I'm already on my fourth month in learning French here in France. When I was still in Cebu I started learning French at Alliance Française de Cebu (which is a very good French school and cultural center) and thankfully I did it because here they are not teaching the basic of the basics, they are teaching us conversational french directly. For some it's more effective but not for me, had I not taken my basics in Cebu I would surely be messing out on my language lessons here.
Learning a new language is no joke at all, thankfully I'm a Filipino and we are known to learn a new language more quickly than others. I have always hated grammar even if I graduated BSED-English and this has been a continued frustration but now it's the grammar and the pronunciation that bugs me. Luckily the French accent and the Cebuano accent have something in common "pinagahi ug pinabundak dili pinalumoy parehas sa Tagalog" so I'm not struggling so much with the accent.
Learning a new language is no joke at all, thankfully I'm a Filipino and we are known to learn a new language more quickly than others. I have always hated grammar even if I graduated BSED-English and this has been a continued frustration but now it's the grammar and the pronunciation that bugs me. Luckily the French accent and the Cebuano accent have something in common "pinagahi ug pinabundak dili pinalumoy parehas sa Tagalog" so I'm not struggling so much with the accent.
Sometimes it really gets to the point of being tiring and boring to go to school every working day of the week but I must really drag my ass since I have and want to speak their language. In the beginning it was just for the papers, I go to school because it's obligatory but as time goes by I see its importance more clearly. Now that I can speak french (un petit peu - a little bit) at least I won't be depending on my husband with even as simple as buying une baguette or un croissant. I always see to it that everyday I make as much effort as I can because it is very frustrating to have a lot of ideas in your head that you can hardly convey because you can't speak fluently or correctly yet.
French is my fourth language since my mother tongue is Cebuano or Visayan and I can also speak Tagalog and English which are my country's official languages, so this makes me a polyglot which actually makes me smile because I never realised it until recently when my teacher told me so. Languages are very interesting. Everyday I hear at least six different languages in school; French, English, Russian, Spanish, Creole and Chinese. There are a lot of Hispanophones here in Martinique and it's funny because I can understand some of their words, it really amazes me. My favourite so far is Russian. They sound so nice, complicated, hard yet interesting and I love the accent however learning one very difficult language is enough for now.
In the French educational system they are given the chance to learn either Spanish, German or English when they are in high school. I hope one day these options will be available in the Philippine educational system as well, with the exception of English of course because it's already our official language. It can be nice if the next generations will have the basic skills in speaking either of the following; French, Spanish, German, Arabic and -why not- Chinese or Japanese since these languages are most used all over the world. Now that we, Filipinos, can speak excellent English we already have the edge compared to our neighbouring Asian countries, how much more if we speak one of these other major languages? I know I'm dreaming but it is, I suppose, indeed a very good idea.
For now, I can't help but feel proud about myself, in the end it's all gonna be worth it. Now I can already engage in a conversation, of course it's not yet perfect but I feel more at ease compared to when I just arrived. I can understand more as well but I always strive for more. I really hope that one day I will be able to perfect my French, in God's grace. ^^,
To those who are also learning a new language, keeping a positive attitude in learning is very important. I did some dramas in the beginning, I cried out of frustration when my husband corrects me or when I make a careless mistake. Every now and then I still feel frustrated but it is just a part of the process. Sometimes it just gets a little harder and sometimes we are just not in the mood for it.
I humbly include herewith, an example of my work in school which I wrote for my best friend. We were asked to write to someone close to us about an unforgettable encounter that we had. I'm gonna write it exactly like how I did on my paper and if interests you, feel free to use an on line translator (:
Chère Lorin,
J'éspere que tu vas bien. En ce qui me concerne je vais toujours à l'ècole pour les cours de français mais parfois nous sommes aussi en vancances. Je vais te racontrer nos vacances à Grand-Rivière.
Nous avions passé un long week-end là-bas, nous étions à l'hôtel "Chez Tante Arlette". C'étais très sympa mais la première nuit j'étais malade et il n'y avais pas ni hôpital, ni pharmacie. Heureusment, que Tante Arlette et sa fille Karine, les proprietaires, étaient très gentilles. Elles m'ont donné des medicaments, je me senti mieux le lendemain matin et j'étais capable de faire une randonnée de 18km. Je n'oublierai jamais leurs gentillesse ce la m'a beaucoup touché. Je vais t'envoyer les photo bientôt.
Je t'embrasse...
Sheryl
