Coming to France, I expected to feel a bit out of place. My friends who had spent some time in France warned me that I may experience rudeness, racism, and/or general distaste for Americans. I was prepared to deal with this. I am usually pretty good at blending in because I try to dress like the locals and my skin color doesn't automatically give away my race. (I mean, I think it does, but it fools a lot of people. "Oh... I thought you were Dominican or Puerto Rican or something.") On three separate occasion this past week, I had French people approach me and ask if I knew where something was around town. I am a cultural chameleon!
I was not prepared to be in the only non-Chinese person in my class. And of all the levels of French classes, there are only three people total who are not Chinese. Yeah, I was surprised by this, too.
In my previous experiences as a foreigner learning the local language, I was always in classes with people from all around the world. We were forced to speak in the local language because that was the only one we all had in common. This is not so in my class where I am the only one who does not speak Mandarin. Even Hunter, the other semi-American, was born in China and grew up speaking Chinese in his home in Boston.
I have class with three other girls and three guys. For someone who is good at names, I only know three of the six because I am having a hard time visualizing how to spell them. That's my trick. When you tell me your name for the first time, I imagine it spelled out above your head like a sign and it sticks with me. This is not working for me. I am also having a hard time making friends with the Chinese people because they do not speak any English and none of us are that great in French. We make conversation about the limited number of things we know how to say and then we have exhausted our list of topics of discussion. And then, because it's easier for them, they go back to talking with all of their Chinese friends in Chinese.
My classmates have taken up the cause of teaching me a few phrases in Chinese, which is fun for us all. They giggle at the American trying to speak their language but they also admit that I have a pretty good ear for the different tones and my pronunciation isn't that bad.
Who ever heard of someone traveling to France to learn Chinese???
The cultural differences are interesting, as well. I was riding the bus the other day when I saw one of my classmates and a group of her friends. I assume she was telling them that I was in her class with all the other Chinese people and one guy pipes up, in broken English, "You not Chinese. You black!" Yes, thank you. You've figured out my secret! I have also learned that the Chinese word for "well" or "um" sounds like "nigga." Just imagine how many times in every conversation you say "well" or "um" and you can imagine how many times I almost get offended until I remember they're not being racist. If they were, I wouldn't even know it because I don't speak Chinese!
Despite the non-French language barrier, classes are pretty fun. We talk a lot about current events and it reminds me a lot of some of the classes I took in Salamanca and Sevilla. There is tons of vocabulary and I think having to use circumlocution to explain the meaning of a new words is the most fun word game ever. It's like playing Taboo every day! I like that part of things. I also like the part where my Spanish/understanding of languages in general is really helping me catch on to new concepts quickly. Latin roots are totally my friends and those letter cluster rules Tomas taught me back in the day are really coming in handy. Mylène, our teacher, is quite good, and very patient with me. I think she knows that I'll get it together eventually and I just need a little time to get back into the swing of things.
On the other hand, I am shocked by how much grammar I have forgotten and I have a lot of holes in my vocabulary as well. I will be completely following a conversation and then BOOM. There's a key word I don't know and I have lost the whole thread. This will get better very quickly but for right now, it's frustrating.
Also frustrating is the gap between my comprehension and my productive language skills. I understand what you're saying and I can read what is written on a page but then when it's time for me to talk about it, I have a hard time expressing what I really feel. I am used to having insightful and interesting things to say about everything and now all I'm managing is "In the US, people work a lot" and "I prefer rugby and not soccer. Rugby players are strong and they do not cry." These are important phrases, certainly, but not quite the profound, thoughtful statements I would like to make.
I have classes Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 10-1 and then Thursdays 10-1 and 2-5. Thursday is a long day but I don't have classes on Fridays so it all works out. What I need to do is get a grammar book and a dictionary so I can spend Fridays brushing up on all the stuff I have forgotten. Next week's mission: Find these items. And maybe a folder since carrying around my notes inside of the handouts is a little bootleg.
Next time: Exploring the heart of Bordeaux
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