage. That nervous anticipation and excitement is exactly how I feel right now. I cannot wait to venture out of my comfort zone, not only speaking the French language but living the French culture.
You don't have to know me well to know that I am obsessed with all things French. I want to speak and "live" French as soon as possible! About a year ago, I became interested in doing a French immersion program. My French teacher referred me to the Abbey Road Program. When my parents and I visited the website, we were all very impressed. The program was everything I was looking for: 5 weeks in France (not too long, not too short) consisting of cultural experiences and daily French classes. The online photographs portrayed students having the time of their lives. The moment my parents approved, I knew my dream of going to France was coming true.
Five weeks is a long time to be away from home. But is it long enough to become proficient in a language? I want to make the most I can out of these five weeks. From what I have heard from my fellow group members, everyone seems very serious about the program, wanting to speak French the entire time. As a source of motivation, I have made a list of goals to accomplish by the end of the five weeks. I wish to be able to read a newspaper or novel in French with ease, to understand a French film without English subtitles, to accidentally write one of my blog posts in French instead of English, and to be borderline conversational/fluent.
So how do I plan on using French in my life? This next year, when I am a high school senior, I will take French 5. In college, I will major in International Relations. Regardless of where life takes me, I will have a job that requires frequent use of French. For this reason, I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn French now and get a head start on my plans for the future.
Until next time,
Elizabeth
The Countdown Begins!
Dear Reader,
Bienvenue! The two week countdown for my trip to St. Laurent with the Abbey Road program starts today and I am so excited! I can’t wait to meet everyone going on the trip with me and to learn more about my host family. But more than anything, I want to start speaking French NOW!!!
I’ve already started taking a few steps in order to prepare for my immersion in the French language. I have Rosetta stone and am now on the second level (out of five). Having taken 3 years of French classes, the first CD was rather redundant. But I hope in two weeks, I will have completed every level and will have a good head start for the trip. If I have any worries, they pertain to packing. I can only check one bag… mission impossible?
I recently received the student roster for my trip. There are teens from around the United States and even a girl from Hong Kong. Believe it or not, one of the guys in my group is from Kansas City (my hometown). What are the chances? We hadn’t met but our parents had crossed paths. In fact, I just came back from meeting him and am so relieved that there will be one familiar face during this scary, but exciting journey. Along with this, I have been emailing back and forth with my roommate this past week! As a matter of fact, she’s the student from Hong Kong I mentioned previously. She is very kind and I can’t wait to meet her in person. She’s even going to teach me a few words in Chinese! Anyway, it has been fun and easy getting to know a few of my group members whether they live a few minutes away or halfway around the world!
Avez un bon été,
Elizabeth
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